Growl… Graf Machine
Wednesday July 11 2007
My Graf machine worked great for Alliaud and Bonazza cane, which I would classify as a medium hard cane and a medium cane, but now that I ran out of that and switched over to Ghys, which is usually a medium hard cane, but I think this batch is particularly hard. In any case I am very unhappy with the results. Sigh, maybe I should just use it on my other Graf machine which gouges thicker, and use softer cane on this machine.
Speaking of Graf machines, I think they are some of the best machines available. They’re very flexible, and have persevered over the years. There is currently a Graf machine for sale on the IDRS… website for $385 (a steal in my opinion) but I don’t have any extra $385 to throw around. Three machines for me is enough.
So, as a reedmaker, I’m faced with this difficult decision. I spend a lot of time adjusting a gouging machine to be just right for a certain kind of cane, and then POOF… I run out of that cane and have to switch to another kind of cane. Do people buy mass amounts of cane (more than 4 pounds?) and use it forever? Or do you buy a pound at a time and play around with variety?
The best kind of cane I have used is Mr. Weber’s Grimaud, which has a hard texture to it which makes it easier to get thin tips and better definition, but a softer sound to it which gives more warmth and depth. I love it, but it’s expensive, so I don’t work on it much unless I have a big concert coming up. But meanwhile, I have all this other cane that just sits around. For example, I have a pound of this Rigotti which I think is horrible. What am I supposed to do with it? I can’t sell it on good conscience.
Read the Rest
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Weber 1-c, Graf #2, Chudnow E staple
Sunday July 08 2007
I made two reeds yesterday with this combination and I definitely got the best results from this combination. The Chudnow staple gives extra overtones, particularly on high A and above that just rings a lot. Very good results. I’ll continue messing around with them.
In my room, it doesn’t sound that great. It sounds too bright, and not a round sound. But in orchestra rehearsal, it really projected well and sounded full.
Read the RestOboe Cds… endless amounts…
Saturday July 07 2007
Ever since I worked for Tower Records while attending NEC… in Boston, I’ve been an oboe CD fanatic. I probably own close to 400 CDs (originals), and probably 50 or 60 of them are oboe solos.
Some of my favorites:
Holliger×Bach Concertos (d minor, F major, and A major concertos)
John Mack×Oboe (Mozart Quartet, Loeffler, Britten, etc.)
John de Lancie×Strauss Concerto, etc.
Omar Zoboli×Mosaico Barocco (Bach little g minor sonata BWV… 102?, Marcello, etc.)
Humbert Lucarelli×Strauss, Wolf Ferrari, Vaughn Williams concertos (and Barber Canzonetta)
Some Lesser known Cds are probably
Marcel Tabuteau×Mozart Quartet
Albrecht Mayer×Romantic Oboe Concertos
John de Lancie×Marcello Oboe Concerto on Build your Baby’s Brain
John Ferrillo×Mozart Quartet on Musical Evenings with the Captain vol. II
But my all-time favorite oboe CD hands down goes to—
Alex Klein× Fantasies and Partitas by Bach and Telemann
This CD is by far, the best oboe CD I have ever heard. Not only does Alex Klein show off his technically and physically mastery of the instrument, he shows tonal colors, note/phrase groupings, and inflections which are so ridiculously controlled that it’s an amazing level of quality any oboist should strive for. If I was stuck on an island with a CD player, unlimited amounts of AA batteries, and one CD, this would definitely be it.
Now, I know there are a LOT… of great oboe CDs, but for my small collection, these are the ones I just keep coming back to time and time again.
You’re probably looking at this list as saying, “Where are all the European players?” and I’ll be honest. Albrecht Mayer’s CD is on here, as are a couple of Holliger’s CDs, but I can’t get over the “whaa whaa” vibrato that European players often bring with them. The vibrato is often so wide, that I feel the tonal center is lost and therefore it’s too distracting to the music.
If you’re American, you might be asking, “Where are all of Mack’s CDs and Douvas’ CDs?” I have them all, but the dark-covered Mack CD is definitely my favorite, and it always bothers me a lot when I hear both Mack and Douvas “chew the notes”. What I mean by this is that when they go to do a legato phrasing, they separate every note, even though it is legato, so it doesn’t sound silky smooth. I spent a lot of time posting about this on the Oboe Bboard here if you want to know what I’m talking about.
If you want to hear clips of some of these oboists, a good website is http://oboistgallery.8m.net/ . I helped gather 10 or so of the clips to demonstrate the wide variety of oboe styles.
Judith LeClair and Tom Stacy
Thursday July 05 2007
These are 6 years old, but I just found them. They’re interesting.
Read the RestRichard Killmer Quotes
Thursday July 05 2007
Surfing around the net, I came across Jacqueline Leclair’s Website, which specifically has a PDF… entitled “Famous Quotes Richard Killmer“.
Reading some of these quotes, they almost bring tears to my eyes. (good tears, not bad ones.) When I was a kid, all I ever wanted was to study with Richard Killmer. When I first applied from the Interlochen Arts Academy, I was an arrogant kid and he put me in my place. I didn’t get in, but he told me to keep trying. My Freshman year while at NEC…, I applied again, but I got put on the waiting list, and eventually was turned down. After this drastic rejection, I attempted suicide assuming my lifelong goal was over, but wasn’t too good as tying nooses and was unsuccessful. (that’s another story.)
Anyways, it will still be a dream of mine to study with him, and perhaps for a Ph.D. I might apply to Yale to study with him. Who knows, maybe I’ll even get in?
The final quote listed on the paper is probably the most profound, and could have saved me a lot of heartache years ago. It goes like this:
“Today you are my student. You will always be my student, no matter where you go or what you do. I will always be proud of you for what you want to do, as long as it is something you love doing.”
If I had been able to believe this myself, perhaps I could have overcome my own insecurities as a struggling oboe student. In this day and age, it’s often hard to find fine oboists who are also fine communicators who have compassion and nurturing of young students who are still growing both musically and personally. As long as I am an oboist and a teacher, I will strive to show the same caring and compassion that Richard Killmer showed for others, and showed for me in those few lessons I took with him.
One quote on this website