A kinaesthetic approach to oboe technique

'Posture: Action involving a continues adjustment of every part of the body with consistency in the
process of variation.' Warren Lamb

In oboe playing posture is very important, in the sense that it should allow your breathing to run
freely and with ease through your instrument, so you can colour and use your breathing in a creative
fashion and the rest of your technique isn't bound by the body. If it obstructs the breathing patterns
you will feel an uncomfortable tenseness which might create injuries.
Posture, in general, shouldn't be fixed, as standing 'statue-like,' creates tension in legs, hips, torso,
arms, fingers, neck and head.
On the other hand you can move too much when exhaling and inhaling. In this case the way you
coordinate the upper part of the body is preventing a natural and easy breathing pattern.
The perfect posture would be one that allows you to breath with ease and a slight continues balance
change of the body. After practise you feel comfortable and relaxed; not cramped with stiff limbs
and a painful back.

Every individual has his or her constant pattern of movement in space, according to Laban
Movement Analysis. It is very important that you play your instrument with your personal posture
and that it feels comfortable to your natural posture qualities. Notice that this doesn't include bad
habits like hanging in your bone structure and collapsing in your posture.

In Laban Movement Analysis:

Individuals have direction qualities in their natural movement, which emphasize parts of space.
An up- or downward quality in the door plane where sinking and rising through the vertical is
emphasized.
A forward or backward quality in the wheel plane where advancing and retreating is emphasized. In
the wheel plane people can have a body posture that is more or less concave or convex.
An extending or contracting quality in the table plane where wideness and narrowness, in the
horizontal, through the torso is emphasized.
A combination of the three planes make the icosahedron, one of Plato's crystals.
There's also a possibility of the body feeling comfortable in parts of space that combine the door,
wheel and table. In this case the natural emphasis is between the parallel triangels in the
icosahedron. There are eight triangels in the icosahedron that make connections between the three
planes. When you connect the middle of the faces of two parallel triangels the line goes straigt
through the middle of crystal.
For an introduction into Laban theory a good book to read will be 'Laban for all' by Jean Newlove.
For more on Laban Movement Analysis books by Warren Lamb, Marion North and Carol-Lynne
Moore will be interesting.
 The three planes

door wheel table

The planes combined

The icosahedron
Parallel triangels

Rudolf von Laban 'Choreutik, Grundlagen der Raum-Harmonielehre des Tanzes'

'Gesture: Action confined to a part or parts of the body.' Warren Lamb

Oboe technique consists of: Posture, breathing technique, finger technique, articulation and
embouchure.

All these technical pillars of oboe playing have their own effort element extremities. It is very
interesting to find and extend these extremities as your technical ability will grow and become
more expressive.

Effort elements in posture concern:

Space: flexible or direct.

In posture, space can be thought of directionally, as in an all-aroundness; or a pinpointed
concentration.
Weight: Light or strong.
In posture, weight can be thought of as elevated/ light, with the breastbone being the centre);
or as heavy/ strong (with the pelvis/earth being the centre.
Time: Sustained or sudden.
In posture, time can be thought of as long/ sustained, with an even way of changing; or
quick/ sudden, with a complete change in expressive qualities.
Flow: Free or bound.
In posture, flow can be thought of as free, with a feeling of eternity; or bound with a feeling
of stopping/ upstruckting the musical movement.
Effort elements in breathing technique concern:

Space: flexible or direct.

In breathing technique you can conduct the air through your instrument in a very flexible
way, shaping the sound and the notes within a phrase; or in a very direct way, concentrating
the sound into a point or a straight line.
Weight: Light and strong.
In breathing technique you can conduct the air through your instrument in a light way with
very little breath pressure; or strong with a lot of breath pressure.
Time: Sustained or sudden.
In breathing technique you can conduct the air through your instrument in a very sustained
way making long lines and playing legato; or in a sudden way where you make accents and
sudden changes of dynamics.
Flow: Free and bound.
In breathing technique you can play with a feeling of free flow, the breath being endless; or
with a feeling of bound flow, upstructing the airflow within the torso.

Effort elements in finger technique concern:

Space: Flexible or direct.

In space you can use your fingers very flexible, closing and opening the keys of your
instrument with an awareness of the inside, the outside and the sides of your hands and
fingers; or very direct, knowing exactly where the tips of your fingers will touch or let go of
the keys of your instrument.
Weight: Light and strong.
In weight you can use your fingers very light, closing and opening the keys, touching them
softly but with a lot of awareness; or very strong forcing the note changes to happen with
clicking of the keys.
Time:Sustained or sudden.
In time you can use your fingers slow and sustained, making glissandi and fat slurs; or very
sudden in fast technical passages.
Flow: Free or bound.
In flow you can use your fingers very free, where you feel no; or less control/ letting go or
very bound having a feeling of extreme control over your technique/ holding it.

Effort elements in articulation concern:

Space: Flexible or direct.

