Why Practice? – 2 – Pourquoi répéter (pratiquer)?

Weather and Work: My last post was over a month ago and I began worrying about not posting for some time. Last time I recorded (here ), the weather was just fantastic and the reeds were behaving beautifully. But it seems April brought back cold and dry, despite lots of rain. The reeds decided to go wimpy, buzzy and unstable, except for a few that just became hard, though they used to be good enough to use for my You-Tubes. But why should I care about not posting on the blog for a long time? And why should I be spending lots of time on Facebook oboe groups?

La météo et le boulot Ma dernière entrée date d’il y a un mois et je commençais à m’inquiéter à propos du retard. Mon dernier enregistrement (ici ) était par temps formidable et les anches se comportaint vraiment bien. Mais le mois d’avril a apporté le temps froid et sec (malgré la pluie). Les anches en sont devenus faibles, nasillardes et instables, à part quelques-unes qui sont devenues très dûres… malgré avoir été jadis assez bonnes pour mes You-Tubes. Mais pourquoi devrais-je m’inquiéter de tarder sur le blogue? Et pourquoi passe-je beaucoup de temps sur les groupes de hautbois sur Facebook matin et soir?

I have established excellent relations with professional musicians and oboe manufacturers and suppliers despite the fact I am only an amateur and don’t play with any groups – I am VERY grateful for these friendships! But why spend so much time on Facebook with people I don’t see and who live on other continents? I watched this video this morning (the dogwalker – NFB), and it gave a

J’ai le plaisir de conaissances formidables parmi les musiciens professionnels et les manufacturiers et fournisseurs de hautbois malgré le fait que je ne suis qu’amateur et ne joue dans aucun ensemble – je suis TRÈS reconnaissant de ces amitiés! Mais pourquoi dois-je passer tant de temps sur Facebook avec des gens que je ne vois jamais et qui vivent souvent sur un autre continent?

completely different insight on motivations. In this movie, the main character finds his salvation walking dogs for neighbours who quickly became his friends. It became, for him, the focal point on which he rebuilds his life towards contentment as a basis for happiness.	J’ai vu ce film ce matin (the dogwalker – ONF) et il m’a donné une optique nouvelle sur mes motivations. Dans le film, le personnage principal trouve son salut en promenant les chiens de ses voisins qui deviennent vite ses amis. Ça devient pour lui le fondement d’une nouvelle vie où le contentement est la base du bonheur.
Oboe and blogging: liberating the heart. I supposed the lesson of the dogwalker, is what playing the oboe and recording You-Tubes needs to be for me. Never mind the past, what I might have been and what I did not become. Never mind aspirations, dreams and professional goals that my body will prevent me from attaining. Instead, focus on what I can do, activities I am able to perform and use them to the best of my ability, while accepting my limitations (health, community, time). This way, I might be much less distracted by vane ideas of conquest and celebrity, but rather appreciate what I do have, and enjoy the gratitude that it was given to me in life.	Le hautbois et le blogue: libérer le coeur. Je suppose que la leçon du film the dogwalker est ce qui doit être pour moi de jouer le hautbois et enregistrer des You-Tubes. Laissons-faire le passé, ce que j’aurais pû devenir. Laissons de côté les aspirations, rêves et buts professionnels que mon corps peut me refuser. Plutôt, je me tourne vers ce que je peux faire et les activités qui me sont disponibles au mieux de mes habiletés tout en acceptant mes limitations (santé, communauté, temps). De cette manière,  je peux être moins distrait par une vanité de conquête ou de célébrité, mais à la place apprécier ce que j’ai et me réjouir dans la gratitude de ce que la vie m’a donné.
Why Record and Blog? For several months, I have been asking myself if I have hidden psychological motives, like craving attention, or proving something to others, or denial of what my life has become (escaping in dreams of restoring life to what I wanted in the past). After all, recording with computer accompaniment is no artistic breakthrough! But now, the message in this movie lets me see that I can continue my oboe-playing, blogging, and You-Tubing without regret. I will probably blog and Facebook less as a result, because I will no longer fear to disappoint anyone if I take more time to care for the yard, the garage, the dogs, do some programming etc…	Pourquoi Enregistrer et Bloguer? Depuis plusieurs mois je me demande s’il n’y aurait pas de motivations inconscientes, comme le désir d’attention ou renier ce qu’est devenu de ma vie (voulant restaurer mes rêves d’antan). Après tout, m’enregistrer avec l’ordinateur qui m’accompagne n’est guère percée artistique! Le message du film me laisse voir que je peux continuer de jouer le hautbois, bloguer et faire des vidéos sans regrets. Je vais sans doute passer moins de temps sur Facebook et moins d’entrées sur le blogue, sans craindre décevoir quiconque, préférant passer plus de temps à m’occuper de la cour, le garage, les chiens, faire de la programmation etc.
One person’s story. This blog is the story of one full-time software engineer, struggling with chronic pain and fatigue, and how he finds enjoyment playing the music that moves him so much and on an instrument that speaks for his soul AND stimulates the engineer in him! Anyone who wants to take a few steps and share a few experiences with me is very welcome and appreciated. For the rest, make of this what you like!	Ce blogue est donc l’histoire d’un ingénieur-logiciel à temps plein qui se bat contre la douleur et la fatigue chroniques et comment il trouve joie de vivre à jouer la musique qui le touche tant et sur un instrument, la voix de son âme, qui stimule aussi l’ingénieur en lui! Quiconque veut prendre quelques pas et partager quelques expériences ave moi est la bienvenue et fort apprécié. Pour les autres, faites-en ce que vous voudrez!

