Dear Guests, Welcome to my blog which I treat like a creative garden where I regularly plant and change this and that be it poetry, philosophy, an Oboe Brilliance lesson, an essay of some kind, or a journal about composing. Visit every Monday for oboe coaching which is also helpful for many melodic instrumentalists. Musically yours, Kathryn

"How do you compose?" That is the most commonly asked question I hear.
This blog is a window into my creative process and philosophies as a composer and instrumentalist. At times it may contain music, photos, and poetry as well. May you enjoy, return, and benefit!

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21

What is Oboe Brilliance?

Dear Guests,

Oboe Brilliance Mission Statement of Purpose:

To create, provide and establish the “Oboe Brilliance School of Integrated Musical Pilgrimage” via a comprehensive pedagogy, a comprehensive library of 21st century music and performance opportunities for oboists world wide as imagined by oboist, teacher and composer Kathryn Potter.

Oboe Brilliance is a significant work with a few facets in progress.

The contents of Oboe Brilliance are:

1) A book of original solos I'm composing for oboists day one up to and including virtuosic players.

2) "" duets ""

3) A full chapter articulating my philosophies and techniques about how to best mentor/teach oboists.

4) A full chapter with artistic liberation exercises.

5) A full chapter of technical elegance exercises - which are now available via subscription. Simply buy the mp3 - see music page - C Chromatic study for $50, and receive a written lesson and an mp3 in your email inbox. Below is an example of a technical elegance written lesson.

Through Oboe Brilliance, I keep alive the tradition of oboe playing as it was taught to me by Peter Hertling (L.I.N.Y.), Lois Wann (N.Y.N.Y.), Michael Winfield (London Enlgand), Peter Hedrick (Ithaca N.Y.), and Marc Liefschy (S.F. C.A.), and add much of my own bringing oboe playing into the 21st century and hopefully far beyond.

As an oboist since 1973, private teacher since 1980, and S.F. Conservatory of Music graduate in composition, I have much to give and it is my goal to give oboists as much as possible. Stay tuned to when Oboe Brilliance will be completed and available in full. Now, only technical elegance is available in subscription form.

Anyone interested in publishing, distributin, or helping me with this project is welcome to contact me via my contact page.

Oboe Always!
Kathryn




Oboe Brilliance: The high art of wind sculpting lesson 9
Playing Arpeggios by Kathryn Potter © 2009

As before, all lessons are based upon the previous lessons, so once you’ve reasonably accomplished lesson # 8, you’re ready to continue with this next lesson which is a bit more theoretical.

An arpeggio is a chord that is played one note at a time rather than all notes of the chord sounding simultaneously. The pitches of a tonic triad are the first, third, and fifth notes of a scale, therefore the C Major tonic triad is comprised of C/do, E/mi, and G/sol since C/do is the first note of the scale which is called tonic, E/mi is the third note of the scale which is called the mediant and G/sol is the fifth note of the scale which is called the dominant.

In lesson # 8 we practiced playing octaves with the understanding that the perfect octave above the fundamental already exists as an overtone. The next overtone that already exists is a different pitch and is therefore the most dominant or prevalent other pitch. The most dominant other pitch after the octave which is the second overtone from the fundamental pitch is a perfect fifth above the first overtone, or a compound perfect fifth from the fundamental. This dominant is like the octave, already sounding within the fundamental. The same is true regarding the mediant, which is the next overtone with a new name, sounding within the fundamental. When these notes are spelled out consecutively within one octave we have the tonic, the dominant, and next the mediant, which when placed in order within the octave is in the middle of the tonic and dominant. These three pitches are the most stable and harmonious within a scale as they already live together most audibly in the fundamental pitch.

Okay, so to practice this understanding, play a long tone from the low register in a way already practiced from an earlier lesson. Now, review playing an octave as practiced in lesson # 8. Next, play an octave then up a perfect fifth from that, so if you’re playing low C, play the C an octave above that, then the G a perfect 5th above that C keeping in mind that the G is already sounding within the low C. Go back and play the low C and now just slur up a perfect 5th then back down to the low C treating the C, G, C, slur as if it is one long tone. Of course you will make some adjustments to embouchure as you play the different notes, but the whole point of the exercise is to play slurs to smoothly with the open air stream support and integrity of a pure long tone. Next, apply this technique to playing the arpeggio: C, E, G; as if it is one long tone. If you are a truly advanced player, you can play low C, C the octave above, G the perfect 5th above that, the C above that (the 2 ledger lined C) then the E above that keeping in mind that those pitches are the sequence of overtones as they naturally occur within the low C which is what comprises the theory behind the triad.

Continue practice by ascending and descending the arpeggio within one octave, and as you are able, two or even three! Decide in advance what you will do regarding dynamics. You may choose to play everything mono dynamically, or to crescendo or decrescendo as you wish. I suggest practicing every way you can imagine with as much control and beauty humanly possible. Test your personal dynamic range and long tone ability. Stretch your limitations and enjoy being able to do more musically over time with this exercise. Apply these skills to your understanding that all other pitches within a scale resolve to the tonic, mediant, and dominant pitches of the scale, ultimately to the tonic as you play melodic music.

As always, have fun and apply your skills to liberate your expression and musical artistry!

Musically Yours,

Kathryn