Vacation events
Friday December 21 2007
This vacation has been one of the most productive vacations in a long time. It’s finally given me some time to:
- Redesign my reeds to add a bit more cover
- Adjust my embouchure to add more cover and perk up my high notes
- Decompress, and not have to force the sound
- Work on fundamentals, like scales and 3rds
- Reapproach the Strauss slowly, and clean up some stuff.
The work is paying off. Yesterday I played a small gig with Helena who being a critic of my sound, even noticed the difference and gave me positive feedback.
The other day I drove up to Portland to take a lesson with Karen Wagner, 2nd oboe of the Oregon Symphony. I’ve heard some great things about her from different people, and she was friends with one of my previous teachers, Larry Brezicka, who spoke very highly of her. She gave me some good tips and helped point out some ways I was cheating; not vibrating certain notes; short-changing the rhythm in places; giving up on some eighth notes rather than vibrating all of the way through. It was a good lesson, and has given me some good things to work on as I ponder the piece. I’m hoping to get up and get some of Martin Hebert‘s time as well.
New Year’s Eve/Day plans include going up to Bellingham to spend a few days with Peter Hurd and his wife. New Year’s Morning we’ll be going to Lynnwood (North of Seattle) to catch the Met broadcast of Hansel and Gretel, also being shown in 600 other theaters around the world. Should be a great time.
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