Strength in unison. / L’unisson fait la force.

I started this blog 3½ years ago, just as I was starting my journey to overcoming chronic pain and chronic fatigue. Despite my 8 years in the army, I have literally been tired non-stop since the age of 7 and my entire body hurts for no apparent reason all day every day for the past 12 years or so. The really irritating part about fibromyalgia is not really the pain, but rather that nobody can see anything to justify the pain: no shrunken arm, no peg-leg, no portable dialysis machine... and even those visible conditions don't usually cause the relentless fatigue that just slows us down even though our minds are overflow of creative imagination and our hearts are exploding with entrepreneurial drive. For most people, physical fitness is necessary to maintain health. The joke is, this is also true for sufferers of fibromyalgia except that increasing muscle mass also increases the pain! So we suffer like everyone else from the pitfalls of weakness, but we also suffer extra pain from athletic activity.		J’ai commencé mon blogue, il y 3 ans et demi, au moment même où j’entammais la lutte contre la douleur et fatigue chroniques. En dépit de mes 8 ans dans l’armée, je suis littéralement fatigué sans arrêt depuis l’âge de 7 ans et mon corps entier a mal toute la journée et chaque jour depuis environ 12 ans sans aucune raison apparente. Ce qui est vraiment agaçant est l’absence de justification visible: pas de bras rétrécit, pas de jambe de bois, pas de respirateur ambulant… et même ces signes visibles ne causent habituellement pas la fatigue qui m’afflige sans relâche malgré mon esprit créateur et coeur d’entrepreneur. Pour la plupart du monde, l’activité physique est nécessaire pour maintenir la santé. Ironiquement, c’est aussi vrai des affligés de fibromyalgie, mais accroître la masse musculaire accrôit aussi la douleur! Alors nous souffrons comme tout le monde par la faiblesse, mais nous souffrons aussi de l’activité physique.
Proper care really paid off! When I began the blog, I had to wear knee and wrist supports and still had bad pain from just walking my dogs, I could barely play with them without severe pain to the arms and I had to use ice-packs and heat-packs to get through the day at computer work. Since then, I found a physiotherapist who got me in good enough shape to go to the gym. This was very helpful, but I could never get back in shape without encurring more pain. The physiotherapist continued to do great work and Tai-Chi just did wonders in restoring my ability to walk, stand and generally do everyday house, yard and professional work without needing any braces or special clothing… in fact, my need for pain medication has reduced by at least 75%.	My/Ma Physio. Great Trainer Excellente entraineure	L’effort en a vraiment vallu la peine! Quand j’ai commencé le blogue, je devais porter des supports aux genous et au poignets et je souffrais quand-même juste à marcher les chiens. Je ne pouvais guère jouer avec eux sans douleur sévère aux avant-bras et je devais me donner des compresses froides et chaudes juste pour faire ma journée de boulot en informatique. Depuis lors, j’ai trouvé une physiothérapeute qui m’a remis en forme pour recommencer le gymnase. Très bien, mais je ne pouvais quan-même pas me remettre en forme sans grandes douleurs. La physiothérapeute a persévéré et le Tai-Chi s’est avéré presque miraculeux: la marche, me tenir debout et généralement l’ouvrage autour de la maison et du jardin font maintenant monnaie courante… en fait, ma consommation d’anti-douleurs a diminué par au moins 75%
So Tai-Chi and my physiotherapist (I really need both) are working hand-in-hand to make my life pretty much normal, now. I can pretty much do anything I want to do. Physiotherapy alone only gets rid of the biggest pain problems, it does not strengthen the body at all. Tai-Chi alone solidifies the structure, but it does not prevent the underlying pain problems from returning: these are neuropathic issues and the physiotherapy is specially designed for that. Over the past few years, I have increased my flexibility and strength enough to begin serious body building or even aim for Kung-Fu. It is the number of free hours in a week that will decide what I end up doing.	Tai-Chi Blog	Entre le Tai-Chi et la physiothérateute, ma vie est presqu’à la normale, je peux faire à peu près ce que je veux. Seule, la physiothérapie raye les douleurs et blocages, mais ça ne rend pas le corps puissant. Le Tai-Chi solidifie et stabilise le corps, mais ne raye pas le retour des problèmes sous-jacents: ceux-ci sont neuropathiques et la physiothérapie est conçue spécialement. Au fil des années, ma flexibilité et ma force se sont renforcés assez pour que je puisse viser l’altérophilie ou même le Kung-Fu. Ce n’est le nombre d’heures libres dans une semaine qui limitent mes choix.
Oboe tuning with full dynamics needs strength! In Montréal, in both classical music and the eclectic repertoire of the military bands, we lived by the motto "If buddy is playing out of tune, it's my fault: I should be compensating".  For this reason, we all learn to bend the notes as necessary so that everyone is responsible for proper tuning and blending of the entire ensemble. But even with a professional grade instrument, controlling the sound quality and tuning can be very demanding and drain a person's stamina.		Justesse du hautbois exige la vigeur! À Montréal, en musique classique ou le répertoire polyvalent des musiques militaires, nous vivions le dicton : “Si l’autre fausse, c’est de ma faute pour manquer à compenser”. Nous apprenons donc à bouger la note de sorte à ce que tous soient responsable de la justesse de l’ensemble. Mais même avec un instrument professionnel, contrôller la qualité du son est une tâche exigente qui peut draîner ladite vigueur.
North-American oboists make their reeds in a special way to ensure Lorées can play dependably in tune, but also to restrict the sound so it blends in the orchestra without ever sticking out. As it is becoming clear by my You-Tubes, I favour the European aesthetic where pp means really soft but ff means really loud! I want the oboe to do what I want it to do, not want to be limited by the instrument: to be heard distinctly does not mean overshadowing anyone else, so I appreciate the lively sound of the oboe without straining.. I think I am well on the way of re-mastering my Lorée and making it sound the way I want it to – it is really proving to be my “Ol’ Faithful” ally in music. But to do this requires a lot of effort.	American	L’école nord-américaine ajuste les anches de hautbois pour que les Lorées aient une justesse stable, mais aussi restreignent le son de manière à se mêler à l’orchestre sans que le hautbois ne vole la vedette. Comme il devient clair avec mes You-Tube, je préfère l’esthétique Européenne où un pp est vraiment doux, mais où un ff veut dire vraiment fort! Pouvoir clairement distinguer les instruments ne veut pas dire écraser les autres, alors j’apprécie entendre la contribution du timbre vivant du hautbois sans devoir m’éreinter. Je crois faire bonne route à re-maîtriser mon Lorée et le faire sonner à mon goût – il devient vraiment ma “Vieille Branche” d’ami musical fidèle. Mais y arriver exige beaucoup d’effort.
Although physiotherapy and Tai-Chi are doing wonders for me, my underlying condition of fibromyalgia will remain problematic: some days I am full of energy and ready to take on the world; on these days, my Lorée is a great ally and I can do anything with it, even playing FOUR octave B-flats! But other days, the energy is just drained out of me and I can barely even play middle A to middle C in tune, let alone 2nd octave key notes… forget the stability of 1st octave key E to G.	Robin	Bien que le Tai-Chi et la physiothérapie me font des merveilles, la condition sous-jacente de fibromyalgie restera toujours une épreuve: j’ai des jours de pleine vigueur où je pourais régner la terre; ces jours-là, mon Lorée est un excellent allié et je peux faire ce que je veux avec, même QUATRE octaves de Si-bémol. J’ai aussi des jours d’épuisement continu où j’ai peine à ajuster du la au do moyen, laissons-faire la 2e clef d’octave… et oublions la stabilité du mi au sol de la 1ère clef d’octave.
Last year, at IDRS 2013 in Redlands California, I tried many oboes that seemed to play beautifully in perfect tune with the same reeds that were awful on my Lorée…. let’s see if the very different climate of IDRS 2014 in New-York will confirm the same results.		L’an dernier, à IDRS 2013 en Californie, j’ai essayé plein de hautbois qui semblaient offrir une justesse stable avec les mêmes anches qui donnaient tant de défauts à mon Lorée…. voyons si le climat très différent d’IDRS 2014 à New-York confirmera l’expérience.

