AboutGeoffrey Bridge Expertise Professional oboist with many years experience. Former pupil of Leon Goossens. Solo artist for Arts Council of Great Britain. Freelance recitalist/broadcasting/orchestras. Former Head of woodwind teaching in Hampshire, England. Questions on repertoire, playing styles, reeds, cane selection and processing.
Experience Royal College of Music
Licenciate of the Royal Academy of Music
General Teaching Council certificate
Broadcast solo recitals/performed with major symphony orchestras/Music Club recitals
Mt oboe had sustained a minor drop recently - it is a Howarth London B
instrument. I am having trouble with the B key, which has a hole in it,
becuase when i play a B it sounds exactly like the C above it. I have tried
fixing the screws and changing reeds but nothing works - I have a concert
tomorrow so if you could tell me how I could fix this soon it would be great!
Thanks,
Catherine
Answer Catherine
I hope I'm not too late to help here.
I'm not quite sure which B you mean but I assume that it is the middle line on the treble stave and not the one below bottom C.
The B is produced by putting down the thumb plate on the Howarth B model. The thumb plate is operated by the left thumb which rests on it until you need to play a C. Right? When you replace your thumb on the plate with no other fingers on you should get B. The thumb plate closes the two little keys between the fingered holes and if one of those doesn't close properly then you don't get a just a fuzzy C/B. Try playing the B and 'helping' the little pads to close with your second and third fingers. - the ones that are free. Does the B work now?
If it does then you have to fiddle with the screws again which close them when the thumb plate is used.
When you press the thumb plate this closes the little guys and it is best that the lowest of the two grips the cigarette paper just. There is a screw to adjust this just under the key itself if I'm right. It is hard for me as I don't have a B model in front of me. If you back this off and then re-tighten until the ciggy paper is gripped that will be good. There is another adjusting screw which gets the balance right between the upper little guy (C pad) - the one between 1st and 2nd finger - and the lower one (B flat pad). Turn that until this pad just grips a ciggy paper slid underneath it.
OR!!
If the thumb plate uses a spring to push up a lever on the little B flat pad (the lower of the two little guys) then there will be just one screw. Back this off then re tighten until both pads are in contact with cigarette paper but with the B flat one ever so slightly gripping more than the little C pad. The screw governs that pressure. Over tighten and the little B flat pad will stand off the hole and there will be no B again! Undertighten and the C pad stands off and again no B!!!
The thumb plate mechanism is quite difficult to fix, especially as it is possible that something has been bent in the minor drop. I think that you would probably be best to find a repairer to look at it for you!
Best of luck with this.
Email me if I've got the wrong B on: "advertising@bdrs.org.uk"
