The final accord in the professional oboist's job is the creative
interpretation of the music performed, the realization of its
sound images in all the musical and technical diversity. However,
truthful disclosure of the musical images and moods is impossible
if the musician has weak technical training. Yet, one can not
be sincere when his bare technique is playing, disconnected from
real artistic content; this to a listener is a sequence of sounds,
nothing more.
The real music does not accept a stylizational fake; the falseness
and insincerity of an oboist would not elicit positive emotions
in a listener. Therefore, young musicians must develop musical
technique.
Unfortunately, there are teachers whose first priority is to form
the technical basis of future performers. These teachers are devoted
to developing a pupil's technique, forgetting, consciously or
subconsciously, about the musical aim. They disconnect the musical
perception of a pupil from artistic goals by pulling the pupil's
attention mainly to the precise performance of difficult passages.
Usually, a pupil who has such training plays only with a loud
nuance, lacking any expression whatsoever. This type of technique
can not be utilized for group ensembles or for solo performances.
Due to this, the pupils may have a predicament during the final
period of their preparation for a concert. The dilemma is either
to stay with the achieved habits and to sacrifice artistic qualities
of playing or to switch within a short term for a new artistic
way of performing.
Usually, during the performance, these students experience great
losses in quality and the appearance of unwanted, freaky surprises
in their previously polished technique. Musicians who are trained
in this fashion are also helpless in an ensemble because requirements
for the modern oboist are high.
This is because developed technical skills contradict musical
targets. In this case the technical skill becomes an end in itself
but not the means of the artistic expression. The mechanically
developed technique is very stable; it inhibits formation of new
skills of musicality. The artistic skills are not able to win
over the settled "bare" technical habits in a short
time. Long and hard work is required to abrogate the bad habits
and to develop automatic artistic skills. In the worst case, the
technical skill and the artistic skill will either alternate or
inhibit each other during a performance.
As always, these events are a painful and difficult process, which
is accompanied by complex changes in muscle senses of an oboist
and by de-automation of the playing skills in both spheres.
The saddest thing in this practice is the end result of the event;
unsatisfactory work of the student's performing apparatus (particularly
the embouchure and breathing), leading to uncoordinated work and
then to the degradation of the entire performing apparatus.
Students who start to correct fingerings, tempos, shades, nuances,
etc., in an already polished piece, just before a concert, may
find themselves in such a predicament.
If the oboist is not trained to be flexible to the needs of the
performance required, then the correct link between the technical
and artistic sides can not be formed. In this case, the two skills
appear as opposing entities on a single musical performance, breaching
their necessary link.
However, there is a completely opposite method. Recently, the
so-called "hearing" method has been spreading in the
teaching and performing community. The concept of this method
is that all the technique must be based on the artistic factor
and determined by the musical goals. Supporters of the "hearing"
method, while claiming its advantages, tend to underestimate a
motor factor.
Of course, one cannot dispute that the musical development of
a pupil must govern the formation of his/her performing ability,
however, a situation where the motor skill is consciously ignored
should not be permitted. If practical wind teaching will permit
such a situation, it will soon find itself to be a system which
considers short term success as the main criterion of the student's
advancement, cancelling all perspectives of his/her musical and
technical development.
If a pupil pays the most attention to the sound result, while
working with musicality, then he/she gradually loses the habit
of controlling significant components of the performing apparatus.
Among these is blowing, which is an especially important factor
for winds.
It is particularly important to emphasize one more time that a
lack of student attention to the motor factor gradually destroys
the correct way to form and control sounds, which is based mainly
on the exhalation.
By comparing the significance of the exhalation of the breath
in oboe playing with the violinist's bow, one may understand the
importance of the ability of a pupil to correctly control a formed
jet of exhaled air.
A violinist knows well that the sound quality of the violin depends
directly upon the bow motions, the force of finger pressure on
a string, the angle (e.g. amount of hairs) or the part of the
bow on the string (near the frog or at the bow end), etc. There
are, of course, many other important factors such as the quality
of the bow's hairs and tension of the hairs.
An oboe player must have a clear understanding about his/her "bow"
such as the formation and projection, starting point, support,
control and amount of the air sent through the oboe. All this
is the process of sound-forming on the oboe, which is nothing
but a motor act.
Ignoring the motor sphere promotes and secures the incorrect,
irrational movements of blowing, which become a further hindrance
to the technical development of a pupil. Underestimating this
bears a real threat to his/her musical development, because a
conflict soon arises between his/her artistic desires and technical
abilities. On the contrary, mastering the correct (controlled)
technique of exhalation will pre-determine the oboist's collection
of quality technical habits, thus widening the artistic resources
of his/her technical base.
