ARTICULATION
As beginners we spend a great deal of time learning to start notes. During the development of our skills we work to perfect this event at all dynamics in all registers. The process of starting a note is so basically important that it often blinds us into neglecting the other end, stopping a note.
Ending notes
Note ends are crucial because not only should they be timed accurately, but since they are the closest sound to the succeeding note they contain the element of direction. There are three basic techniques used regarding ending a note - stopping the note with the tongue, with the air, with the embouchure. These can also be used in conjunction with each other.
Tongue
Stopping a note by placing the tongue on the reed is a precise way to determine the time spot of the note’s end. This technique is often dismissed as being abrupt and mechanical rather than musically useful. I disagree with that assessment. As with any technique it must be practiced so that the oboist can control its use and it must be used in musically appropriate situations. When practicing this, try to be mechanical at first. Don’t change or taper the air in order to be musical. Simply be precise with the tongue. Play isolated notes in this fashion and then progress to rhythmic values on repetitive notes, for example, quarter note - quarter rest - quarter note, eighth note - eighth rest - eighth note, and mixed values.
While playing a note, place your tongue at the tip of the reed, but underneath the opening. The tone will stop. Don’t stop the air. Keep blowing. Keep the tongue in that spot. Now, you have the option to stop blowing and end the note or, if you wish to continue blowing, pull the tongue off the reed and play the next note. You will notice that there is no change of dynamic or pitch when notes are ended with the tongue.
Next, explore the manner of placing the tongue. Control the motion so you are not slapping at the reed. With practice, this technique can become comfortable and useful in the appropriate places.
Air
Stopping a note with the air is the most frequently used note ending. Caution should be exercised to not let the note fizzle and droop when ending. In order to do this you must play on a stable reed and you need to make the physical action of stopping the air take place quickly. This is not conceived of as a diminuendo. It is rounding off the note end. Your phrase shape can still move forward even if you round off the note ends. Phrase shape is general direction of the air. In the case of an isolated note, think inflection - up or down. In simplest terms - the note or note ending is going somewhere, or, the note or note ending is coming to rest.
Embouchure
Stopping with the embouchure means shutting the reed. I conceive of this also a rounding even though it makes a quick diminuendo. Once again, the physical action of stopping the note takes place quickly. If you shut the reed with the closing movement used in up and down embouchure motion, the pitch will go up, unless you relax the air. That, of course, would make the diminuendo. You can also think of circling the reed, closing the drawstring. Pay attention to, and correct, the possible pitch change when ending notes. I find the concept of rounding off to be more helpful than thinking “quick diminuendo” when stopping notes.
Starting notes
To start a note we have usually been taught to breathe, set the embouchure, put tongue on reed, blow, pull tongue off reed. Attention should be given to the pacing of these steps and to the dynamic at which you want to start. This preparation can be done relating to the tempo and atmosphere of the music to be played.
Frequently, I hear oboists make unintentional accents whenever they start notes. Assuming that the reed is responsive, the physical usage of tongue, air, and embouchure can be learned and, eventually, perfected. Musical thinking must accompany technique in actual use. No one wants to always accent note beginnings. This would be unmusical. Pay attention to this aspect of performance. Remember to set the air and embouchure for the proper dynamic before starting the note. Blowing too strongly for the opening will overblow the reed and make an unintentional accent.
Starting pianissimo
As an aid to starting at softer dynamic levels learn to start notes without the tongue. Begin practicing this by shutting the reed with your embouchure and whispering into it for pianissimo. Use your knowledge of dynamic control and develop the ability to begin without accents. Try not to think of beginning a note as an attack. Start the note with the idea that it continues and goes somewhere creating a phrase direction. Practice the no-tongue start in all registers.
Accents
Accents are rapid dynamic changes. The loud part of the note is played by blowing more and often needs an accompanying opening of the embouchure. The soft part of the note occurs when you return your air and embouchure to the prevailing dynamic level. It is important to use your ears as an unbiased resource. Many times I hear students trying to play accents by pushing more air and because they make that effort they think they have played an accent while, in fact, they have not made any noticeable change of volume. This can often be corrected with an accompanying opening of the embouchure. Overblowing the reed for accents seems to stifle the reed’s vibration making the intended accent actually sound quieter rather than louder. Since accents are dynamic changes, use your dynamic techniques when playing them.