A book by its cover / l’Habit fait le moine

On forums and Facebook posts as well as simple ordinary conversation over the past 30 years, there is a belief that a competent oboist will end-up sounding the same on any instrument s/he plays. This makes a certain amount of good sense because there is so much more than the instrument in the sound: reeds, embouchure, air stream (general body physique) and even hall acoustics play a huge role in how the instrument will sound. Moreover, I do believe that spending lots of time with an instrument will attenuate the differences, leaving personal style shine through. But I think people exaggerate when they say the a different instrument makes nearly no difference at all. Also, maybe spending more time with an instrument will allow a musician to aim for a different sound by letting go of old habits, necessary for one instrument, but not another	Ol’ Faithful / Vielle Branche (Lorée) Dr. Jones (Pan-American – Conn)	Des discussions sur les forums et messages Facebook, même des causeries depuis 30 ans laissent croire qu’un hautboïste compétent sonnera pareil sur n’importe-quel instrument. Ceci a un certain bon sens: le timbre est affecté par l’anche, l’embouchure, le souffle (le physique du corps) autant que par l’instrument; même l’acoustique affecte le timbre. De plus, je crois qu’à la longue, on s’habitue à l’instrument et les différences s’atténue, laissant le style individuel du musicien transparaître. Mais je crois que le monde exagère lorsqu’on dit qu’un instrument différent ne fait presqu’aucune différence. De plus, peut-être que passer plus de temps avec un instrument permettra de viser des buts différents en permettant de lâcher prise de mauvais plis qui étaient jadis nécessaires pour un instrument, mais pas un autre.
Meet Dr. Jones and Ol’ Faithful! Ol’ Faithful is that Lorée I’ve been using for my You-Tube recordings up to now. I’ve had it almost all of my oboe playing life and seems to me much better than new Lorées I’ve been trying. While I had it rejuvenated and revoiced by D. Teitelbaum (half of Laubin inc.) in 2010, I got a 1921 Pan-American (Conn) oboe on e-bay, just so I could blow some notes and work my fingers. It is a beginner model, but it’s sound opened my horizons on what is possible and made me realize that my struggles for tuning and dynamics might not be entirely my fault: even though Lorée is a very respectable professional instrument, nothing guarantees that it will actually help performance, especially because a great instrument for one person does not always “mesh” with another.	Computer Speakers, mobile devices or cheap ear buds might not allow you to hear the difference in tone colours. Les haut-parleurs d’ordinateur, téléphones ou tablettes et les casques d’écoute bon-marché ne permettront peut-être pas d’entendre la différence de timbre.	Dr. Jones et ma Vieille Branche! Vieille Branche est le Lorée que j’utilise jusqu’à maintenant pour mes You-Tube. Je l’ai depuis presque le début de ma vie hautboïstique et il me semble bien mieux que les nouveaux Lorées que j’ai pu essayer. Lorsque je l’ai fait remettre à neuf par D. Teitelbaum (la motié de Laubin inc.) en 2010, j’ai acheté sur e-bay un Pan-American (Conn) de 1921, juste pour que je puisse souffler un peu et faire marcher mes doigts. C’est un modèle débutant, mais il m’a ouvert les horizons sur ce qui est possible et que mes épreuves avec la justesse et les nuances ne sont peut-êtres pas de ma faute. Mon Lorée est un instrument professionnel très respectable, mais rien ne garantit que sa qualité m’aidera, étant donné qu’un excellent instrument pour une personne ne l’est pas nécessairement pour une autre.
Recording Wreck! I know at least one instrument vendor who was asked to make recordings for clients who did not want to make the long drive to his store without knowing if it would even be worthwhile. He declined to do so because it is REALLY hard to capture the different tone colours on a recording. In fact, I spent a whole week playing with recording settings on both my microphone and computer software as well as different layouts in the room – the 2 instruments always sounded nearly identical in the recording! Also, trickery does not work: normally a recording is passed through a “low pass filter” to remove the distortion from room reverberation: when I do this, even my best contrast recordings end-up making the two instruments sound the same.	Summer 2010 : rebuilding my oboe mouth and fingers while Ol’ Faithful got overhauled in New-York. (Lunch time at work every day!) Été 2010 : refaire ma gueule et mes doigts pendant que ma Vieille Branche se faisait mettre à neuf à New-York. (Midi à l’ouvrage à tous les jours!)	Enregistrements Enrageantes! Je connais au moins un revendeur d’instruments avec des clients qui demandent des enregistrements pour savoir s’il possède un instrument avec un timbre pour justifier la route. Il refuse de le faire parce que c’est VRAIMENT difficile de capter les différences de timbre en enregistrement. En fait, j’ai passé la semaine entière à jouer avec les ajustements sur mon micro et mon ordinateur en plus de la disposition de ma pièce – les 2 instruments sonnaient toujours presqu’identiques sur l’enregistrement! Tenter de tricher ne marche pas: normalement on passe un filtre “passe-bas” sur l’enregistrement pour éliminer la distortion dûe à l’écho de la pièce. Quand je le fais, même mes enregistrements montrant les contrastes les plus nets finissaient par faire sonner les 2 instruments pareils.
Microphones are NOT ears! Now wait, does this mean that the recording is right and ears are hearing what we want to hear? Uhhh, no. The old notion that a camera sees the truth will be quickly debunked by any professional photographer and the same is true for microphones. The ears are VERY different from any kind of microphone, no matter how sophisticated and humans also hear with the whole body: bones, skin, even fat and muscles react to air vibrations and transmit everything to the hearing centers. Conclusion: I have HUGE respect for recording sound engineers!	Reed used in the recording. Anche utilisée dans l’enregistrement.	Les micros ne sont PAS des oreilles! Minute-moumoutte! Est-ce que l’enregistrement prouve qu’on entend ce qu’on veut? Aaahh non. L’idée qu’une caméra capte la vérité est rapidement démentie par un photographe professionnel; il en est de même pour les micros. Les oreilles sont TRÈS différentes que même les micros les plus sophistiqués et nous entendons aussi avec le corps entier: les os, la peau, même le gras et les muscles réagissent aux vibrations dans l’air et contribuent à ce qu’on apèlle “entendre”. Conclusion: j’ai un ÉNORME respect pour les preneurs de son!
What makes the difference in sound? I don’t actually know. For sure the bells are different and I suspect Dr. Jones is more conical (smaller bore at the top, same at the bell joint, but much more flaring at the bell). But wood thickness also plays a role and God-knows-what-else might affecting the tone colour. Dr. Jones is a very old beginner-model (probably made for marching bands) so it will never play as easily or with the versatility of a pro. model. But it did serve a great purpose, it really opened my horizons at what a different instrument could do for me.		Que fait la différence dans le timbre? Honnêtement, sais pas. Sûrement que les pavillons jouent un rôle et je soupçonne Dr. Jones d’être plus conique (perce plus mince à la tête, pareille à l’articulation du pavillon mais un pavillon beaucoup plus évasé). Mais l’épaisseur du bois joue aussi un grand rôle et Dieu-seul-sait-quoi-d’autre peut affecter le timbre. Dr. Jones est un très vieux modèle à débutant (probablement conçu pour les parades) alors il ne jouera jamais aussi facilement ou avec la polyvalence d’un modèle pro. Mais il a très bien servi à m’ouvrir les horizons à ce que pourrait me valoir un nouvel instrument.