Sitting Career Death! – Assoyez la fin de votre carrière!

 

Blogger statistics is showing my previous post on pains caused by posture at the computer desk seems very popular. And I had promised more information on what I have learned on what can ruin your ability to play any instrument… but also how to recover from these pains.	Les statistiques Blogger montrent un intérêt accru sur mon article concernant les maux causés par la posture assise à l’ordinateur. J’ai aussi promis de traiter ce qui finir votre pouvoir de jouer d’un instrument… mais aussi comment revenir de ces maux.
Disclaimer: I am not a health-care professional. Do not use the information in this or any other of my posts without consulting a professional in the medical field.	Désavoeu: Je ne suis pas un professionnel des soins de santé. Veuillez consulter un professionnel du domaine médical avant d’utiliser l’information contenu dans mes articles.
In a previous article, I showed how posture at the computer desk can cause the body serious harm. This post will examine more closely how sitting down most of the day can wreck your musical career….. but also how simple care can prevent this from ever happening. The following is an over-simplification to help understand how changes in posture due to life in the computer age can really harm the body. The damage can go unnoticed for years but it accumulates. A good physiotherapist can see it and show how to fix the trouble.	Dans un article précédent, j’ai montré comment la posture assise à l’ordinateur peut sérieusement nuire au corps. La présente examinera comment rester assis, pour la grande partie du jour, peut ruiner votre carrière musicale… mais aussi combien de simples précautions peuvent les prévenir. Ce qui suit est une sur-simplification pour aider à comprendre comment fonctionne le corps et comment des modifications de la posture résultants de l’âge informatique peuvent vraiment endommager le corps. Le dommage peut rester innaperçu mais s’accumule. Un bon physiothérapeute peut voir les signes coureurs et vous montrer comment réparer les problêmes.

Emmanuel Pahud is probably the most prolific flute soloist since Jean-Pierre Rampal and James Galloway. He plays in the Berlin Philharmonic with Hansjörg Schellenberger, principal oboist and also internationally acclaimed soloist.

Air is everything to woodwinds–posture is everything to air!

Emmanuel Pahud, sûrement le plus illustre flutiste depuis Jean-Pierre Rampal et James Galloway, joue dans la Philharmonie de Berlin avec Hansjörg Schellenberger, hautbois principal et soliste international.

In this video, they discuss together sound production and the importance of posture on the airstream. “Everything that involves [body] tension gets in the way of the air stream” – Pahud.

Dans cette vidéo, ils discutent la production sonore et l’importance de la posture sur le vent. “Tout ce qui apporte la tension [du corps] entrave le souffle” – Pahud (trad. libre)