No huff and puff
It is important to be able to play all patterns of articulated passages as musical lines. Often we hear less advanced oboists perform articulated passages without musical direction. Usually this is because the oboist is not blowing through the entire phrase, but is playing a series of individual notes. Another of Tabuteau’s concepts is right on the money in this regard, “play on the wind, not with the wind.” The idea is that the continuity and flow of the air plays the musical line or phrase. Don’t lapse into disjointed huff and puff playing. It is easier to maintain musical direction in a series of separately articulated notes by using the tongue to stop each while you continue to blow, however, there are musical situations that would make that a poorer choice, even if you are skilled in that technique. You should be able to play a series of separate notes with continuity by blowing in a musical direction and controlling the intensity or volume of each note so that you present them in a unified phrase structure.
Here are some articulation exercises:
1. Play a C Major scale in the second octave, ascending and descending, 3 times without stopping. The first time, articulate the notes tenuto with no space between them. The second time, create a little space between them. The third time, play them staccato with a lot of space between them. Use both air and tongue for note endings.
2. Play a note in the repeated pattern of quarter note - quarter rest. Use the tongue for note endings. All notes should sound identical since you are blowing a continuous long tone while articulating. Do the same with shorter and mixed duration notes.
3. Play a note in the repeated pattern of quarter note - quarter rest. Use the air for note endings. Make notes sound identical by imagining that you are blowing a continuous long tone while articulating. Do the same with shorter and mixed duration notes.
4. Play a descending scale. Each note will be 3 beats long followed by 1 beat rest. Start each note forte and diminuendo to end each note piano. Use each individual method of stopping notes as well as combinations.
Mixed articulations
When playing articulations such as two slurred-two staccato, there is the question of how long is the note at the end of the slur. Is it a shorter note or a longer note? The answer is in the context of the music. While the tendency is to see articulation marks as absolutes, we must keep in mind that musical symbols are guides. In a work by Brahms, that articulation pattern is more likely to be played with the end of the slur long and the staccato notes less short. In a sprightly classical era work, the appropriate length might be shorter at the end of the slur and more separated staccato. Refer to the context to find what is more fitting. One articulation type that is often interpretive is the staccato under the slur. Some people refer to this as a legato tongue. I reject that designation. If that’s a legato tongue, what is a series of notes with tenuto lines? One might offer the opinion that those are also legato tongue, but I believe the staccato under the slur is derived from string technique, not wind instrument technique. For strings, that mark would mean separate, but all in one bow direction. It is thought of as a phrase group. I prefer the concept that it is a designation of phrase direction. The actual length of the notes is determined by context.
- Articulation practicing should include note endings and accents, as well as attacks and speed -
Ending notes
Note ends are crucial because not only should they be timed accurately, but since they are the closest sound to the succeeding note they contain the element of direction. There are three basic techniques used regarding ending a note - stopping the note with the tongue, with the air, with the embouchure. These can also be used in conjunction with each other.
Tongue
Stopping a note by placing the tongue on the reed is a precise way to determine the time spot of the note’s end. This technique is often dismissed as being abrupt and mechanical rather than musically useful. I disagree with that assessment. As with any technique it must be practiced so that the oboist can control its use and it must be used in musically appropriate situations. When practicing this, try to be mechanical at first. Don’t change or taper the air in order to be musical. Simply be precise with the tongue. Play isolated notes in this fashion and then progress to rhythmic values on repetitive notes, for example, quarter note - quarter rest - quarter note, eighth note - eighth rest - eighth note, and mixed values.
While playing a note, place your tongue at the tip of the reed, but underneath the opening. The tone will stop. Don’t stop the air. Keep blowing. Keep the tongue in that spot. Now, you have the option to stop blowing and end the note or, if you wish to continue blowing, pull the tongue off the reed and play the next note. You will notice that there is no change of dynamic or pitch when notes are ended with the tongue.
Next, explore the manner of placing the tongue. Control the motion so you are not slapping at the reed. With practice, this technique can become comfortable and useful in the appropriate places.
Air
Stopping a note with the air is the most frequently used note ending. Caution should be exercised to not let the note fizzle and droop when ending. In order to do this you must play on a stable reed and you need to make the physical action of stopping the air take place quickly. This is not conceived of as a diminuendo. It is rounding off the note end. Your phrase shape can still move forward even if you round off the note ends. Phrase shape is general direction of the air. In the case of an isolated note, think inflection - up or down. In simplest terms - the note or note ending is going somewhere, or, the note or note ending is coming to rest.
Embouchure
Stopping with the embouchure means shutting the reed. I conceive of this also a rounding even though it makes a quick diminuendo. Once again, the physical action of stopping the note takes place quickly. If you shut the reed with the closing movement used in up and down embouchure motion, the pitch will go up, unless you relax the air. That, of course, would make the diminuendo. You can also think of circling the reed, closing the drawstring. Pay attention to, and correct, the possible pitch change when ending notes. I find the concept of rounding off to be more helpful than thinking “quick diminuendo” when stopping notes.