Jazzy Classy

100 thousand visits! ALL RIGHT! Other very successful blogs also mention how people like to read how difficulties and frustrations are shared by everyone… and how perseverance really pays off! I think this post will confirm that pushing on in the enjoyment of music resulted in pretty good progress.	Baroque and Blue	100 mille visites! SENSASS! D’autres blogues bien suivis mentionnent aussi combien le monde aime lire que leurs obstacles sont partagés … et combien ça vaut la peine de persévérer! Je crois que cet article confirmera qu’avoir poussé dans l’amour de la musique aura montré un progrès véritable.
I started practicing this last summer. I wanted to post it for Christmas, because Baroque and Blue is so playful and Irlandaise has the famous Chrismtas tune in it: a very comforting fire-side kind of feeling. It took me this long to get it ready, not just because of hectic work hours – those returned to normal after January – but also because my Tai-Chi is taking a more important role in my life and a few other home things. But in the end, it’s mostly about I wanted to do the best job I possibly could on these ones. Getting the sound right in the recording, mixing the trio MP3, my small-room track and the video take sure is a challenge…	Irlandaise	J’ai commencé à travailler ces pièces l’été dernier. Je voulais les enregistrer pour Noël, parce que Baroque and Blue est si joyeux et Irlandaise est un cantique de Noël si bien connu: sentiment chaleureux auprès du foyer. Ça m’a pris si longtemps les préparer, pas juste parce que le boulot empiète – les heures sont retournées à la normale après janvier – mais aussi parce que le Tai-Chi prend un rôle plus imoprtant dans ma vie et quelques autres histoires. Mais à la fin de l’histoire, je voulais faire de mon mieux dans ces enregistrements. Produire un timbre vraisemblable entre le MP3 du trio jazz, mon enregistrement de petite chambre et la vidéo présente un véritable défi…
Hommage to Jean-Pierre Rampal The original recordings by Jean-Pierre Rampal and the Claude Bolling Trio have been very special to me since my first years as a music student. Now, you’ll understand that having been raised in my teens and young adulthood on musicians with this kind of expressiveness, on many different instruments, I really cannot accept anything less from oboists. I never thought these pieces could sound well on anything other than the flute, but when I got the sheet music, just for laughs, I found them too much fun to resist! They are really challenging for the altissimo register, but that’s just part of the thrill!	Rampal & Bolling : Château de Versailles!	Homage à Jean-Pierre Rampal Les enregistrements originaux par Jean-Piere et le trio Claude Bolling me sont restés très chers depuis mes premières années en musique. Vous comprendrez maintenant qu’avoir été exposé, comme adolescent et jeune adulte, à des musiciens avec tant d’expressivité et sur toutes sortes d’instruments, je ne peux guère accepter moins du hautbois. Je n’ai jamais cru que ces pièces pouvaient bien sonner sur autre chose que la flûte, mais quand j’ai acheté la partition, juste pour rire, je les ai trouvés irrésistibles! Elles sont tout un défi pour le sur-aigü, mais ça fait parti de l’aventure!