When standing normally, the spine has a natural curve, but the overall effect is to keep the back straight. Many leg muscles have an effect on these. Muscles that lift the knees and pull back for walking are connected to the hips and spine. We are built to stand and walk, and so our muscles have a natural length.		Debout normalement, la colonne a une courbe naturelle, l’effet final étant un dos droit. Plusieurs muscles dans les jambes contribuent à cela.  Des muscles qui lèvent les genoux et tirent derrière pour marcher sont connectés aux haches et à la colonne. Nous sommes construits pour nous tenir debout et marcher, donnant ainsi aux muscles une longueur naturelle.
When we sit down, some muscles that normally pull when standing are now stretched and loose their pulling strength. Others are relaxed and literally shrink over time.		En nous assoyant, quelques muscles qui tirent lorsque debout sont étirés et perdent leur force. D’autres se détendent et rétrécissent avec le temsp.
As a result of this stretching and shrinkage, when we stand up again, the spine is not supported correctly and the pelvis is pulled forward by muscles now shortened. The opposite muscles are too relaxed to compensate which means the belly is rounded forward. Nerves exit the spine in the back, so the extra roundness causes compression on nerves. Over time, this irritates the nerves and can cause sever pain (e.g. sciatica) and loss of strength and muscular coordination. In fact, I started this investigation when I started loosing speed on the bicycle and tripping and falling when running to catch the bus… I was only 32 years old!		Par conséquent, lorsque nous nous redressons debout, la colonne n’est pas correctement soutenue et les hanches sont tirées vers l’avant par les muscles rétrécis.  Les muscles opposés, trop rallongés, font que le bedon courbe d’avantage. Des nerfs qui sortent de la colonne dans le bas du dos s’en voient comprimés. Avec le temps, les nerfs en sont irrités causant des douleurs intenses (p.ex. le sciatique) ainsi que de la perte de force et de coordination musculaire. En effet, j’ai commencé cette recherche après une perte de vitesse à vélo et m’enfargeant lorsque je courait pour ratrapper l’autobus… je n’avais que 32 ans!
The only way to repair this, the only thing to do is stretch the shortened muscles (some of them are in the back and behind the legs) and  strengthen the loosened muscles. My physiotherapist told me it would take (in my own personal case) 3-4 months of stretching exercises for the muscles to become capable of stretching! Otherwise, the only way to keep the back straight is to lean forward or walk with knees very bent (to angle the hips correctly). Of course, both are very tiring and can cause many other pains!		La seule façon de réparer est d’étirer les muscles rétrécis (quelques-uns sont dans le dos et en arrière des jambes) et renforcer les muscles détendus. Ma physiothérapeute m’a dit que ça prendrait (dans mon cas précis) de 3 à 4 mois d’étirement avant même que les muscles ne soient capables de s’étirer! Autrement, garder le dos droit veut dire soit me pencher vers l’avant ou me plier les genoux (pour angler le bassin correctement). Bien sûr, les deux options sont épuisants et causent d’autres douleurs!

Correct posture has an enormous impact on our musical breathing. There is a natural position for the arms with the shoulders resting backwards and downwards. This will cause the neck to be straight, the eyes high and the head high.		Une bonne posture a un impact majeur sur la respiration musicale. Les bras ont une position naturelle avec les épaules basses et vers l’arrière. Ceci favorise un cou droit avec les yeux et la tête haute.
Spending too much time with arms in front of the body (see here) can cause the back muscles to lengthen and the chest muscles to shrink. The head begins to look downward and this causes the back neck muscles to strain (ending in headaches!). Visibly, this constricts proper breathing and can lead to pain in the shoulders and neck.		Passer trop de temps avec les bras devant le corps (à lire) peut causer les muscles du dos à rallonger et ceux de la poitrine à rétrécir. La tête commence à baisser vers l’avant, causant ainsi une tension dans les msucles du cou (et des maux de tête!). Visiblement, ceci entrave la bonne respiration et fini en douleur dans les épaules et dans le cou.
Finally, shoulders are connected to the neck. The shoulders therefore have a big impact on tension headaches because neck muscles can cause compression on many nerves.		Enfin, les épaules sont reliées au cou. Par conséquent, les épaules jouent un rôle majeur dans les maux de tête puisque les muscles tirent sur le cou, comprimant ainsi plusieurs nerfs.
These nerves also control the arms and wrists. VERY often, pain in the wrists is actually caused by tilting the head and raising the left shoulder. These also cause a twist in the back that causes degeneration of the vertebrae. Resulting compression on lumbar nerves causes pain and bad coordination in the legs. I have pictures in my young 20s that essentially prophecy the headaches and arm troubles and leg pains I have today!		Les nerfs sortants du cou contrôllent aussi les bras et les mains. TRÈS souvent, la douleur ou la fatigue dans les poignets commencent par une tête inclinée et une épaule levée. Ces dernières causent aussi une torsion dans le milieu du dos qui accélère la dégénération vertébrale. La compression sur les nerfs lombaires causent des douleurs et mal-coordination des jambes. J’ai des photos de moi dans ma jeune 20e qui font prophécie des maux de tête et problèmes de bras et de jambes que je vis aujourd’hui!

Prevent the conditions from ever happening: Have-fun and enjoy what your body is capable of doing: do sports! This includes dancing and hiking-camping. Athletics are not barbarous murderers of the arts! I was very pleased that the gym at University of Ottawa attracts people both fat and fit and. People are encouraging and celebrate victories: a fat person who increases endurance by 5 minutes accomplished more than an athlete who lifts 100 pounds! Trainers are very eager to use their knowledge in human kinetics to help you become better musicians!		La Prévention vaut mieux que la guérison! Amusez-vous dans le plaisir de ce que le corps peut faire: faites du sport! Ceci inclus la danse et le plein-air. L’athlétisme n’est pas barbare meurtrier des arts! J’ai été ravi de voir au gymnase de l’Université d’Ottawa du monde de toutes tailles: tout le monde encourage tout le monde et on prend plaisir à la réussite de ses buts: une grosse personne qui augmente de 5 minutes son endurance a mieux réussi qu’un athlète qui lève 50kilos! Les entraîneurs sont éprouvent une grande lorsqu’ils appliquent leurs connaissances à vous aider à devenir de meilleurs musiciens!
What NOT to do: The “Roman Chair”, military sit-ups and such strengthen and shorten the muscles that caused the problem in the first place!		À ne PAS faire: Cet appareil et les redressements-assis de style militaire renforcent et raccourcissent les muscles qui ont causé le problème!

