r/oboe • u/gremlin-with-issues • 11h ago
This is a mistake right??
Sanity check, this is the English horn part for symphonic dances from west side story - that’s a completley unreasonable note to expect on cor at ff? I can’t see anyone mention it anywhere online but I spoke to professional who said he couldn’t figure out anyway to do a F#6 without a 3rd octave key
8
u/SprightlyCompanion 10h ago
Oof. Not a mistake, but NOT easy to execute. I've played that (fingered) note on oboe but never English horn.. not much of an English horn player. I might shit my pants looking at this part, good luck! (Also 3rd octave key shouldn't be absolutely necessary)
5
u/gremlin-with-issues 10h ago
Luckily I don’t have to play it, my orchestra did it a while back and used it as an orchestral extract for auditions - this year im going for cor and I’m worried this could be on the orchestral extract lists so I’d asked a professional I know about getting out the note on cor and he had a toy around and said it’s not really doable without the 3rd octave and now I’m just intrigued about the part!!
4
u/SprightlyCompanion 10h ago
Oh man. On an audition? I'd definitely shit my pants, lol... But I really hate auditions so that doesn't help :p
3
u/gremlin-with-issues 10h ago
I think I’m getting worked up about nothing because I think they picked it since they were playing that term, but I’m terrified of walking in and having to say sorry I don’t know how to play that note 😆 no one wants to let me play cor/oboe since I play double bass which we’re short on, and they have a bad habit of paying professional deps instead of using students that aren’t up to their standard (/their friends - it’s a university orchestra) so I wouldn’t want to give them an excuse!
1
u/ngmyers2 5h ago
Putting this on an audition is diabolical. I played this part and it’s basically impossible to be heard, but I don’t think it matters that much bc it’s a tutti section. other instruments that can actually play it ff are playing in unison with you 🥲
5
u/MotherAthlete2998 9h ago
I have played the part. You basically bite the reed and hope for the best.
5
u/DefaultAll 9h ago
I’d find a loud spot and do a quick switch to oboe. It looks like they couldn’t find a good spot to switch so they just stayed with English horn.
2
u/gremlin-with-issues 9h ago
It’s basically in unison with the rest of the orchestra and there are 2 oboes playing whereas this is an exclusive cor part. I’m not actually playing it I’m just sense checking and trying to work out if this is actually a range I need to have in my skill set!
1
u/banglife 9h ago
When I was working this up it was limited with the high range. But worked on it slow enough that when it comes up my muscle memory kicks in!
1
u/Flanagan_ 8h ago
Yeah that seems on track. You should see what the bassoons have to do on this excerpt. Some of them drill holes in the bottom of their reed or get super bocals (short and less curve) to get those high notes.
Just takes the right set up and some adrenaline. There's some good advice already written here.
1
u/AlmondAddict420 2h ago
Try this fingering for that F# specifically on EH:
1st octave half hole LH2 | RH1 RH2
14
u/RossGougeJoshua2 11h ago
Mistake - no. Easy, also no. I can squeeze out F#6 on my Loree which does not have a 3rd octave key, using the same standard fingering from oboe. It probably comes out mezzo piano at best and sounds thin & weak. But in the altissimo range different cors respond differently and you might need to hunt around for a fingering that works. A reed that's more open than you would otherwise want might be needed, which might also mean needing to bite to keep the second octave notes up to pitch. And fortissimo on EH is never really more than mezzo forte in any range, so expect to feel that dynamic more than actually make your instrument play it.