“We’re swallowed up only when we are willing for it to happen.”

-Nathalie Sarraute

The beginning of the school year is often the beginning of the work year as well for many oboists.

For the last few months, you may have had an outdoor concert or two, but nothing too serious. Now the phone is ringing off the hook with wedding jobs, teaching jobs, playing jobs, adjudicating jobs.

All at once everybody wants you!

It is often a satisfying feeling to our egos when this time rolls around and we feel so wanted… But try to separate your ego from what you are agreeing to do and make sure you aren’t getting in over your head with too much driving or too much stress with little reward.

I remember the first fall I lived in Chicago. It was a welcome change to have so many oboe opportunities, but I got swallowed up very fast.

There was one particular day where I drove in 3 states, fought traffic for several hours, and spent 14 hours away from home for very little money and very little reward.

It was nobody’s fault but my own, and I was indeed “willing” for it to happen.

I did learn what I could handle and vowed to never get that needy and “willing” again. It’s different for everyone, but set your “willingness meter” now!

When you’re looking for a good reed to play a solo performance,
just remember this:

Make sure you can play the reed out of your ear.

That means the reed should be easy enough to get through your
piece 2 or 3 times in a row without getting tired.

So if your reed has you huffing and puffing after a bar or two,
you’re going to get into hot water.

Playing the oboe can be hard… as long as it doesn’t sound that
way.

You can hear an example of a good “reed fit” by turning up your
speakers and visiting the link below:

http://tinyurl.com/5d3vf3

The piece is a Telemann Fantasie I recorded a few (10 years…
EEEKK!) years ago…

“Fear has a smell, as love does.”

-Margaret Atwood-

I think the appropriate adaptation of this quote for oboists is “fear has a sound.”

It does not matter how much you practice or how good or bad you think your reed is. Fear is obvious, and it is a sound that has no place in music.

My very wise teacher had a saying along the same lines that I will never forget:

“Fear is not an appropriate color.”

It is a bizarre thing, because someone can play very well and still play fearfully. And someone else can play less well, missing notes here or there or whatever but be full of confidence.

Strive to remove any fear from your playing. If you detect any, ask yourself where it is coming from. Sometimes we just need to acknowledge it and move on instead of acting like everything is OK.

I remember my first solo recital after I had graduated and left school. I was a “professional,” but I didn’t feel like it. I had a really hard time being on my own at first because I realized it was all up to me, and that was very scary.

Luckily, I recorded the recital and literally could hear my own fear. It was then that I decided it was going to be confidence or bust from now on, because it just wasn’t worth it any other way.