Gracias a la vida para el oboe - Obrigado música Caraíbas!

It turns out the fatigue spell mentioned in the last blog post was nothing more than the onset of a normal every day cold.... not even a bad one! I took 2 days off from work mostly so I would not give it to anyone else - also couldn't play oboe for most of the week, but no harm done!

Sizzling music for hot times!

Brazilian Oboe & Guitar!

This past weekend was the hottest March weekend in memory of everyone I know who has lived in Eastern Canada in the past 75 years. The thermometer showed 26*C and the very rapidly melting snow shot the humidity up to near 90%... very uncomfortable!

So to celebrate the quick arrival of Spring in Ottawa and to honour the very many Portuguese and Spanish friends, here is a little something from a sizzling Minus One collection! My apologies if the performance style is reflects my love for Canadian Winters: I can only hope to grow the warm heart of Spanish and Portuguese speaking people!

I'm amazed at how many Faccebook Friendship requests and Twitter Followers I have gotten from Central and South-America, Spain and Portugal. The Portuguese and Spanish cultures are different, but from my French & English-Canadian musical perspective, they both share and offer together a wonderful set of styles including Samba, Tango, Rumba, Bossa-Nova and so on. Collectively, these are usually known as "Latino" or "Caribbean" and they are a real treat to play and hear: full of the enjoyment of life. I used to play these styles a lot in the Army Bands for concerts and Mess-Dinners: they were a favourite of the audience because they are so lively and promote good feelings when dozens of military officers (of very different personalities and career objectives!) would get together for drinks, supper and presentations.

I am also very much impressed by the musical activity, amateur and professional in the Caribbean and South America. Classical culture seems to be strongly promoted in high-school and as a part of everyday life. Of course, I only see what is available through Facebook and You-Tube and I have no idea how these are funded or managed, but I have to wonder if they might be doing much better than us over here!... then again, I am very likely not aware of everything we are doing here either!

GRACIAS - OBRIGADO!

Engineering my life out of a musical coma.

Again, I really don't like to discuss my troubles, but I hope this will be useful to someone.

In at least one previous post, I mentioned that my pains can happen to pretty much anyone and that they are mostly due to preventable causes. Here is the part that is not for everyone, for which prevention is not known, and I really don't wish it on anyone.

I was really excited to go to a concert this evening featuring a fantastic oboist. But as supper time rolled around, I was overtaken by a fatigue of the kind that makes it hard to watch TV. Compare it to drinking too much beer or wine, when you get to that point where it seems your mind is fully engaged but the body just collapses on the couch, barely able to sit up straight. (On the bright side, this fatigue has no drunken sickness or throwing up the morning after! ) I decided that driving 30-45 minutes to get there and then the same later at night to get back was too risky for me either falling asleep at the wheel or just doing a really bad manoeuvre.

I had been diagnosed with chronic fatigue near the age of 14 and I remember suffering from it as young as the age of 7. One classmate from college had it: he started a course of diet and physical fitness and he became a new man in a matter of weeks. For me, nothing has ever worked except that vitamins help against depression. I think this is at the root of an easily ignited anger in my 20s.  With the passing years, it is getting worse, but in a way that I don't have the strength to get angry anymore. It seems to react strongly to weather changes... this spring, the temperature has been changing by as much as 20*C in just one day... and then changing back as much the next.

Mind Over Matter – Divine Guidance

The single best treatment for me is anything that increases self-esteem and feeling victorious or meritorious in any way. Pursuing computer engineering was a double-whammy because:

1. it broke through walls of despair from empty prospects after quitting music and realizing teaching was not for me
2. the mathematical skills and systematic mind-frame were very difficult for me to adopt, but I soldiered-through and succeeded where I predictably should have failed.... you cannot imagine my pride at getting a B+ in multivariate calculus (triple integrals, MacLaurin equivalences etc.)!

There is no overestimating the sense of accomplishment at my having obtained a Master's degree in Engineering! Nonetheless, I felt like a defining part of me was in a coma; so when my wife bought me our digital piano, it felt like a full pardon given to a prisoner about to be executed - I had tears in my eyes for a week! Now, reviving the oboe life is just as important as the engineering degree. This makes my physical obstacles all the more frustrating.