How to choose? / IDRS 2013 art. 1 / Comment choisir?

I still want to digest my impressions from having tried all the oboe brands at the IDRS 2013 conference, but the experience really begs the question "How does a person choose?"… especially when there are so many excellent instruments to choose from!	Alain deGourdon of Lorée	Je veux prendre le temps de digérer mes impressions d'avoir essayé toutes les marques de hautbois à la conférence IDRS 2013, mais l'expérience mène à la question : "Comment choisit-on?"… surtout quand il y a tellement d'excellents instruments à choisir!
Asking some high profile professionals on Facebook to compare makers or models, I found it frustrating when they answered "it's a matter of individual preference"..... shouldn't one be clearly better than another? Well, I don't know about 3 years ago, but in 2013, most makers produce truly remarkable instruments. They all said this was partly the result of meeting and talking with professionals over the years at the IDRS conferences and other venues: BRAVO to IDRS for this!	Renaud Patalowski and Jean-Marc Jourquin from Marigaux	J'ai trouvé frustrant de demander, sur Facebook, aux professionnels de renommée de comparer les marques et modèles parce que leur réponse était le plus souvent : "C'est une question de goût personnel".... ne devrait-il pas y avoir une distinction nette? Et bien, je ne sais pas comment c'était il y a 3 ans, mais en 2013, la plupart des fabricants produisent des instruments vraiment remarquables. Ils ont tous dit que c'est partiellement le résultat de rencontrer des professionnels au fil des ans à la conférence IDRS et autres avenues : BRAVO à IDRS pour ceci!
Friendly Competition The makers I spoke to and corresponded with believe success should come from integrity, not commercial manipulation. This struck in me a chord of disbelief due to our capitalistic-consumerist age, but the more I talk with them, the more I'm inclined to believe them. They all said they work with professionals to build an instrument that helps musicians reach our goals. Naturally, different makers concentrate on different aspects and different musicians have different goals, which means different people will prefer different makers: they seemed completely at peace with this, not wishing anyone to buy theirs half-heartedly.... though, naturally, their business interests and pride are hoping we get theirs!	Jürgen Stork, oboe-guy at Püchner Philippe Rigoutat	Compétition amicale Les fabricants à qui j'ai parlé et correspondu croient que la réussite doit venir de l'intégrité, pas par manigances commerciales. Ceci m'a laissé incrédule dans notre génération capitaliste et consommatrice, mais le plus je leur parle, le plus j'ai tendance à les croire. Ils affirment tous travailler avec des professionnels pour développer des instruments qui aident aux musiciens à atteindre nos objectifs. Bien sûr, chaque fabricant se concentre sur des aspects choisis, ce qui implique que les buts différents de chaque musicien graviteront vers différentes marques: ils semblent à l’aise avec ceci, ne voulant pas qu’on choisisse le leur à reculons.... quqoique, bien sûr, c’est flatteur et plus profitable qu'on choisisse le leur!
Perfect fit: Choosing an oboe might very well be like choosing running shoes. My first few years in the Canadian Army Reserves, as a musician, I still had to do military training which included a lot of physical fitness. We did a lot of running and I would use the running shoes provided by the Army, but the other members with more experience kept telling me to buy expensive shoes from a sports store. A few years later, I did that and POOF: no more tight muscles and both speed and endurance just sky-rocketed! But you can select from many brands, some are great for you while actually damaging to someone else's ankles. I now think the same goes for oboe: if I dislike one maker, it might be a God-send for someone else.	Frank Meyer, businessman for Ludwig Frank and Gebrüder Mönnig Bulgheroni, father and son	Taillé sur mesure: Choisir un hautbois peut bien être comme choisir des chaussures pour la course. Mes quelques années comme musicien dans la Réserve Militaire du Canada comptaient l’entraînement militaire, incluant beaucoup de course. J'utilisais les espadrilles fournies par le militaire, mais les autres membres avec plus d'expérience me disaient d'en acheter des dispendieux dans un magasin sportif. Quelques années plus tard, je l'ai fait et POUF: plus de crampes aux mollets et un accroissement soudain de vitesse et d’endurance! Mais on peut choisir parmi un nombre de marques et tandis qu'une marque peut être formidable pour soi, elle peut carrément causer des blessures chez quelqu'un d'autre. Je crois que c'est pareil pour le hautbois: si je critique un fabricant, le même est peut-être miraculeux pour quelqu'un d'autre.
Stopping at Innoledy's booth on the last day, Tong Cui applied his inescapable logic in order to help me decide on a favourite. His killer questions were: 1. "No holds barred, which is the one you would buy if you had a million dollars but could only buy one?" The answer to this was the Dupin Imperial.... but I must confess the 'exotic/unobtainable' aspect of that instrument holds some kind of sex-appeal for me! 2. "If you HAD to buy an instrument RIGHT NOW because you have to perform tonight, which would you want to take home?" I surprized myself to answer was Fossati because I found it the perfect mid-point between what I like from Marigaux and Rigoutat.... but here too, I have to confess that my answer came too quickly, because at this point, the characteristic sounds of Marigaux and Mönnig Platinum (or L. Frank) still have tremendous appeal to me while the absolute freedom of Rigoutat and the sheer power of Püchner (with the Bulgheroni at mid-point) are terribly attractive! So honestly, right now, I cannot choose! I will enumerate my impressions in detail of these in one or two posts.	Ton Cui of Innoledy Christoph Hartmann, Christophe Dupin, Rolland Dupin Pascal Emery (Fossati)	Visitant l'étalage d'Innoledy le dernier jour, Tong Cui a appliqué sa logique inéluctable pour m'aider à choisir un favori. Ses questions-pièges étaient : 1. "Sans aucune restreinte, quel instrument achèterais-tu si t'avais un million de dollars mais ne pouvait acheter qu'un seul?" La réponse est le Dupin Impérial, mais j'avoue que son aspect 'exotique/intouchable' ajoute à son attrait! 2. "Si tu DEVAIS acheter un instrument IMMÉDIATEMENT pour un concert ce soir, quel apporterais-tu à la maison?" Je me suis surpris à répondre Fossati parce que je le considère à mi-chemin entre ce que j'aime de Marigaux et Rigoutat... mais ici aussi, je dois avouer que j'ai répondu trop vite, parce qu'à ce point, les timbres caractéristiques de Marigaux et Mönnig Platinum (ou L.Frank) me tiennent toujours captif tandis que la liberté absolue de Rigoutat et la pure puissance de Püchner (avec Bulgheroni à mi-chemin) restent irrésistibles! Donc maintenant, en toute honnêteté, je ne peux pas choisir! Je ferai l'énumération de mes impressions de ces essais dans un ou deux articles.

