Valparaiso, Indiana

Step Eight-Phrasing

Advanced oboists need to practice phrasing.  There are many books that stress phrasing but the most famous is the Barret 40 Melodic Studies.  Good phrasing is all about shaping the sound of a note pattern stressing the high point or the most important point in the pattern or phrase.  Sometimes the note pattern or phrase does not have the dynamics included; thus, the player must feel the music and add their own interpretation of the pattern of notes or phrase with their own dynamics.

Good attacks on tongued notes, good sustaining sounds between the notes, and good crescendos and diminuendos combine to make a musical phrase quite beautiful.  Many of the studies have slow to moderate tempos with a variety of articulations to make the phrases interesting.  Playing oboe literature in duet makes phrasing more beautiful than just the single oboe line.  With both instruments you have both a powerful and beautiful sound that is difficult to ignore.

Most oboe teachers will want their advanced student to use a beautiful vibrato with their phrasing technique.  As an advanced oboe performer, you need to develop your vibrato on a daily basis.  Your teacher can give you helpful tips on vibrato and can demonstrate their vibrato for you.  The vibrato enhances the quality of the oboe sound and is a major part of the oboe performance practice over many years.  All the major composers love the oboe sound with vibrato.