This is where directing me to software engineering is Providence in action: my job is walking distance from home and I am still mentally capable of performing complex tasks... it's mostly my body that becomes listless: to say wet rag is no exaggeration. My fingers and feet tingle as if blood flow slowed in half. So sitting in an office chair, performing computer work is about the best thing I can do.

Reed Opening – Ouverture des anches

Happy International Women’s Day! To celebrate, the super-spectacular photographer JiJi (my wife) is offering a very special promotion of her acclaimed work! (Click to find out more.)

Joyeuse journée internationale de la femme! En hommage, la photographe extra-sensationnelle JiJi (mon épouse) offre une promotion très spéciale de son oeuvre louangé! (Cliquez pour en savoir plus.)

Work Before Play… Software Engineers have a reputation of working long late hours. When I get home, I insist on doing 30-45 minutes of oboe, but with supper and the dogs, there’s no time left at all to do anything whatsoever…. my 8-9 hours sleep being vital to coping with fibromyalgia.	Boulot avant dodo… Les ingénieurs logiciel ont la réputation de travailler de longues heures. Quand j’arrive à la maison, j’insiste faire mes 30-45 minutes de hautbois, mais après le souper et m’occupper des chiens, il ne reste plus aucun temps pour rien… mes 8-9 heurs de sommeil étant vitaux pour contrer la fibromyalgie.
This past weekend, I had the pleasure of spending time with part of the oboe class at University of Ottawa and then chat a bit with their teacher and principal oboe of the NACO, Charles “Chip” Hamann (fantastic player!). We discussed reed construction and preferences and I was really surprized at how open-minded he is: in my own experience, I had found that oboists in Canada and USA are very rigid in their views. Chip explained to my that his teacher, the renowned Richard Killmer of the Eastman school, was very flexible on matters of reed and performance styles insisting on the important issues rather than details of personal preference…..                      BRAVO to both of you!	En fin de semaine dernière, j’ai eu le plaisir de passer du temps avec quelques étudiants en hautbois de l’université d’Ottawa et de jaser un peu avec leur prof., Charles “Chip” Hamann, le hautbois principal de l’Orchestre du CNA (excellent interprète!). Nous avons discuté des anches, leur construction et nos préférences et j’ai été fort surpris de son ouverture d’esprit, étant habitué au dogmatisme à cet égard chez les canadiens et américains. Chip m’a expliqué que son prof., le célébré Richard Killmer de l’école de Eastman, était très flexible, se concentrant surtout sur les questions importantes en matière d’interprétation et de style…. BRAVO à vous deux!
Chip looked at my reeds (essentially French Hybrids) and remarked they are not so different from his (fully Philadelphia). But one thing he remarked on was the opening and the separation of the blades. Well, I don’t perform in front of hundreds of people every week, so I can afford to experiment more. In fact, the opening can be misleading depending on how it is soaked, and I like it more open so it will keep it’s “bounce” when it does close after the warm-up.	Chip a regardé mes anches (grosso-modo françaises hybrides) et a remarqué les ressemblances avec les siennes (pleinement américaines). Mais une chose qu’il a noté est l’ouverture et la séparation des lames. Enfin, je ne joue pas devant des centaines de personnes à toutes les semaines, alors je peux me permettre d’expérimenter. Mais l’ouverture peut donne fausse-impression selon son trempage et sans une bonne ouverture, elle peut perdre son esprit après avoir joué quelques minutes.
Opening vs. Separation vs. Sealing, Curvature vs. Flatness Opening means how far the blades are apart while keeping their curvature. Separation usually means the cane tube (canon) was not split to ensure flatness of the cane back. Separation does not air leaks, which are usually due to poor shaping and/or bad binding (tying). A flattened tip is when the blades loose their oval curve. Sealing is really important as air leaks will most certainly mean bad notes in the bottom register, bad articulation and bad dynamic control. Air leaks are usually gaps between the blades closer to the thread. Gaps higher up are either separation, flawed shaping or simply poor cane. I have a few reeds with very separated blades that play so well (after a good warm-up) that I insist on keeping them even though they look absolutely horrible.	Overture vs séparation vs. étancheté Courbure vs. applati L’ouverture décrit la distance entre les bouts lorsque la forme ovale est bonne. La séparation des lames veut dire que le roseau en canon n’a probablement pas été fendu de manière à assurer un dos plat. La séparation n’oblige pas les fuites d’air, qui sont souvent le résultat de taillage et/ou ligatturage inadéquat. On parle d’anche applatie quand le bout perd sa courbe.  L’étancheité est importante parce que les fuites vont très sûrement échouer les notes dans le grave et enfreindre l’articualtion et les nuances. Les fuites sont plus souvent des trous entre les lames plus près du fil. Les fuites plus haut que la mi-anche indiquent souvent un taillage inadéquat ou simplement de mauvais roseau. J’ai quelques anches avec des lames très séparées qui jouent pourtant très bien après quelques minutes de réchauffement (et un bon trempage). Elles sont laides comme tout, mais j’insiste de les garder.