Wide Reed Experiment/ation sur les anches larges

Heiko Frosh (Oboe-Shop.de ) put this picture on Facebook, claiming that it allows English Horn reeds to play in tune in a modern oboe (the picture shows an old Marigaux 901). Apparently, the 2nd oboe from a prolific European orchestra does this to help play softly in the low register. For years, I have tried to get English Horn and d’Amore reeds to play in my Lorée oboe, but have been frustrated time and time again.

Heiko Frosh (Oboe-Shop.de ) a mis cette image sur Facebook, affirmant que ça permet aux anches de cor anglais à jouer juste dans un hautbois (dans l’image, un vieux Marigaux 901). Paraît-il qu’un 2e hautbois d’un orchestre prolifique européen fait ceci pour faciliter un grave doux. Depuis des années, j’essaie des anches de cor anglais et de htb. d’amour dans mon Lorée, mais je me vois frustré presqu’à tout coup.

The sound is better in some respects and disappointing in others, but mostly, the difficulty in proper tuning and the loss of stability becomes maddening. But this image and its claims, coupled with some success using d’Amore reeds in New-York (see post ) make me want to try again.

La sonorié en est amélioré par certains critères mais décevante par d’autres. Surtout, la difficulté de jouer juste et la perte de stabilité est enrageante. Mais cette image et une mesure de réussite avec les anches de htb. d’amour à New-York (voir cet article ) me font vouloir essayer à nouveau.

Test Tune, work, weather and reeds: My apologies if being out of practice is an insult to the Strauss Oboe Concerto. I find this excerpt to be a fantastic test for a reed’s character. Cacked notes, messed slurrs, bad tuning and stuffiness are are precisely what I want to discover with the tests, so these recordings left them all in. There are no staccati, but it requires real flexibility of dynamics, feeling and super-dependable tuning and stability: The weather was rotten all week (recorded 2 weeks ago) I almost didn’t practice at all (too much work at my day-job). in 2 weeks I spent at most 15 minutes scraping these reeds (exept the purple d'amore used in New-York): half of them in one sitting, half of them in two. Because of this, the reeds mostly play flat. They will definitely get better over time, as they settle and with more finish-scraping, but even so early, a reed’s character can be found. Careful! The following recordings are experiments, not any claim of the right thing to do! As an hobbyist, it is very interesting for me to perform these experiments, but beginners or students risk wasting valuable time and fail to develop important skills by doing these. Professionals can decide for themselves if there is any value in performing such experiments.	RDG–1 / Chiarugi #3   KM 720 / Chiarugi #3 RDG #2 / Chiarugi 3	Pièce d’évaluation, boulot météo et anches: Mille excuses d’insulter le concerto pour hautbois de Strauss. Je considère cet extrait formidable pour trouver le caractère d’une anche. Les notes craquées, liaisons manquées, justesse foutue et notes étouffées sont exactement ce que les tests cherchent à découvrir, alors aucune cachotterie! Pas de stacatti, mais exige une vraie flexibility des nuances avec intonnation et stabilité sans failles: La météo était affreuse toute la semaine (enregistré il y 2 semaines) Je n’ai presque pas répété depuis 2 semaines (trop de travail au boulot). Sauf l’anche violette pour d’amour (utilisée à New-York), j’ai passé au plus 15 minutes à gratter les anches: la moitié à un seul grattage, les autre à deux grattages. Par conséquent, les anches jouent un peu (parfois beaucoup) trop bas. Ils vont absolument s’améliorer avec le temps et le grattage de finition, mais on y trouve déjà leur caractère. Attention! Ce qui suit consiste d’expérimentations, pas d’indications sur ce qui doit être fait. En tant qu’amateur, cette sorte d’enquête est captivante, mais un étudiant perdra son temps et risque de faillir à développer des habiletés importantes en répétant ces expérimentations. Les professionnels peuvent décider pour eux-mêmes s’il y a de la valeur dans la question.
Remarks Sharp reeds: offer full stability, but get extra sharp in the upper register (comparatively flat in the lower register) Flat reeds: tend to be unstable and more stuffy notes with flatter upper register comparatively to a “sharper” lower register. Pulling out sharp reeds to play at 440: just like Heiko Frosh says, creates instability. Wider shapes (7.3+ mm): easier to play pp and ff dynamics and also articulations. But they are harder to make well and tend to need more biting (not always). They sound more free and alive, but also clearer. Narrower reeds (±7.1mm): offer more of the creamy warm sound coveted today. Tied on open oboe staples, they can offer a more baroque-ish feeling. D’Amore Shape seem to play better on Chiarugi 7 oboe staples than on d’amore staples, especially for the 3rd octave. E.H. Reeds: these must be cut very short or they will be flat. The 3rd octave becomes very difficult. Conclusion: Obviously, a professional will get much better results than this! But there is sufficient success to try those reed rings with the d’amore and EH reeds. I really like playing wide reeds more (KM 750 or RDG 2) and they lean toward the sound that I like more. The use of d’Amore staples does provide a depth of sound I like from baroque instruments. Heiko Frosh suggests that Guercio EH staples might be very better suited with the rings. But perhaps “strange setups” are not suitable to Lorée, so I will have to try all these reeds again on Marigaux, Mönnig, Howarth, Püchner, Fossati and all the others at IDRS 2013!	RDG–2 / Chiarugi 7 Kunibert Michel 750 (ob. d’am.) Kunibert Michel 750 (ob. d’am.) KM 750 / Guercio d12 KM 750 / Guercio d12 Kunibert Mchel 860 / Guercio	Remarques Anches trop aiguës: pleine stability, mais aigü trop haut (grave comparativement trop bas) Anches trop basses: instabilité et notes étouffées avec aigü trop bas grave comparativement trop haut)  Sortir l’anche: faire jouer à 440 les anches trop aiguës cause de l’instabilité  Tailles larges (7.3+ mm): plus facile à jouer pp et ff et articuler. Mais plus difficiles à monter et gratter et ont parfois (pas toujours) besoin d’être mordues. Wider shapes (7.3+ mm): easier to play pp and ff dynamics and also articulations. But they are harder to make well and tend to need more biting (not always). They sound more free and alive, but also clearer. Tailles étroites (±7.1mm): sonorité plus crèmeuse telle que préférée de nos jours. Attachées sur tubes ouvertes, peuvent offrir une qualité ‘baroquescente’. Taille pour htb. d’amour: semblent mieux jouer sur Chiarugi 7 pour htb. que tubes d’amour, surtout au 3e octave. Anches de cor anglais: doivent être coupées très court, sinon jouent très bas. 3e octave assez difficile. Conclusion: Évidemment, un professionel aura de bien meilleurs résultats que ceci! Mais ça montre assez de mérite pour essayer les anches de CA et de htb. d’amour avec les anneaux. J’aime beaucoup mieux jouer les anches larges (KM 750 ou RDG 2) et ils tendent vers la sonorité que je préfère. Les tubes de htb. d’amour donne une sonorité plus ample que je remarque chez les instruments baroque. Heiko Frosh suggère que les tubes de CA Guercio pourraient mieux marcher avec les anneaux. Il est possible que ces “montages étranges” ne soient pas utilisables avec Lorée, alors je devrai essayer toutes ces anches à nouveau sur Marigaux, Mönnig, Howarth, Püchner, Fossati et tous les autres au IDRS 2013!