Some teachers, however, are staunch in the belief that the "hearing"
method does not slow down the technical side of the pupil's development,
because artistic images generate the necessary actions of the
motor apparatus. The thesis, developed on this basis - "the
correctness of a given technical approach should be tested by
its aural results," should be considered erroneous to some
degree. For example, to show any side of a musical image, one
can manipulate the exhaled jet of air in a variety of ways, all
which in one way or another, will successfully reach the goal.
Which movements should the oboist choose? Obviously those that
promote the most effective work of the whole system "embouchure
- exhalation" to achieve a good sound quality in any playing
situation.
In other words, these movements are the rational movements, which
can not be found without the active participation of the oboist.
Moreover, these rational movements should help promote the gradual
accumulation of flexible performing skills, which are the basis
of the oboist's technique. Out of this comes a direct need that
the oboist understands his/her motor senses. He/she should be
able to analyze and control them. For an oboist, correctly formed
and working sound production is a prerequisite of the development
of professional technique.
Therefore, neither the "hearing" method nor especially
the "motor" method have room in the teaching of oboe-playing.
Because each of these methods is partially justified the necessity
to employ both methods in the development of the oboist's technique
becomes apparent.
Ignoring this conclusion in wind practical pedagogy results in
oboists that could be classified as "mindless acrobats"
or "intelligent technical failures."
However, an objective method of technical training on the oboe
can be built by thoroughly studying the psychology of the playing
act.
This has not been developed and studied in the wind pedagogy.
Russian physiological data (particularly, a concept developed
in the thirties by N. Bernstain) showed that there are several
kinds of controlling centers in the central nervous system, placed
in order of increasing complexity. The centers are quite different
even though they control the same muscles.
For example, the lower levels are just simple motor actions and
are subconscious. The highest levels, which are located in the
core of the brain, drive the motor process to its logical completion
of the objective by producing abstract artistic images.
N. Bernstain emphasized that even identical movements are performed
at different levels. These levels depend upon the objective of
the movements.
A simple example is that of an artist painting two identical canvases.
The first canvas is only primed, while the second canvas is painted
with actual artwork. A hand with a brush performs similar muscle
action in both cases despite the different objectives.
During the priming, the artist works almost automatically. He
or she can afford to eat a sandwich, smoke, or chat, etc. His/her
main objective is to cover the canvas with primer without leaving
any bare spots.
On the other canvas, the artist depicts an autumn landscape with
complex lighting and perspective.
Physical efforts (not accounting for details of the energy consumption
by the brain) are about equal. However, it is evident that the
landscape painting, contrary to the priming, is performed with
rapt attention, great accuracy and emotions, i.e., at a higher
level of the brain.
In this case, the artist would hardly eat, smoke, or chat- in
the work process.
The same occurs in the forming of the oboist's technical skills.
Let us assume two students prepare the same technically difficult
excerpt. One prepared it using the "motor" method and
the other with the "hearing" control.
Even though both students use the same fingerings, nuances, etc.,
the physiological content of their playing is different. The control
of the playing movements is so qualitatively different, that if
we assume that the students .change places," the work of
each in preparation becomes null and void because the prepared
excerpt would come out poorly, lacking in confidence.
This can be explained by the deep physiological dislocations in
the coordination of each student associated with the transformation
of motor actions into a new quality.
However, some teachers may argue - the cause of the student failure
is not in the physiological content of their work, but rather
a simple under-preparation; one student is yet to develop his/her
technique with respect to artistic images, and the second - is
yet to "set his/her fingers" while working at the given
passage. Let us assume this is the case. Extending his/her work,
the second student will use the same methods and complete the
task quickly. He/she will consciously approach the motor sphere
while keeping the "hearing control in mind. By finding the
necessary playing movements as a result of artistic objectives,
he/she will consciously approach the motor sphere while keeping
the "hearing" control in mind. By finding the necessary
playing movements as a result of artistic objectives, he/she will
improve disclosure of the artistic formation in the given passage.
The work will progress quickly and successfully and for a long
time. In other words, this student's actions are more perfect
methods of training than the first student's.
Contrary to him/her, the first oboist soon realizes that the great,
cumbersome, tiresome work accomplished by him/her, following the
principles of the mechanical multiple-repetition method, are useless
and non-applicable for its artistic performance, because the mechanical
movements were made without control. Now, he/she should make appropriate
corrections of the habit under the control of a higher brain level.
Thus, he/she essentially will start coordinated work on the passage,
having already wasted much time and effort. Moreover, incorrect
mechanical habits, acquired during the mechanical training, will
be in the way for a long time.
