Oboe Art & Method
by Martin Schuring
Please note: This is a soft-cover book. List price on the hardcover edition is $99.00
Oboe Art and Method is a complete and comprehensive guide to oboe technique. Author Martin Schuring, a veteran oboe performer and instructor, describes in detail all of the basic techniques of playing (breathing, embouchure, finger technique, articulation) and reed making, with expert tips and step-by-step instructions for how best to perform each of these tasks with grace and technical efficiency. Schuring's descriptions are straightforward and articulate, designed to encourage students to focus on the basic techniques of tone production as a springboard for more nuanced artistic development. Key sections address long-tone and scale practice in ways that go beyond advice most teachers will give their pupils, and the author's focus on embouchure development cultivates supported breathing and blowing to help provide the best foundation for aspiring oboists. In addition, he offers chapters on the practicing, instrument care and adjustment, professional development, and career development issues, all designed to help students practice meaningfully and with purpose and guide them throughout their careers with the oboe.A reliable source of practical and time-tested advice, Oboe Art and Method will appeal to all who teach or are learning to play the oboe, whether at conservatories or in private instruction. A coherent overview of the fundamentals of technique, it will also be a terrific brush-up guide for professionals and amateur enthusiasts alike.
Features
- A concise and affordable guide to oboe technique, and the first new book of its kind in 50 years
- Presents proven techniques, and discusses these in a straightforward manner
- Includes large sections on practicing and on strategies for professional development.
"This wonderful book is a natural continuation of Martin Schuring's effective work in the studio. It has very wise and thoughtful helpful hints, presented in a straight-from-the-shoulder style, which can't help but be useful to support the in-person advice most teachers will give their pupils. I have begun quoting from it to my students already! Oboe Art and Method will soon become absolutely indispensable to today's serious oboist - teacher and student alike."
-Dan Stolper, Instructor of Oboe, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Visiting Faculty, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University
"Professor Schuring's book is an extremely comprehensive, thoughtful and articulate exploration into the many complexities of the art (and craft!) of oboe playing and reed-making. It provides pages of valuable information, presented in a clear, concise, and easy to understand manner. Congratulations to Martin Schuring for compiling his wealth of knowledge into this thorough and informative compendium for future generations of oboists!"
-Nancy Ambrose King, Professor of Oboe, University of Michigan, President, International Double Reed Society
Table of contents
PART I: FUNDAMENTALS
Chapter 1: Posture, Breathing, and Support
Goals
Posture
Breathing
Exercise to Promote Deep Breathing
Blowing (Support)
Reeds and Resistance
Exercise to Find the Appropriate Amount of Air Pressure
Breathing While Playing
Circular Breathing for Oboe: A Step-By-Step Guide
Summary of Chapter 1
Chapter 2: Embouchure and Other Matters of Tone Production
Embouchure Formation
Manipulating Dynamics
Reed Placement
A Few More Important Things
Tone Concept
Pitch versus Resonance
Reeds Again
Vibrato
Exercise to Develop a Natural, Singing Vibrato
Excursive (Very Difficult)
Conclusion
Chapter 3: Finger Facility
Technique
Alternate Fingerings
Bloops
High Notes
Octave Keys
Half Hole
Fingering for Tone Color
English Horn
Summary for Chapter 3
Chapter 4: Articulation
Speed of Articulation
Variety of Articulation
Articulation and Music
Multiple Tonguing
Chapter 5: Expression
Phrase Shape
Dynamic Control
Note Groupings
Inflection
Elements of Music
Reading Music
Marking Music
Editions
Style
Musings on Expressive Markings and Music Notation, with Performance Examples
Chapter 6: Practice
How to Practice
How Much to Practice
What to Practice
"I Could Play it at Home", or How to Prepare a Successful Performance
"I Can Play it Fast, but I Can't Play it Slow"
Metronomes, Tuners, and Other Tools
Further Aspects of Successful Preparation
Summary
Chapter 7: Extended Techniques
Monophonic Techniques
Multiphonics
Other Effects
Conclusion
PART II: REED MAKING
Chapter 8: Reed Construction
A Few Words of Encouragement for Beginning Reed Makers
Gouging, Shaping, and Tying (with section on cane selection)
Scraping and Finishing (with sections on knife technique and knife sharpening)
Chapter 9: Reed Evaluation and Adjustment
Reed Adjustment Guide
English Horn Reeds
PART III: EQUIPMENT AND ITS CARE
Chapter 10: Instrument Selection, Care, and Adjustment
Why Does It Cost So Much?
Plastic or Wood?
What to Buy?
Used Instruments
Instrument Maintenance
Instrument Disassembly and Reassembly
Adjustment of the Mechanism
Chapter 11: Selection and Care of Tools and Equipment
Tools and Supplies
PART IV: PROFESSIONAL AND PERFORMANCE CONSIDERATIONS
Chapter 12: Professional Behavior and Deportment
Professionalism, Collegiality, and Competence
Orchestral Etiquette
Small Ensemble Etiquette
Rules of Professional Success
Chapter 13: Career Development
Career Development
Advice for the Advanced Student Wishing to Be a Professional
Audition Recordings
APPENDIX 1: THOUGHTS FOR THE COMPLETE BEGINNER
APPENDIX 2: FINGERING CHART FOR OBOE AND ENGLISH HORN
APPENDIX 3: TRILL FINGERING CHART FOR OBOE AND ENGLISH HORN
NOTES; BIBLIOGRAPHY
Product Details
240 pages; 20 ht, 60 lines; 6 1/5 X 9 1/4; ISBN13: 978-0-19-537457-5ISBN10: 0-19-537457-6
About the Author
Martin Schuring held orchestral positions with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, and the Phoenix Symphony before joining the faculty of Arizona State University in 1992, where he is now Associate Professor of Music. He has played in the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra since 1980.
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