Reader Question

Friday September 28 2007

“is oboe d’ amore more similar to the oboe or English horn?”

Good question, and I’m not sure I know the answer to this. Perhaps someone like Patty Mitchell who is a professional oboist AND… and a professional English Hornist could answer this question better.

But I do know that there are two schools of thought to this. Some people believe that the d’amore should be played closer to an oboe. For example, Steven Lickman, who makes Dallas Bocals believes the d’amore should be played closer to an oboe. I can’t remember where I read (maybe even a personal email) but he suggests not using wire on d’amore reeds, unlike his common practice of putting a wire on an English Horn reed. This point is further reflected in people’s gouging techniques and shaper tips. Some people believe d’amore cane needs an entirely different gouging curve, which should measure somewhere around .65 in the middle and .50-.55 on the sides. I know for Mr. Weber’s d’amore cane, he just uses 11.0 diameter cane with an oboe gouging machine where he thickens it up. I’ve used it and it has worked well for me. RDG… also sells oboe d’amore cane, which measures around .65 in the middle but has VERY… thick sides. In fact, they are so thick that I shaped some pieces up on my Giacobassi tip and made some very fine English Horn reeds on the cane.

RDG… also makes a tip designed by Elaine Douvas for oboe d’amore that is supposed to work well for those who just want to use regular old oboe cane. This further reflects the issue that there seems to be no one solution.

Thomas Stacy, principal English Hornist of the NYP… obviously believes that d’amore should be played closer to d’amore. If you compare his tip dimensions to those of the Douvas tip and the RDG… regular d’amore tip, you will notice a huge difference in the throat and in the flair of the tip. (3.5, 5.5, 6.7, 7.5, 7.6 on the Douvas and 3.5, 5.5, 6.7, 7.5, 7.8 on the RDG… regular tip, compared to 4.5, 5.6, 6.75, 7.55 and 8.1 on the Thomas Stacy tip.) The large throat kind of makes sense considering he talked about “blowing blowing blowing” in his interview which I posted earlier so the larger throat would allow more air flow, and perhaps less back-pressure.

I’ve played the oboe d’amore three or four times now, for a total of close to a year or so, and I’ve played around with all of the above techniques mentioned. I’ve made d’amore reeds on the RDG… 2 shape (which I now make oboe reeds on), my no-name d’amore shaper tip, and really wide d’amore shapes. I’ve used oboe cane, d’amore cane, and really thick d’amore cane, and they all have their strengths and differences.

I think the bottom line is most of us are not d’amore specialists or professional d’amore players. In fact, most of us are not even professional English Horn players, so ultimately, we end up trying to make something that is closer to an oboe reed (partially because we’re afraid of playing a new instrument and gravitate to what feels most comfortable, partially because it’s easiest to play.) But if you have the time, resources, and patience, learning to make d’amore reeds is a worthwhile experience and gives the player more flexibility. But it certainly does take more air and more mouth muscle.

The last note is that I think even many English Horn players debate whether they should play the EH like an oboe, or if it’s an entirely different beast. Obviously Mr. Stacy has come to his own conclusions, which works great for him. I’ve played oboe reeds, and they’re HEAVY…, so in a funny sense, I’d say his oboe reeds feel more like EH reeds to me! Furthermore, Pedro Diaz states on his website states;

The English horn is neither a big oboe nor a little bassoon. It is a one-of-a-kind unique animal. That’s how it earned its place in the orchestra. Any attempt at standardization will lead to no- man’s land (perhaps more accurately, one-man’s land). No two English hornists I know think exactly alike on what they strive for. Yet, most of us face the same challenges. If you play with conviction, imagination (and in tune) your sound or “school” is secondary. When I think about sound concepts, I imagine the violoncello, tenor or alto voice, bassoon, viola and horn (I wish I could sound like a cello on the EH). It is no coincidence really. These are the instruments I play with most of the time in the orchestra. If there is one instrument I don’t think about is the oboe. I only think about the oboe in terms of function: reeds, attacks, hand position, etc. It is essential to know the oboe well, but once you are on the EH chair, you need to “divorce” yourself from your oboe habits (if you are bilingual, you know that you can only master a second language once you start thinking and dreaming in that language). But in the end, being a great oboe player can lead to your becoming an even better English hornist, provided you know “the tricks” and apply them to the EH.

Meanwhile, I recently got a hold of one of Julie Ann Giacobassi‘s reeds (thanks Patty!) which looks oddly like an oboe reed. I mean, REALLY… looks like an oboe reed. It’s shorter, smaller, and thinner. And she just recently retired from playing professionally. So what’s the solution? Who knows!?