Starting notes
To start a note we have usually been taught to breathe, set the embouchure, put tongue on reed, blow, pull tongue off reed. Attention should be given to the pacing of these steps and to the dynamic at which you want to start. This preparation can be done relating to the tempo and atmosphere of the music to be played.
Frequently, I hear oboists make unintentional accents whenever they start notes. Assuming that the reed is responsive, the physical usage of tongue, air, and embouchure can be learned and, eventually, perfected. Musical thinking must accompany technique in actual use. No one wants to always accent note beginnings. This would be unmusical. Pay attention to this aspect of performance. Remember to set the air and embouchure for the proper dynamic before starting the note. Blowing too strongly for the opening will overblow the reed and make an unintentional accent.
Starting pianissimo
As an aid to starting at softer dynamic levels learn to start notes without the tongue. Begin practicing this by shutting the reed with your embouchure and whispering into it for pianissimo. Use your knowledge of dynamic control and develop the ability to begin without accents. Try not to think of beginning a note as an attack. Start the note with the idea that it continues and goes somewhere creating a phrase direction. Practice the no-tongue start in all registers.
Accents
Accents are rapid dynamic changes. The loud part of the note is played by blowing more and often needs an accompanying opening of the embouchure. The soft part of the note occurs when you return your air and embouchure to the prevailing dynamic level. It is important to use your ears as an unbiased resource. Many times I hear students trying to play accents by pushing more air and because they make that effort they think they have played an accent while, in fact, they have not made any noticeable change of volume. This can often be corrected with an accompanying opening of the embouchure. Overblowing the reed for accents seems to stifle the reed’s vibration making the intended accent actually sound quieter rather than louder. Since accents are dynamic changes, use your dynamic techniques when playing them.
No huff and puff
It is important to be able to play all patterns of articulated passages as musical lines. Often we hear less advanced oboists perform articulated passages without musical direction. Usually this is because the oboist is not blowing through the entire phrase, but is playing a series of individual notes. Another of Tabuteau’s concepts is right on the money in this regard, “play on the wind, not with the wind.” The idea is that the continuity and flow of the air plays the musical line or phrase. Don’t lapse into disjointed huff and puff playing. It is easier to maintain musical direction in a series of separately articulated notes by using the tongue to stop each while you continue to blow, however, there are musical situations that would make that a poorer choice, even if you are skilled in that technique. You should be able to play a series of separate notes with continuity by blowing in a musical direction and controlling the intensity or volume of each note so that you present them in a unified phrase structure.
Here are some articulation exercises:
1. Play a C Major scale in the second octave, ascending and descending, 3 times without stopping. The first time, articulate the notes tenuto with no space between them. The second time, create a little space between them. The third time, play them staccato with a lot of space between them. Use both air and tongue for note endings.
2. Play a note in the repeated pattern of quarter note - quarter rest. Use the tongue for note endings. All notes should sound identical since you are blowing a continuous long tone while articulating. Do the same with shorter and mixed duration notes.
3. Play a note in the repeated pattern of quarter note - quarter rest. Use the air for note endings. Make notes sound identical by imagining that you are blowing a continuous long tone while articulating. Do the same with shorter and mixed duration notes.
4. Play a descending scale. Each note will be 3 beats long followed by 1 beat rest. Start each note forte and diminuendo to end each note piano. Use each individual method of stopping notes as well as combinations.
Mixed articulations
When playing articulations such as two slurred-two staccato, there is the question of how long is the note at the end of the slur. Is it a shorter note or a longer note? The answer is in the context of the music. While the tendency is to see articulation marks as absolutes, we must keep in mind that musical symbols are guides. In a work by Brahms, that articulation pattern is more likely to be played with the end of the slur long and the staccato notes less short. In a sprightly classical era work, the appropriate length might be shorter at the end of the slur and more separated staccato. Refer to the context to find what is more fitting. One articulation type that is often interpretive is the staccato under the slur. Some people refer to this as a legato tongue. I reject that designation. If that’s a legato tongue, what is a series of notes with tenuto lines? One might offer the opinion that those are also legato tongue, but I believe the staccato under the slur is derived from string technique, not wind instrument technique. For strings, that mark would mean separate, but all in one bow direction. It is thought of as a phrase group. I prefer the concept that it is a designation of phrase direction. The actual length of the notes is determined by context.
- Articulation practicing should include note endings and accents, as well as attacks and speed -