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
Expert: Geoffrey Bridge Date: 4/29/2008 Subject: differences in key systems
Question What are the differences bewtween these key systems?
modified conservatorie
conservatorie
full conservatorie
Answer Dear Don
The differences in these systems are not huge as far as I can understand.
It is really a question of how much extra keywork is added or taken away from the basic principle of the system which uses first finger right hand to play middle B flat and C.
The full system would have all the plates on the tone holes with perforations to give good accurate trills. It would have 3rd octave key, long F, maybe a long C sharp as well. Probably have a philly D, especially if sold in the USA and also possibly fully automatic octave keys, although these are usually left to the choice of the player before he purchases the instrument. It would also have the split plate on the D hole to give a better D/E trill.
Modified could denote any changes requested by the buyer which could include no banana key, no third octave key, maybe a thumbplate in the UK, extra F vent on the bottom joint.
Sometimes the term modified system is used for an older open holed system still using the right hand first finger for C and B flat of course but having some covered holes built in for say the F sharp plate and extra keywork added; say a right hand G sharp key for example and a linked bottom C/B key so that fingering bottom B does not require the little finger to activate the bottom C key - if you understand me!