 

The reed above is the experimental reed described in a previous post (). This one is not one of the good reeds that separate, but it gives the best pictures.(Click on a picture for a bigger size.) Its opening looks very wide open, but if the blades did not separate, perhaps it would be just right. Because it is made with an oboe d’amore shape on a huge oboe staple, it is difficult to know if the separation is due to curvy cane or if there is a pivot causing it. At any rate, there are no leaks as the binding is just right: when I put the reed in my lips, the separation closes and the seal is excellent.	L’anche ci-dessus est l’anche expérimentale décrite dans un article passé (). Elle ne compte pas parmi les bonnes anches qui séparent, mais elle donne les plus belles photos. (Cliquez sur une image pour la voir en plus grand.) L’ouverture paraît très grande, mais si les lames ne séparaient pas, elle serait peut-être juste bonne. Puisqu’elle est taillée pour hautbois d’amour et attachée sur un très gros tube pour hautbois, il devient difficile à savoir si la séparation est causée par un roseau courbé où s’il s’agit d’un pivot. Dans tous les cas, aucune fuite d’air une fois entre mes lèvres.
Weather! Effects on Opening  Hot, humid summer days tend to open reeds and exaggerate the separation, but the blades keep their nice curved aperture. This makes the crow much lower notes, but not necessarily harsher. So both tuning and stability are really compromised. Dry cold days tend to flatten the blades’ aperture but the reed also tends to close. Apart from making the reed buzz, stability just goes crazy. The pitch can be good, but dynamics become really restricted. Oddly, it does not help close separation at all.	Météo! effets sur l’ouverture  Le temps chaud et humide tend à ouvrir les anches et à exagérer leur séparation, mais les lames comme telles gardent leur courbure. Leur cri donne des notes bien plus basses, mais pas nécessairement plus rauque. Par conséquent, la justesse et la stabilité en sont fort compromises. Le temps froid et sec tend à applatir le bout des lames et fermer l’ouverture. À part rendre le son très nazillard, la stabilité part en peur. Le centre de justesse peut être bonne, mais les nuances sont grandement restreintes. Étrangement, le sec ne semble pas réduire la séparation.
Opening, Separation and Embouchure One can imagine that separating blades and open reeds mean a firmer embouchure is required and the mouth gets tired faster. However, I have found that fatigue in the lips usually comes with reeds that don’t crow the lower tones: they don’t preserve their harshness evenly as I crescendo/diminuendo. This is usually the case with reeds that close too much in the back (or simply of poor cane). My good reeds that open and separate (the reed pictured above might become one if I work on it) keep an evenly harsh crow. When well soaked, they will close after a few minutes warming-up and then play well for as long as I can play.	Ouverture, séparation et embouchure On peut imaginer que la séparation des lames et les anches ouvertes exigent une embouchure plus dûre et fatigue la gueule plus vite. En fait, j’ai trouvé que la fatigue vient avec les anches qui ne crient pas les notes graves ou qui ne gardent ps leur aspect rauque avec les nuances. C’est habituellement le cas des anches trop fermées en arrière (où simplement de roseau inadéquat). Mes bonnes anches qui séparent (l’anche ci-dessus pourrait en devenir une si je la travaille) gardent un son rauque constant en les faisant crier. Lorsque bien trempées, elles ferment après quelques minutes de réchauffement et jouent bien pour le reste de ma répétition.

Hautbois, cure-Miracle-cure Oboe

Blogger statistics has been showing people coming to this blog were looking for: information on reed making, especially gouging machines information on exercises to help sound and endurance recording and music technology pain conditions and treatment. The topic I like to discuss the least is my own pain condition. After all, my oboe revival is the best medicine for me and the more I am musically active, the better I feel! Besides, over the past year and some, I have observed real improvement in many respects. So I don't want to present a sad story when the real story is encouraging! But for the sake of all musicians, especially those of you who are on the verge of beginning a professional career, it is important that you understand them, because you are at high risk of living them yourselves. In my student days, I got tendonitis: it was one factor in my decision to quit music. But now I know that there were preventable reasons for my own problems, and others might benefit from this hindsight.

