Oboe Question?

Question

I just got my oboe. YAY! But I am not very good at it...usually people start out on clarinet before oboe. But I started Oboe!! I need some tips about care of the Oboe and tips on how to play it. Can anyone help me?? And if you do have an Oboe, approx. how long have you played it??

Answer 1

I have played the oboe for 3 years, and I'm quite good at it if I say so myself!  :)

When I first started playing,  I wanted to quite.  O I wanted to quit sooo badly.  But I couldn't quit, cause I was in band at school.  Everybody else could play their instrument, and I could hardly make a sound out of mind, and I'm not even exaggerating.  

I would really suggest getting a teacher, but you don't have to if you can't afford it or you can't find one.

Good reeds are a must!  Start out with soft reeds, then medium, then hard or homemade.  The ones that you buy from stores aren't usually that good...  They're not horrible, but the moment that you're mouth is strong enough to, USE HANDMADE!!  Handmade are the best.  They're a little expensive, but it's worth it.  When I first started playing I broke soooo many reeds!  And reeds are already a little expensive, so use cheap ones for the first few weeks.

Don't bite down on the reed.  If you do the reed will close up and it doesn't sound as good.  And of course you need to soak the reed in water for a few minutes before playing.  

Rental oboe's aren't  the best quality.  So many of them have the worst pitch or bad tone quality.  You have to find one that works well.  I went through about 4 rental oboe's before my teacher told me that I needed to buy one.  

If your oboe is a wooden one, you need a humidifier.

When you dry it out after you play, don't use a swab.  Well, you CAN use a swab, but make sure that there aren't any knots in the swab.  Even the smallest knot will get stuck in the tiny hole in the first joint.  I have gotten my swab stuck 3 times, one of them the day before my recital.  It was horrible, they do not come out once they're stuck (or at least mine never did).  Instead use a feather.  You can buy feathers at a music store.  

I never have played the clarinet.  I think it would be hard to switch.  The embouchure would be so different!