2012 LiberTangHautbois 2013

HAPPY NEW YEAR TO EVERYONE IN ALL THE WORLD! Regardless of your thoughts on the matter, 2012 highlighted stress and mortal fear around the word. Well, the end of the world did not happen in this phase of consciousness, so I may 2013 bring renewed hope and relentless perseverance to make our world a blessing with a respect for the true rights and fair distribution of wherewithal to all people and all living things!

BONNE ET HEUREUSE ANNÉE À TOUS PARTOUT DANS LE MONDE! Nonobstant vos croyances à ce sujet, 2012 a mis en évidence une crainte profonde dans l’âme des humains. La fin du monde n’est pas survenue, alors je souhaite que 2013 apporte un renouveau d’espoir, béni de respect pour les droits véritables et la distribution juste des biens et des moyens à toutes les communautés et tout être vivant, partout dans le monde!

Recall: blog to motivate myself and others! For new visitors here, this blog started because stories by other people practicing was a real inspiration to me: these stories including starting the oboe late in life or continuing to practice despite difficult physical obstacles, far worse than mine in many cases. So this is the diary of my passion for the oboe and the discoveries I make to get over some physical pains that tend to get in the way of my plans.

Rappel : un blogue d’encouragement mutuel! Ce blogue a été mis sur pied parce que les histoires, partagées par d’autres, m’ont grandement encouragé à persévérer en musique amatrice. Ces histoires provenaient de gens commençant le hautbois à un âge avancé et/ou face à des obstacles physiques bien pires que les miens. Ceci est donc un journal de ma passion pour le hautbois et les découvertes qui m’aident à surmonter les maux qui voudraient heurter mes buts.

Libertango: Piazzolla and style! I should make a whole blog post on this alone... The reed I used is pictured above. The original arrangement was intended to highlight flute style. I studied You-Tubes of Astor Piazzola playing this himself – including a great video with Piazzola and Yo-Yo Ma! I tried to combine Piazzola’s amazing energy with a showcase for the oboe’s potential.

Freedom, Dance, Hautbois!

Libertango : Piazzola et genre! Il faudrait un article sur ceci tout seul... Ci-dessus, l’image de l’anche utilisée pour cet enregistrement. L’arrangement original met en vedette les attributs de la flûte. J’ai étudié les vidéos de Piazzola qui joue lui-même: dans un cas avec Yo-Yo Ma! J’ai donc essayé de rapprocher l’énergie vivante de Piazzola tout en mettant en vedette le potentiel du hautbois.

A Balanced Lifestyle At New-Year 2012, I said I needed to spend less time on Social Networking activities and more time building a solid professional life. Although Facebook is difficult to ignore, I did spend much less time blogging and I have neglected the BBoard quite harshly! But I have devoted myself to my job and, hopefully, built a good and solid reputation in my professional entourage. But where in 2010 I took good care of the dogs and home while just started my profession, 2011 saw a quick advance in physical fitness and musical work with heavy involvement in Facebook resulting in wonderful musical friendships with professional and amateur oboists, manufacturers and important resellers from all over the world. 2012 focussed mostly on my profession, a good and important thing, and finding Tai-Chi to replace the gym. All three years saw me focusing on one aspect to the neglect of others. But a fulfilling life requires a balance of profession, home care, physical fitness and hobby. I wish to continue to build a solid and good professional life while at the same time finding the way to continue building strong health, preparing more recordings, fixing-up little issues with the house and go exercising the dogs more. To everyone visiting this, I wish you all a wonderful 2013 with the same balance for a fulfilling life!

