Piston (music)
Encyclopedia
The piston is a type of oboe invented by Breton musician, teacher, and luthier Youenn Le Bihan in 1983. The piston is a contemporary development of the hautboy, classical and/or baroque oboe, influenced by the bombard
or talabard, the traditional double reed instrument of Brittany. It is typically rooted in the key of D and features post-mounted simple system key-work to expand its range. The tone of the piston stands in a warm and rich middle ground between the trumpet-like tone of the bombard and that of the baroque oboe
. The bore is similar to that of a baroque or classical oboe.
The piston uses a fairly stiff reed very similar in size to that of a baritone oboe (approximately 9 mm in width at the tip), with some similarities to english horn and baroque oboe reeds as well. Unlike either of these, however, the piston reed's staple has the conservatoire oboe staple's cork outer layer and also fits into a cylindrical ( as opposed to conical) opening in the instrument, requiring neither thread to wrap the staple, nor a bocal for it to fit into.
Since its debut by Mr. Le Bihan with groups such as Gwerz and Skolvan, use of the piston has slowly expanded in popularity in traditional groups associated with the "fest noz
" dance culture, typically accompanied by instruments such as fiddle, guitar, flute, and accordion. Some other musicians who have recorded with the piston are the group Koun ( piston: Josik Allot ), Tud ( instruments and music by Eric Ollu ), and Penn Gollo ( piston: Jean-Claude Petit ).
Initially Mr. Le Bihan was the only maker of the instrument, and he made them on only a very limited basis. Other makers soon filled the void, however, and instruments by makers such as Hervieux & Glet , Jean-Luc Ollivier and Eric Ollu began to fill the piston role as well. Mr. Ollu objects strenuously to the use of the term "piston". As he states on his website (translated): "I always call the instrument by its real name; oboe or baroque oboe. I suppose I could call it an Olluphone, tromblophone or some other fantastic name. Why in Brittany and only in Brittany do people call a Baroque oboe a piston? One can only wonder that information available since the fifteenth century has not yet been received! Why give the name of a brass instrument to a woodwind?"
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Bombard
Bombard may refer to:*The act of carrying out a bombardment*Bombard , a type of late medieval siege weapon.*Bombard , a contemporary double reed instrument used to play traditional Breton music....
or talabard, the traditional double reed instrument of Brittany. It is typically rooted in the key of D and features post-mounted simple system key-work to expand its range. The tone of the piston stands in a warm and rich middle ground between the trumpet-like tone of the bombard and that of the baroque oboe
Oboe
The oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca...
. The bore is similar to that of a baroque or classical oboe.
The piston uses a fairly stiff reed very similar in size to that of a baritone oboe (approximately 9 mm in width at the tip), with some similarities to english horn and baroque oboe reeds as well. Unlike either of these, however, the piston reed's staple has the conservatoire oboe staple's cork outer layer and also fits into a cylindrical ( as opposed to conical) opening in the instrument, requiring neither thread to wrap the staple, nor a bocal for it to fit into.
Since its debut by Mr. Le Bihan with groups such as Gwerz and Skolvan, use of the piston has slowly expanded in popularity in traditional groups associated with the "fest noz
Fest Noz
A Fest Noz is a Breton traditional festival, with dancing in groups and live musicians playing acoustic instruments....
" dance culture, typically accompanied by instruments such as fiddle, guitar, flute, and accordion. Some other musicians who have recorded with the piston are the group Koun ( piston: Josik Allot ), Tud ( instruments and music by Eric Ollu ), and Penn Gollo ( piston: Jean-Claude Petit ).
Initially Mr. Le Bihan was the only maker of the instrument, and he made them on only a very limited basis. Other makers soon filled the void, however, and instruments by makers such as Hervieux & Glet , Jean-Luc Ollivier and Eric Ollu began to fill the piston role as well. Mr. Ollu objects strenuously to the use of the term "piston". As he states on his website (translated): "I always call the instrument by its real name; oboe or baroque oboe. I suppose I could call it an Olluphone, tromblophone or some other fantastic name. Why in Brittany and only in Brittany do people call a Baroque oboe a piston? One can only wonder that information available since the fifteenth century has not yet been received! Why give the name of a brass instrument to a woodwind?"
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