In space, articulation can be very flexible, using different open vowels and using the tongue
to shape the space in your mouth and throat; or very direct, using closed/ directed vowels
and using the tongue to shape a direct/ narrow path to the reed.
Weight: Light and strong.
In weight, articulation can be light using soft consonants with part of the tonque; or strong
using heavy consonants with a bigger part of the tongue.
Time: Sustained and sudden.
In time, articulation can be sustained using vowels and consonants in slow motion and
 shaping the sound; or sudden using quick changes of the tongue and the cavity of the mouth
for slight fast changes.
Flow: Free or bound.
In flow, articulation can be free, feeling the space in the mouth and throat expanding; or
bound feeling the space in the mouth and throat narrowing.

Effort elements in embouchure concern:

Space: Flexible or direct.

In space, embouchure can be thought of as flexible, with an all-aroundness in the shape of
the facial muscles around the reed/ open; or direct with a very concentrated facial muscular
tension to the reed/ narrow.
Weight: Light and strong.
In weight, embouchure can be sensed as light, with very little pressure around the reed, so it
can vibrate easily; or strong, with a good deal of pressure and heldness around the reed, so it
can vibrate less easily and makes the sound more woolly.
Time: Sustained or sudden.
In time, embouchure can be changed, sustained with an even sound quality; or sudden with
a huge change in colour.
Flow: Free or bound.
In flow, embouchure can be felt free, allowing the muscles to make tension and release
possible or bound, holding the muscles and fixing them slightly.

Constant patterns of effort:

Every individual has his or her own constant in variations of space, weight, time and flow. The
expressiveness of your instrumental technique will therefore have your individual trademarks. By
studying movement and analysing your personal patterns you can learn your comforts and you can
expand your qualities by exploring the extremities of your personal pattern.
Effort elements:

The concept of effort:

Laban sees Effort as the inner impulse – a movement sensation, a thought, a feeling or
emotion – from which movement originates; it constitutes the interface between mental and
physical components of movement. This inner impulse or motivation is expressed by way of
motion factors Accordingly, every human movement, including thought, has the potential to
engage the Four Motion Factors – Weight, Time, Space, Flow. The particular emphasis on,
or selections from these factors make up what Laban calls the characteristic Effort patterns
of a person.More specifically the Effort patterns result frombi-polar inner attitudes of a
accepting, yielding to the physical conditions influencing movement or resisting, fighting
against them. The moving person's attitudes of accepting or resisting the four Motion
Factors result in bi-polar Effort qualities or Effort Elements of:

Motion Factors Effort Elements

accepting resisting
Space flexible direct
Weight light strong
Time sustained sudden
Flow free bound

The Motion Factors are associated with four phases of the mover's inner participation and
power's of thinking, sensing, intuiting and feeling as follows:

Motion Factors Inner participation 'Powers of'

with phases of
Space attention thinking
Weight intention sensing
Time decision intuiting
Flow progression feeling
Notation:

Vera Maltic 'Dance Dynamics, effort & phrasing'

Constant changes in tension and release while playing are very important to prevent Repetitive
Strain Injury in our profession. Tension and release means; lengthening and contracting muscles.
You can do this with your own constant patterns of space and effort. The best guideline and basic
question is always: 'do I feel comfortable?' When the answer is 'no' and you feel pain or tiredness,
find what part of your body hurts or is tired and look for ways of playing that are more comfortable
to you, try to lenghten, using slight changes in posture and effort elements. Do notice that in order to
feel your body well, you need to be aware of the difference between what is yours naturally and
your bad habits.

Bad habits are:

-changing your natural posture when picking up your instrument, for example changing your
ballance, arching your back or lifting your shoulders.
-hanging in your bone structure, being too concave or convex.
-having a posture that is too narrow or wide, creating unnessecary tension in the torso.
-collapsing and rising too much with in- and exhaling.
-practicing more than 4 hours a day.
-having practice sessions that are too long.
-using posture and effort elements that obstruct an easy technique, making you fight and feel tense.
-fixing your posture or part of your body, for example your complete or part of your right side,
lifting the instrument.

Kinaesthetic awareness can be developed by practice and analysis of movement. Every person likes
different ways to explore this. You can practice Alexander technique, Laban technique, Tai Chi,
Yoga, Pilatus and many more. Keep in mind that there has to be a conscious study in body
awareness in your practice.

© Irma Kort, Scheveningen 27-09-2006

Booklist:
Rudolf von Laban 'Choreutik, Grundlagen der Raum-Harmonielehre des Tanzes'
Vera Maletic 'Dance Dyamics, Effort & Phrasing'
Warren Lamb,
Ronald Meachen 'The Kinaesthetic Approach to piano Technique'
Jean Newlove 'Laban for All'
Bram Balfoort 'Ademen wij vanzelf?'
Bram Balfoort 'Houding, Adem en Keel'
Barry Green 'The Inner Game of Music'
Pedro De Alcantara 'Indirect procedures'