Une vie équilibrée Au nouvel-an 2012, j’ai exprimé le besoin d’accorder moins de temps au réseautage social et plus à me construire une vie professionnelle solide. Bien que Facebook soit difficile à ignorer, j’ai donné beaucoup moins de temps au blogue et j’ai négligé le BBoard. Le temps était consacré à mon emploi pour me bâtir une bonne réputation solide dans mon entourage professionnel. Mais alors que 2010 m’a vu m’occupper de mes chiens et la maison tout en commençant ma profession, 2011 a vu ma condition physique et vie musicale progresser rapidement avec une participation forte chez Facebook, qui m’a ouvert l’amitié de hautboïstes professionnels et amateurs ainsi que de fabrcands et marchands importants de partout dans le monde. 2012 c’est concentré surtout sur ma vie professionnelle, une bonne chose, et a trouvé le Tai-Chi pour remplacer le gymnase. Ces trois années m’ont vu accentuer un aspect de la vie au détriment d’autres. Une vie épanouie exige un équilibre de profession, domicile, activité sportive et loisirs. Je souhaite donc de continuer à me bâtir une bonne et solide vie professionnelle tout en trouvant le moyen d’incorporer le conditionnement de ma forme et santé, de continuer mes enregistrements, mieux voir aux petits nécessaires de la maison et mieux exercer les chiens. À tout le monde qui visite ce blogue, je souhaite un 2013 formidable avec la même équilibre pour une vie épanouie!

Canadian Oboist in New-York, part 2. (Marigaux, Mönnig and Howarth)

Mes excuses de ne pas inclure une version française, l’article est trop long et le sujet mérite se faire exposer en entier. Je crois que je préfère traduire et en faire des articles complèts séparés (celui de Laubin aussi) que j’annoncerai, le temps venu.

Hurricane Sandy

During my visit to New-York, while my wife was on her 2nd day at the pro. photography event, I saw on TV that a super-storm was expected in the next few days... This was Hurricane Sandy and I listened carefully to see if we'd be able to drive home. We were lucky: we left on Saturday at noon and NYC closed its subways by the time we got home. Luckily, Laubin and Innoledy were not adversely affected, but the State of New Jersey (a big part of our drive home) was devastated. Our prayers and thoughts are with the victims of this storm.

Why do I own a Lorée?

Thinking back on it, my own Lorée is the only instrument I could possibly have purchased back in 1985, as I was auditioning for the Conservatoire de Montréal. It was on the only recommendation I could get and the only professional brand really available in Eastern-Canada at the time (if we rule-down Selmer) because stores in Montréal simply didn’t know of Laubin and going to N.Y. was not really an option. So I had the choice of 2 Lorées in Montréal and I took the one that eliminated the risk of cracking!

But my Conservatoire teacher played Marigaux and some students who went to Paris for the summer would come back with Marigaux or Rigoutat. Still, Lorée was considered top of the line, so the thought of trying other brands to help sound and tuning never occurred to anyone! Now, more than 25 years later, I was able to try brand new and very old Lorées (before 1970), an old Strasser and new Howarths from the collection at Gary Armstrong Woodwinds (see post here  ) and this really opened my eyes to the effects of an instrument well suited to the individual player.

Innoledy: a portal to oboe-istic discovery!

When Innoledy opened shop, and began to stock Marigaux, Mönnig and Howarth, the temptation to go visit became simply irresistible! Tong Cui built-up Innoledy (“Innovation in Melody”) to import the world’s finest and also to provide a platform by which the manufacturers can meet and discuss with the musicians: thus manufacturers can better understand the needs of the players while players can get to know instruments that would otherwise be almost fully out of reach. To help in this objective, he often hosts events where famous soloists (along with those who make their instruments) play, teach and share with anyone who wishes to attend.

For me, contact with the manufacturers started long before through the internet. But the ability to try the instruments remained elusive, until Innoledy began to import them.

Innoledy is set-up in a posh part of Manhattan, accessible to everyone and providing both a very safe location and an inspiring setting. The instruments in the show-room are classy and sophisticated; which is accentuated by the atmosphere provided by the location. The same way that one might not trust buying a Ferrari in a flea-market, the show-room, repair shop and highly expert staff make Innoledy a choice place to try these choice instruments, which are hard to find elsewhere on the East Coast.

Criteria for oboe testing:

Everywhere I tried instruments, be it at the U. of O. Oboe Event (here ), Montréal stores (here ) or at Laubin (here ), I used the same criteria:

1. Tuning: I do not mean A=438, 440 or 442, but rather how octaves, fifths and generally how notes tune in relation with each other across the whole range of the instrument.
2. Stability of all notes during crescendi/diminuendi (both fast and slow) as well as with different articulations. Recall: I find most Lorées to “wobble” some notes when you least expect (or want) it – my own Lorée was greatly improved in this respect when Laubin re-voiced it.
3. Sound characteristics : general description, stuffiness of specific notes and congestion (inability to crescendo) in general and for specific notes.
4. Altissimo register (3rd 8va key range): especially above G.

Note: I did not ask about the price, I only want to know the instruments.

The Adventure

• First, I had a phone call with Tong to confirm the appointment:
  • Tong Cui is a very straight-talking kind of guy who says what he thinks without wasting time on “decorating the truth”: something I appreciate a lot!
  • He is also something of a philosopher and the questions he asked lead the conversation and really opened-up my understanding of how to deal with and absorb unexpected feelings that came up when playing on these fantastic instruments.
• Accomodation: Tong was actually in the middle of organising one of his events and his sales associate (Kristin Leitterman) had a full schedule of rehearsals and courses for her Doctorate program in performance. Nonetheless, they went out of their way to help me spend some time with the instruments and make my experience very pleasant indeed!
• Instruments: I think they have many more than what I tried (e.g. Other Mönnig, other Howarth and Adler) but I did not even ask because my curiosity centered around the list below and time was limited. More testing visits are in order!
• Reeds: no time to play with worst of them, but I did use good reeds and mediocre reeds.

