I am an oboe player with only two years experience after switching from alto sax, which I played for two years. Within that small amount of time playing oboe, I have elevated up to the same level as some of my friends who have been playing wind instruments for four years. However, there is one huge difference: I cannot tongue as fast as I am expected to and sometimes sturggle with sixteenth notes that are to all be tongued. I practice as much as I can, but I feel that I have not made any progress. Are there any special exercises--excluding the progression from half notes, to quarter notes, to eighth notes, to triplets, to sixteenth notes, which I do almost every day--that anyone has to offer to develop faster articulation? In addition to tonguing, I have a very nasal sound--nasal being used in its negative connotation for playing--and my band director has requested that I start working on vibrato. Once again, I need tips and advice on what to practice in order to achieve a smoother voice on the oboe and how to vibrato. I do have a private teacher, but it is alwayus nice to get tips from numerous sources. Thanks in advance to anyone who can offer some helpful advice.

James Dowdy Moose

I'm a sax and clarinet player, so I'm not sure how well my advice will apply to a double-reed instrument. First a generalization: it looks like you're heavily involved in music, so I would seek as much advice from as many woodwind players as you can talk to and practice with.

The tongue is a big muscle, so the trick to rapid tonguing is to move as little of it as necessary -- of course more easily said than done. Some teachers insist that you use just the very tip of the tongue, but many fine players claim to have better results with the part of the tongue just behind the tip.

Often the difficulty with articulation isn't necessarily how rapidly you can tongue or move your fingers, but with coordinating the two. I would work on stacatto scales and arpeggios (where your fingers are sort of on auto-pilot) but with strict attention to getting your tongue and fingers working together and rhythmically smooth. Then slowly build up speed.

As for the "nasal" sound, I have no advice whatever, since I think it's specific to your instrument.

As you may know, vibrato on single-reed instruments, such as I play, is done mainly with the jaw & embouchure, while vibrato on flute and oboe is done mainly with the diaphragm and breathing. So I really can't help you there, either, but I suspect that nice, smooth vibrato takes a lot of time to develop, as it did for me on the saxophone.

Wish I could give a more helpful answer -- oboists are not that common around here. Keep practicing and good luck!

...haha...i see you were going through the same thing as me...might i add that alto to oboe was a wise choice, since they are very similar.And thats cool, i am goin through the same thing we have have a senior oboe player and she is not so well, might i say i am better than her.Not to boast, she just doesnt care about practicing. Anyways as for the tounging aspect, i would suggest u use the tip, well the other person's post does make a good piont i have talkted to many private instructors, they suggest you use your tip. Also keep your tonge close to the reed not too close where you are thouching the reed, just close enough to where you dont have to waste the time to move your tonge.
The nasal sound could a buch of things the quality of your reed,posture,embochure ect.
one big aspect is different hardness of reeds make a different quality of sound. I play on medium hard, but when i would play on medium soft i would notice it made the tone a little duckish. Try switching your reed you will probobly notice the significant difference.
As for the vibrato, here are a couple excersizes to help develope it. First play a note you only need your left hand for...Like B,A,G and with your right hand push on your upper stomach...thats where your diaphram is located...keep doing this and soon you will be able to control it at free will.
People are very judgemental about the sound of the oboe and tone qualitly....whatever anybody says keep at it...to some people you will be great, but to some people you might need work, just keep at it

Reminds me of the old joke that's also been used to describe the bassoon and the clarinet: "The oboe is an ill woodwind that nobody blows good".