The rationality and quality of the work, performed on the development
of technique by the second student are quite convincing. Similar
cases prove one more time the importance of correctly organized
attention to both the hearing and motor spheres, binding the sound
creating breath, embouchure, and fingers into a harmonious complex.
All of this helps deliver a more accurate and deep artistic performance
of a given composition.
The concept of the 'hearing' method gives wide possibilities for
the successful forming of a student's creativity and for the developing
of his/her artistic mind. However, as was mentioned previously,
supporters of this method underestimate the tremendous importance
of beginning with the motor function.
N. Bernstain established errors of the 'hearing' concept. Bernstain
proved that the motor form developing as a result of the imaginary
images of the hearing method is not a rule, but rather an exclusion
of it. To wait for such a grace from the hearing corrections is
irrational.
The reason is that the motor action, unlike the consciously controlled
hearing one, will appear at the lowest levels only.
What does this mean?
N. Bernstain distinguishes five main levels of control, by the
following classification: A and B - the lowest levels, C the intermediate
level, D and E - the levels of the highest magnitude. However,
only levels D and E are under conscious control.
Let us briefly analyze the actions of each of these levels using
the. following example:
For the mechanical performing of this note on the oboe, the
organization and governing of the muscles of the performing apparatus
are the responsibility of the lowest level motor centers. This
will probably result in the monotone and uniform sound.
If one changes the task and makes it mindful (for instance, deep
changes in dynamics), then the task can be performed only at level
D, a higher level, because coordinating the changing tasks disrupts
uniform and similar movements. The low levels can not fulfill
such an extraordinary transformation.
However, the function of the levels D and E are different. Emotional
excitations are impossible at level D, but at level E only. An
oboist can deliver the meaning, the logic, to a listener by imagining
artistic meanings for these notes, such as a storm, nightmare,
or anxieties, etc.
This somewhat simplified example shows how different a musician's
job is at each level while working with a student (i.e., effect
of level E).
Unfortunately, in wind teaching, a trend of complete absence of
any work at level E is widespread. Musicians, teachers, and their
students are happy with a precise performing of the notes prescribed
by a composer. This eventually becomes a "sequence of sounds
with nuances" arranged by phrase, style, shading, etc. If
an oboist is governed by an artisticemotional approach in his/her
playing, then all the control of the technique will be fulfilled
at level E, which organizes and subordinates the musician's performing
apparatus to artistic tasks. In turn, the oboist's motor system
(particularly the method of blowing into the instrument), directed
by level E to the creation of music in notes, will be actively
perfected under its influence. The polishing of details and episodes
of the music are all improved. The improved artistic sphere demands
improvement of the motor sphere of the performing apparatus, which
means that the oboist improves his/her technique.
This close interaction between motor and artistic spheres is a
necessary condition in this method of developing technique on
the oboe.
In summary, it is necessary to emphasize that the thorough selection
of playing movements, important for the fulfillment of artistic
aims of a composition, is possible only through the intensive
activities of the musician. It is
particularly important for the wind player's method of blowing
into his/her instrument. N. Bernstain has shown that the main
feature in this selection is the situation when the musician's
brain attacks the situation, not just reacts to it. Based on this
conclusion, one can state that finding the rational moves, which
will result in the desired oboe sounds, occurs mindfully, selectively,
logically, and productively. Thus, by choosing the analogies developed
by the hearing control as the dominant starting point, the musician,
in the process of distributing attention, controls the muscle
work of his/her performing apparatus, finally establishing the
most beneficial motor actions.
This is the way of forming the correct relationship between the
technical and artistic sides. In this way the technique will improve
the oboist's musical expression.
After consideration of this problem, one can not avoid the following
question: what is eventually the base technical development for
an oboe player? We think that playing training exercises has a
large role in the development of flexible performing skills. Flexible
skills form only if the player concentrated on the achievement
of performing goals during work with the exercise (which is possible
only with conscious selection of movements) and if the polishing
of the skill was done by including it into different musical actions.
The flexible skill is useful for any playing situation (which
is important), because the skill makes features common for all
playing situations automatic. Accumulation of such skills creates
a powerful checkbook which will prove to be the basis of survival
for the oboist. This checkbook, while in use, is endless, because
the art of an oboe player is determined by the flexibility of
the correctly formed macrostructure of activity, namely, a dynamic
transforming of conscious and aimed actions into automatic movements,
and vice-versa, making automatic skills enter the higher control
of the consciousness.
About the authors:
Myron Zakopets is Professor of Oboe at the Lviv Musical College.
His address is: Bichna-Artktychina Str. 3, Brivkhovichi, Lviv-1,
Ukraine.
Volodymyr Klokov is Professor of Oboe at Tollajti Musical College.
His address is: Pobedy Str. 35, AP. 66, ToIjatti, Russia, 445021.