Oboes tested:

1. Howarth XL
2. Two Marigaux 901
3. Marigaux M2
4. Gebrüger Mönnig Platinum (American model)
5. Covey, almost new
6. K-Ge, plastic, full Conservatoire
7. Gebrüger Mönnig Platinum Oboe D'amore.... Chosen by Albrecht Mayer!
8. My own Lorée: used as a benchmark.

My impressions:

• Altissimo: above G was very difficult and on some reeds, even D and above was difficult.
  • I blame this on the approaching hurricane Sandy, because the altissimo was also difficult on my Lorée even if, in Ottawa, I go up to A and Bb without undue grief.
  • I am very confident that if I can go to IDRS 2013 in California, the altissimo on all of them will be fine.
• Ergonomics:
  • None of the instruments showcased at Innoledy cramped my fingers at all, but I suppose I would really have to play on each for hours to know for certain.
  • Marigaux’s new design of the little finger palms in the M2, works out really well. At first, I thought it might inhibit some strange fingerings I like, but they work quite nicely.
  • Mönnig does things differently (angles of keys and palms) from what I am used to. But after a few minutes of playing, it worked out fine.
• On all showroom instruments, tuning was impeccable with all reeds. My Lorée plays better than the brand-new AK models I have tried (thanks to the re-voicing done by Laubin), but it still suffers from some instability and some notes with iffy tuning. All instruments at Innoledy were great, in this respect.
• It needs more experimentation, but stability seemed fine with all reeds. I spent much less time testing stability on the Covey and K-Ge. Marigaux (all) and Mönig had strikingly dependable tuning and stabiltiy.
• All new showroom instruments were simply easy to play, which is not true of all professional level oboes.
• All Howarth XL’s I have played up to now (3 of them) played the same way, so it appears to be a dependable model. It sounds closely enough to, but Lorée without the “framing” (and also without the unstable notes).
• Marigaux:
  • 901 is not “just a standard model”, it is a fully expressive instrument. Reputation confirmed, any reed plays well in a Marigaux! The two different 901s played slightly differently
    • One was noticeably more free-blowing than the other, although both were amazingly stable and versatile for dynamics and articulation.
    • The freer one, without changing anything in my reeds, embouchure or breath techniques, immediately improves my sound and musical expression.
  • The M2 is just a heavenly instrument, so charming to play, but it shows the difference between good and mediocre reeds. It plays very well with all reeds, the character changes more than the 901 when changing reeds.
• The Mönnig Platinum Oboe is also a magical instrument, a real pleasure to play. It also shows the difference between good and mediocre reeds, but has a much more cottony sound than the M2.
  • This is the first time I play a German instrument, so I need more time to confirm my impressions. It appears to also play well with any reed and with all my bizarre fingerings.
  • Kristin said that my sound was much more focussed on the XL, but I don’t know if this is really a flawed sound or a matter of taste and personal preference.
  • Because I didn’t have time to take recordings, I don’t know yet if this cottony sound is the “baroque-esque” quality that I like so much from Albrecht Mayer. This is a difficult question, because on the Mönnig d’amore (both bells), I sounded like an English Horn, whereas Mayer sounds like a baroque oboe.
• Mönnig Platinum d’amore
  • Selected by Albrecht Mayer himself! Again, a magical instrument!
  • The reason for 2 bells becomes obvious when you try them: the round bell is perfect for chamber music and the conical bell for solo.
  • I sounded like an English Horn when playing... but that is me and my reeds because obviously Albrecht Mayer has a very distinct d’amore sound on the same instrument.
• Both the Mönnig Platinum and the M2 would require me to work on my embouchure and breathing (the Platinum more so): they are truly high-character instruments that offer the widest range of expressive possibilities. Because I did formerly get Conservatoire and University training to the point of being able to start (though not continue) a professional career, I know what to do and it will not be hard: in fact it would be a very happy and welcome change to feeling boxed-in by the instruments I have known to this day.
• Covey:
  • Less friendly to strong air pressure or hard reeds, although full range of dynamics and articulation.
  • Very relaxed feeling when playing.
  • It should be choice instrument for recording or stage performance where microphones and electronic mixing are key to the final result.
• K-Ge :
  • Plays very well but no personality.
  • Keywork fully functional, nothing that is not fully necessary (no split D).
  • If the price is right, this is the ideal high-school instrument, or in preparation for auditions to the Conservatoire or College.
  • It might also prove very useful as an outdoor stage instrument.

Conclusion & my pick

Choosing a favourite is really difficult. The XL is really excellent, but it is just not in the line of sounds I am looking for. Although the “better” 901 (the other one is amazing too) would just make my playing soar right now, I just really like the higher-end models more.

If I were an orchestral pro., I would probably go for the 901 because of its versatility. But as an amateur, I can follow my whims! So I choose either the M2 or the Platinum. Both the Marigaux M2 and the Gebrüder Mönnig Platinum are astounding instruments: choosing between them will require more experimentation. Hopefully, I will go to the IDRS 2013 conference this year and try them more fully!

Really Happy Conclusion

I still want to try Dupin, Rigoutat, Fossatti, Püchner, Bulgheroni and Viennese (Wolfe), but if for any reason I never get the opportunity to do so, I have definitely found 2 instruments that completely fulfil my expectations while opening the door to my aspirations for playing. These are just magnificent oboes!

Concerning my question (from this post): “Would a better oboe really speed-up the improvement of my playing?”, I think the answer should ring a resounding “YES”! The Marigaux M2 and the Mönnig Platinum really appear to want to make my life easier. At the very, very least, I do not have to fight with them to play in tune: the instrument helps me!

Oboe or d’amore?

This is the only thing that annoys me about my visit to NYC: for some time, I’ve been saying I want to buy a d’amore unless I find an oboe that really blows me away... Well, I have indeed found at least 3 oboes that blow me away, but both the Laubin and Mönnig d’amores also touched me strongly... more experimentation required to hopefully help me make a choice!