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Great question! I usually approach voicing (the "vowel shape" in the mouth) as a separate issue, but I would say "tee" or "tu" is best, since that will set students up to have a focused airstream.

@IanWisekal Any reed recommendations for a 4th/5th grade beginner? Strength, type, company? I took 2 oboe classes in college as a music ed major, but that was about 11 years ago... My district got its first set of oboes this year for students.

@@musicman1eanda That's exciting about the new instruments! I recommend trying out some of the options from the Bocal Majority Store; they're all handmade reeds, and I've had beginners do quite well with them. Once you find the "type" that seems to work best, stick with that maker. Best of luck this year!

Glad it's helpful - best of luck in your practice and preparation!

Luckily, you won't have to play it that fast, and there's a lot of time to prepare. Take it bit by bit, slowly and unevenly! My technique video has some tips for etudes like this :)

I feel you bro

I'm sure your teacher is a great resource, too, but my #1 suggestion for anything with a lot of fast, even notes: practice unevenly! Pick a nice, slow tempo with your metronome, take a chunk (maybe one measure) and play it really exaggeratedly in "LONG-short" pairs. Then flip them around so that they're "short-LONG." Then repeat the process with another chunk, and then link them together, etc. Once that feels comfortable, going back to playing evenly will feel relatively easy!

I make my own! Almost all professional oboists do. I started learning to make reeds in 7th grade thanks to the encouragement of my teacher 😊

@@IanWisekal I've heard that from a lot of my band directors! I plan on pursuing a career as a performing oboist, do you have any tips?

@@veronikamidtowne That's great! The most important thing is regular private lessons with a professional oboist. (If you need to drive far, do it! If you need to ask for discounts, ask for them!) Beyond your school band, it's really good to play with youth orchestras and/or participate in summer programs. That's where you'll find your people :)

@@IanWisekal Thank you so much! I'm working to get in touch with a tutor and I'm playing for churches and hopefully a local college band!

@@veronikamidtowne Glad to hear it - best of luck with your studies!

So glad to hear that! :)

I did - great catch! It was a suggestion from my teacher, Mr. Killmer, and now I always recommend it to my students, too

Lots of these Ferling slow etudes are lovely, but I'm also partial to the B minor etude by Dont in the Voxman Selected Studies book. (It's originally for flute, and lots of those etudes are beautiful on oboe, as well!)

Wonderful lyrics for this - thanks for sharing!

Thank you!!

I didn't! Luckily, we have that rest to catch our breath in the middle!

Yes that rest is clearly very helpful! Phew that piece is fast!! Anyway just wanted to share some super news with you today. Yesterday I got my new Buffet Crampon Prodige BC4131 thumb plate oboe, and it's absolutely gorgeous!! Wow the sound is really powerful and clear, sure is free blowing which is great news indeed. The keywork is also good for me as I have very small hands, so I now don't have to stretch my right little finger to reach C and D sharp which I had really struggled with before on the rental oboe I had started learning on. Feels a bit strange to start with, but of course all oboes are different, and once I have got used to it, all will be fine. Anyway I now have my very own oboe all brand new, and it came all the way from the Buffet Crampon factory in France!! So much to look forward to, mega exciting!!! 🤩@@IanWisekal

Wonderful - enjoy getting to know your new horn!

Thank you very much Ian, I sure will!! 🤩@@IanWisekal

Great question, Lam! It's not easy, but it's possible to breathe quickly and deeply with a feeling of relaxation. You can practice by putting a long, relaxed breath in a certain passage first - 3 or 4 beats long - and then reduce the breath to 2 beats, and then 1 beat, etc.

@@IanWisekal thank you very much

Thank you so much! I'm glad to hear that it's helpful. Best of luck at all-state!

If you listen carefully, you can hear that I took *lots* of opportunities to just just exhale, just inhale, or (when there's a big enough rest) fully breathe out and in. Make sure to take enough of these, or it will be hard to make it to the end! I recommend looking for places close together to pair quick "out" breaths (I mark them as "O") with "in" breaths (I mark them as "I"). You get the feeling of a full breath without disrupting the pulse of the music. Good luck!!

They're not so rare in the professional world, and very helpful for me. I recommend one if you have pain while playing that is caused by the weight of the instrument.

I'm glad to hear it's helpful - best of luck with the auditions!

i’m auditioning too, PMEA?? what district, if so?

You're in great company - this is an all-state etude in TX this year, too! Remember that SLOW practice of small sections helps you learn faster than trying to play it fast right away, or trying to learn it all at once!

I am also playing this for ILMEA. I am so terrified. Auditions are in a week and I am messing up the same three spots, all of them being the high notes.

@@paulmonaco6657Try taking just those high note spots - starting with just 2 or 3 notes - and play them slowly until they feel super comfortable. Then add one note at a time before, and then one note at a time after. Good luck next week!

@@paulmonaco6657 i was practicing really hard then realized it was never going to happen at least this year, i missed practicing all summer so that killed it, itll be back during my senior year so its pretty much prep now. Onto the next years... Illinois has some really good players so its a good reminder i guess

Thank you for listening and for your kind words! I've been playing and teaching these melodies for decades. I hoped that recording them could help students by providing one possible example of interpretation.

Don't worry - "at tempo" is a range of speeds. You can definitely play it more slowly than I did! When I'm judging auditions and competitions, slower and cleaner ALWAYS beats fast and sloppy.

​@IanWisekal thank you, ive managed to work this up to 70-80 ish with only pitch related issues on those high notes❤

Wow im also practicing this piece for All state! im not a professional but id say scales of any kinds, arpeggios and breathing exercises

@@IanWisekalthank you so much, I will try this out and consult my director

Thank you so much - I'm glad to hear that it's been helpful!

Thank you!

Yay, glad to hear it! :)

Thank you, Liliana - I'm so glad to hear it!

Thank you! 😊

For high E and above, you probably need to roll the reed a little further in. High notes don't need *that* much air or embouchure, but they won't work at all if your reed is too far out. Give it a try!

It's okay - just go the tempo that's comfortable for you! Good idea in the next couple days to mostly do runs without stopping to get in your "performance" mindset. Good luck!!

Thank you! These are such beautiful melodies :-)