Review
“Professor Schuring’s book is an exceedingly comprehensive, thoughtful and articulate exploration into the a lot of complexities of the art (and craft!) of oboe playing and reed-making. It provides pages of worthful information, staged in a clear, concise, and easy to understand manner. Congratulations to Martin Schuring for compiling his wealth of cognition into this indepth and informative compendium for future generations of oboists!”-Nancy Ambrose King, Professor of Oboe, University of Michigan, President, International Double Reed Society
“This wondrous book is a natural continuance of Martin Schuring’s effective work in the studio. It has very wise and thoughtful helpful hints, staged in a straight-from-the-shoulder style, which can’t support but be utile to support the in-person counsel most teachers will give their pupils. I have started out quoting from it to my students already! Oboe Art and Method will soon become perfectly necessary to today’s severe oboist – teacher and student alike.”-Dan Stolper, Instructor of Oboe, Interlochen Center for the Arts, Visiting Faculty, Jacobs School of Music, Indiana University
“This is probably the most primary book on the practical craft of oboe playing that has been written in the English language in the past 50 years.” –Double Reed News
About the Author
Martin Schuring kept orchestral positions with the Hong Kong Philharmonic, The Florida Orchestra, and the Phoenix Symphony before joining the faculty of Arizona State University in 1992, where he is now Professor of Music. He has played in the Grand Teton Music Festival Orchestra since 1980.
Quality Oboe
In Oboe Art and Method, veteran oboe performer and instructor Martin Schuring describes in detail all of the basic proficiencies of oboe playing and reed making, with expert tips and step-by-step instructions for how best to carry out each of these tasks with grace and technical efficiency. Schuring’s straightforward and articulate explanations of breathing, embouchure, finger technique, articulation, phrasing, and more aid demystify the earliest stages of oboe playing and beyond. In addition, Schuring provides splendid counsel on the “extra-musical”; practicing, instrument care and adjustment, professional development, and career development-related issues. The oboe is a notoriously elaborated instrument, and this book aims to remove as much of the complexity as possible, to present proficiencies that work, and to talk about these in a clear-cut manner. Students who start out with this book will learn with selfassurance that these methods will steer them straight down an effective path. A concise and eminently utile guide, Oboe Art and Method is a must-have for all who perform, teach, or are learning to play the oboe, in both conservatories and private instruction.
The forerunners of the oboe family may be traced back to Sumerian and Egyptian times. In medieval days the family of instruments known as shawms were double reed instruments very similar in nature to the innovative oboe but much less complicated and with a much coarser sound.
It was in the 16th & 17th centuries when the oboe as we know it in truth started out to develop. The baroque oboe was, at that time, many times referred to as the “hautboys” from the French “haut bois” meaning high-wood. This became corrupted to Hoboy and from this the modern name of oboe evolved.
The early oboes firstborn produced a lot of simple mechanisms with just three keys added for the little fingers. This was invented further into, first, the seven-keyed and then the ten-keyed instrument of Guillaume Triebert in the early 19th century. The mechanism of the oboe continued to construct through the input of such makers as Boehm, Barret and others. Since that time the instruments have gradually acquired more and more keys with most players today using what is normally referred to as a full Gillet system.
In addition to the oboe itself, there are 3 more prominent instruments in the oboe family, the Oboe D’Amore, Cor Anglais and Bass Oboe. All are transposing instruments and have their roots in instruments of the 16th & 17th centuries.
The Oboe D’Amore (alto oboe in A) was widely used in the time of J.S. Bach and it is in the performance of his works that we normally encounter this fellow member of the oboe family today.
The Cor Anglais or English Horn (tenor oboe in F) developed from an instrument called the Oboe di Caccia. The origin of the name English Horn is a bit of a puzzle as the instrument is neither English, nor is it a horn. We find this instrument particularly in orchestral writing right through from Baroque times to the present day.
The Bass Oboe (in C, transposing an octave) is the lowest of the oboe family and is derived from an early double-reed instrument called the Heckelphone. The Bass Oboe is seldom used but does crop up in scores by Richard Strauss and in Holst’s widely known and esteemed piece, “The Planets”.
The oboe family is closely related to that of the bassoon which has a similar, but much larger, double reed. Both instruments likewise have a conical bore. The sound of oboes and bassoons playing together is a in particular satisfying one with the sounds blending so naturally.
The oboe sound is one of the most distinguishable of all the orchestral instruments. It is a sound quality which is consistent all around the whole of the oboe family of instruments even though the lower instruments have a more or less more mellow sound than the oboe itself.
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Most helpful client reviews
3 of 3 humans found the following review helpful.
 An great approach to the instrument and it is music
By detrieth
Oboe: Art and Method is extraordinary in it is precise and clear clear or deep perception concerning the instrument, technique, the player, performance, and career. This book is practical and useful, and readers will be grateful for the author’s accessible writing style. In addition, the value of the content reaches beyond the title. The sagacity of Chapter 12: Professional Behavior and Deportment is an example. I commend Oboe: Art and Method for any oboe player or lover of oboe music.
1 of 1 persons found the following review helpful.
excellent
By ycatS
I had the privilege of studying with Mr. Schuring I may say that his methods are staged here succinctly and clearly. His approach to playing the oboe, reedmaking, and overall musicianship made me a better oboist, musician and teacher. I highly commend this book to oboists of all levels and their teachers.
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful.
A Terrific Book for any Oboe Player
By A
Before I purchased this book I was having a lot of troubles with playing my oboe. You recognise bad tone, reeds weren’t working, and my breathing was all off. I was getting very frustrated! But, after I purchased this book and started out to read it I learned things I had even knew I was supposed to be doing. For instance, I never knew that you were only supposed to have a millimeter of the reed in your mouth. I lot of the info is just mutual sense data that you just never think about. It has in truth helped me a lot and I’ve only had the book a week! I love the clear way the author wrote the book. It’s so easy to grasp and the way he explains things is outstanding! If you are getting frustrated and even thinking of quitting STOP! Get this book it will help you out immensely! And do not forget oboe is the most difficult and most perplexed instrument out there!
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