Oboe 101: What anchor point do you use?

I’ve found that choosing an anchor point for my reed has a huge impact on my playing, and I hope this concept will be helpful to you as well! 

What is a reed anchor point?

In this case, I’m referring to the spot on the player’s upper or lower lip that the reed presses into more strongly. When we play, we tend to press the reed into either the upper or lower lip, depending on our personal preference and the intonation of the reed. The anchor point that you play with can have a large effect on tone, intonation and ease of playing; so it’s an important concept to explore for all levels of oboist. 

Lower lip anchoring…

Anchoring the reed on the lower lip is common for players whose reeds are flat, or who use more lip pressure than air support to play in the upper registers. There’s more flesh (generally) in the lower lip, and anchoring on the lower lip encourages more pressure to be put on the reed, which can raise the pitch. Pulling the angle of the oboe closer to the body can encourage a lower lip anchor point.  

The downside of choosing to anchor on the lower lip is decreased embouchure flexibility and resilience! The player who anchors exclusively on the lower lip may find that their embouchure tires easily and may have endurance problems. I personally anchor on the lower lip when I need extra help to raise the pitch (if an orchestra’s pitch rises over time, for example). 

Since anchoring the reed on the lower lip also often slides into pressing the reed into the lower lip, this can also lead to problems in tone quality. The tone might sound thin and pinched, perhaps muffled, or sometimes I’ve heard a buzzy or spitty sound. If these tone issue sound like you, you can keep anchoring on the bottom lip if you stop pressing into the bottom lip so hard! On the other hand, you may enjoy the experiment with anchoring on the upper lip as described below. 

Upper lip anchoring…

Anchoring on the upper lip is one strategy to help one make reliable entrances, especially when playing second oboe. The upper lip has less flesh (typically), and is less able to compress the reed’s opening, so an upper lip anchor point results in a more open sound with greater freedom of the reed’s vibrations. 

A higher angle of oboe will allow the player to more easily anchor on the upper lip or strike a balance between the lips more evenly. Most students I’ve worked with don’t automatically anchor on the upper lip without being instructed to do so, but it has the immediate effect of opening the tone. The tone opening up is a result of releasing pressure on the lower blade of the reed.

For those who cover the reed or manipulate it a lot, an upper lip anchor point is a good starting point to build a gentler embouchure which relies more on air use than physical manipulation. (If you find this uncomfortable but like how it sounds - lean in to the discomfort, and try to be guided by the open sound you hear! The transition will take time, but the sound is so worth it!)

Balanced anchor point

When I’m working with students on exploring anchor point and angle, we also try to aim for a balanced anchor where the reed presses evenly between the upper and lower lip. This will open the tone because this allows each blade to vibrate equally, and will provide the purest sound of the reed itself. If your reed is in tune, responds well, and has the right amount of flexibility, playing with a balanced anchor point will sound great and provide you the most freedom of expression. 

My personal ideal embouchure is flexible and able to press on the reed if needed, so I strive for a 45-50 degree angle of instrument. This allows me to play with more evenly distributed pressure between the lips which ensures that my air is doing more of the work in dynamic and pitch changes. I also find it more sustainable in a long performance. 

If you’ve never thought about which lip you anchor on to play before, I would encourage you to notice and try the alternatives so you can thoughtfully choose the sound that you prefer more.

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