Les statistiques de Blogger montre que les visiteurs arrivent souvent suite à une recherche d'information concernant: la fabrication des anches, surtout les machines à gouger les exercices d'embouchure l'enregistrement et et la technologie musicale les conditions de douleur et leur traitement. Ce que j'aime le moins discuter est ma collection de douleurs. Après-tout, ma renaissance hautboïstique est mon meilleur médicament et le plus je suis actif en musique, le mieux je me sens! De toute façon, depuis un an et quelque, j'aperçois une amélioration dans bien des sens. Je ne veux donc pas présenter une histoire triste: la vérité est encourageante! Mais pour le bien des musiciens, surtout ceux d'entre vous qui entamez (ou presque) votre carrière professionnelle, il est important que vous compreniez que vous êtes à risque élevé de développer vous-même ces maux. Dans mes jours d'étudiant, j'ai eu la tendinite: ce fut un facteur décisif pour quitter la musique. Mais maintenant je sais qu'il y avait des causes sous-jacentes qui auraient pu éviter, et le monde peut bien bénéficier de mon expérience.

List of Complaints and Treatments	Liste de conditions et traitements
As I'm writing this, I realize there's enough material for a chronicle blog. Let's then just start with two lists: what's giving me trouble and what I can do about it. I'll give details about them in future posts.     1.    FCFS : fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue syndrome         (enigmatic)     2.    DDD : disc degeneration disease         (it's not a disease, it's a natural part of aging)     3.    MF : myofasciitis and muscular shrinkage         (enigmatic) DDD is a natural part of aging. Everyone who approaches the age of 40 likely has it, some more than others. The ugly thing is that not everyone suffers pain as a result and the degree of damage does not predict the degree of pain: in other words, some people can have bad cases and never suffer, some people can have moderate cases and have a hard time walking. Medical literature is at a loss to explain why.	Il m'est devenu évident qu'il y a assez de matière ici pour remplir une chronique. Commençons donc avec deux simples listes: ce qui me fait souffrir et ce que je peux en faire. Élaborations à venir dans les prochaines entrées.     1.    SFFC : syndrome de fibromyalgie et de fatigue chronique         (énigmatique)     2.    DD : dégénération des disques         (fonction naturelle de l'âge)     3.    MF : myofasciite et rétrécissement musculaire         (énigmatique) Tout le monde qui approche l'âge de 40 aura sûrement une mesure de DD, certaines personnes plus que d'autres. L'énigme est que le degré de dégénération n'indique aucunement le degré de douleur. La science médicale ne sait expliquer, mais un cas moyen peut débiliter tandis qu'une personne atteinte d'un cas avancé peut ne jamais le savoir.
In Terms of Treatment	En termes de traitement
1.    medication (pain relievers, neuro-inhibitors)     2.    physiotherapy and other physical therapies         => in particular IMS: intra-muscular stimulation     3.    athletic activity and physical fitness     4.    rest, relaxation and stress-relieving practices     5.    very careful attention to diet and allergic factors     So far, the only real benefits have been from IMS, physical fitness and, very importantly, being as active a musician as I can be. In my case, IMS has not relieved fibromyalgia, but it has eliminated considerable pains in the arms and recurring headaches that were interfering with both my musical activity and my engineering career. IMS has allowed me to begin physical fitness, which is the best tool against fibromyalgia and chronic fatigue I have found yet.	1.    médicaments (anti-inflammatoires, neuro-inhibiteur)     2.    physiothérapie et autres thérapies physiques         => en particulier la SIM     3.    activité athlétique et maintien de la forme     4.    repos, relaxation et réduction du stress     5.    attention soignée la diète et aux facteurs allergènes     Jusqu'à maintenant, les seuls vrais résultats positifs viennent de la SIM, travailler la forme physique et, très important, rester aussi actif musicalement que possible. Dans mon cas, la SIM n'a pas réduit la fibromyalgie comme telle, mais elle a éliminé des douleurs considérables dans les bras et réduit le nombre de maux de tête cycliques qui ennuyaient sérieusement ladite activité musicale ainsi que ma profession d'ingénieur. La SIM m'a permis de recommencer à travailler la forme physique, ce qui s'est montré le meilleur outil contre la fibromyalgie et la fatigue chronique jusqu'à maintenant.
IMPORTANT: IMS is a patented Canadian form of treatment () that, because it really works, earned Dr. Gunn the 2 highest honours a Canadian citizen can possibly get. I is NOT an electric current to stimulate muscle activity. It is a stimulation of the body's own healing and growth mechanisms by scratching offending parts of the muscle with medical-acupuncture needles. It must be recommended by specially trained and certified professionals (doctors or physiotherapists).	IMPORTANT: La SIM est un traitement Canadien breveté () qui, parce qu'il fonctionne pour vrai, a mérité au Dr. Gunn les 2 honneurs les plus élevés dont un citoyen Canadien peut être décoré. Ce n'est PAS un courant électrique pour stimuler l'activité du muscle. C'est une stimulation des processus naturels de guérison et de croissance du corps utilisant des aiguilles de type acuponcture-médical. Ça doit être recommandé par un spécialiste certifiés (médecin ou physiothérapeute).

Adult Masterclass : Rebirth of the Phoenix!

Blogger statistics show that people have been searching for information about IMS and various pain-related questions. I’ll give an update on my progress next time and touch on why I think some people might consider the treatments don’t work, when in fact they do, to the extent they were intended to.

Frankenstein’s demise foretells a new birth!

Early last year, I wrote a blog post (Frankenstein's First Steps) with a title that essentially forecasted my whole oboe year. I hope this post will do the same.

I started this blog roughly 8 months after beginning to practice the oboe with some regularity, having left it nearly untouched for 10 years … well doing an average of 30 minutes a month… The blog was to motivate me to practice more seriously and to track my physical hurdles. Other people had similar stories to tell and sharing them on other venues had proven really comforting and encouraging, so I thought this blog might prove interesting.

During the 10 years of near abstinence, every time I picked-up the oboe produced mixed feelings:

1. sheer joy and a feeling of breathing fresh air after having held my breath underwater (swimming in the heavy burden of math and software assignments)
2. horrifying frustration at sounding as bad as a beginner, made much worse at remembering the recitals and concerts I did, including such difficult repertoire as Symphonie Fantastique and Prélude à l’Après-midi d’un Faune.

By the time I started the blog, I thought my playing was decent for an amateur, but recordings left me feeling really embarrassed, again mostly for the memory of how I used to play. Now, a few weeks ago (a touch over a year into my blog or a year and a half into my oboe re-birth), I participated in a master class for adult amateurs and played the 1st movement of the Saint-Saëns sonata… and I did so believing I could pull it off without insulting music.
…This alone means I made some very decent improvement.

Adult Master Class – Lesson of the Phoenix!

Huge credit is due to the organizers of the Ottawa Oboe Extravaganza. They had the incredible foresight and showed real community stewardship by inviting adult amateurs to play on stage to receive the tutelage of an excellent oboist, Susan Morris of the Ottawa Symphony Orchestra and Ottawa Youth Orchestra Academy. This activity really makes people feel like they belong to the musical world and it shows just how far one can get if we follow our dreams wholeheartedly.

It was only a week before the event I realized I could play in the master class. I was in the process of recording the last of 3 duets for 2 oboes by Nino Rota. So I only had time to practice excerpts from Petrushka, and only a little bit. On the night before the masterclass, I had to wait at the university for hours, so I found a spot to practice and a gut feeling told me to do something else: the Saint-Saëns would be a much better show off of my improvement in articulations and dynamics. I didn’t have the parts, but I had played it so much in the past that practicing from memory was not a problem.

Contrary to Expectations

The masterclass started and adult amateurs ranging from the very beginner to the much more experienced than myself went on stage. About 30 minutes before my turn, a cold draft ignited muscle spasms in my neck and fibro-fog set in: I was mortified to go on stage. I went anyway because I had made such a fuss with Chip to go… it would be really bad to back down. Chip had participants explain our musical stories and the fibro-fog created such confusion I could hardly speak with any coherence at all.

So I started playing the 1^st movement of the Saint-Saëns sonata. I would have expected notes to cack, articulations to fail, dynamics to freeze and so on… the usual! But instead, I was surprized that my slurring felt very smooth, my pp and ff dynamics seemed very distinct and solid and both the articulation and release of notes were in full control. Actually, even most of the rhythm and character was quite solid. What went berzerk was that nerves seemed to make me loose my embouchure, bite like a shark and therefore sound like tin can! … and naturally the fortissimo triplet arpeggios slipped and fell like Sandy Hill covered with freezing rain! (Ottawa winter applied to playing the oboe…)

This anxiety was very strange, because I never used to be nervous in concert…. at least, not enough to fear playing on stage. Exams and rehearsals used to mortify me, really intimidated about playing with my peers and betters. But public performance bliss usually trumped all anxiety.

My next steps as a musician…

Here is where the Phoenix comes in. The legend says that, at the end of its life, the Phoenix bursts into flames and is reborn of its own ashes. Well, if I did crash-and-burn at that masterclass, I hope is was a fire ignited by my year of blogging (practicing and recording) and that it ended the dark silent now past. I hope it means that now I can be reborn of those ashes and perhaps begin a new musical life with possibilities that I am as yet too inexperienced to imagine.

I must imagine that my next steps, as a musician, would be to overcome the anxiety I felt at the masterclass and regain my former performance bliss. I suppose, then, that I need to meet people and find the proper ensemble in a setting suited to my profession as a software engineer.

If the Almighty wishes it, then it will be and the Phoneix will fly in a beautiful blaze, its tears with the power to heal and wings capable of carrying even my dreams into reality.