THE OBOE GUIDE FOR PARENTS AND BEGINNERS
What is Oboe?
The name “oboe” comes from the French word hautbois, which means “high wood”. It has a nasal and penetrating voice because of its double reed. It is slightly conical in shape and opens up into a flared bell at its lower end. The oboe has similar looks as the clarinet, due to the fact that both oboe and clarinet are usually made of granadilla wood and on top of that, oboe is played vertically too. However, oboe is more similar to flute and saxophone in the fingering.
The oboe is approximately 62cm long. The oboist puts the reeds rather than the instrument itself into his or her mouth. To produce sound with an oboe, air is blown into the oval-shaped opening that is formed by the double reeds (i.e. two blades of cane reeds that are bounded together onto a metal tube called a staple).
The oboe several siblings in the family: Cor Anglais/ English horn. It is a non-transposing instrument.
Oboes can be divided into three main parts:
Is it difficult to learn?
Oboe-playing requires a more developed lung capacity. Some beginners may feel dizzy at the beginning stage, as it will need a lot of air to make the double reeds vibrate. Besides, there is actually very little difference between the air pressure needed to produce a soft sound and a loud sound. Thus, a good control of breathing techniques is needed.
The hand does not need to be large to be able to play the oboe, however the pinkies still do need to be able to reach the lowest keys. Sensitivity of the double reed makes the oboe a very taxing instrument to play. Reed must be chosen carefully as unsuitable reed will cause the lips to tire quickly.
How to choose?
à The quality and condition of the instrument.
àThe quality, condition and the suitability of the reed.
àThe oboists’ ability.
à External conditions such as the temperature, surrounding acoustics and so on.
Student oboes can be made of plastic or wood, so that the weights are lighter and easier to hold. There are several grades of plastic used to make oboes. In general, the better resin-based oboes offer a better tone and better intonation. Plastic oboe is easier to maintain as well, as is it unlikely for them to crack.
Intermediate oboes are usually made of higher quality materials such as Grenadilla wood or high-density resin. On the other hand, professional oboes are usually made of Grenadilla wood and have very good acoustics. Nowadays, professional oboes come in plastic or with a plastic upper joint too. This is a very good feature as normally, the upper joint is the easiest part to crack due to the variations of the environment.
Similar to clarinet, wood oboes are very sensitive to the environment. They are prone to cracks if there is no proper care. Thus, plastic oboe is recommended for young beginner, as it is very durable.
Metal keys are used to cover the holes in the body of the instrument, which makes the fingering easier. In general, keys are forged in nickel or plated with silver, gold or other metals. The modern oboes usually have more than 20 keys:
Many experienced oboists make their own oboe reeds.
In general, a good reed should respond in all registers easily, otherwise one will need much effort to produce the sound and one may get dizzy and tired very easily. Apart from that, a stable reed, i.e. one is able to play in tune with the reed with very little lip pressure, is the reed that one is looking for. Above all things, good tone will be produced easily with a good reed. We will usually recommend beginners to start with KGE reeds (Student Artist) soft or medium for the good value and quality.
Rent or Buy?
We would always recommend the students to buy their own instruments. The reason is very simple; the cost of renting can quickly goes beyond the price of buying a oboe.
Whether to buy a brand new oboe or a used oboe is the next question. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, for there are so many factors to consider. A brand new oboe usually comes with a warranty from the manufacturer, while buying a used instrument means there are certain risks that one might need to bear, although there is a possibility to get good quality instrument with a much lower price.
However, it is compulsory for one to purchase a one piece of reed right at the start of the lesson for hygiene reasons.
Why buy from Flute and Music Academy?
As a woodwind specialist, Flute and Music Academy provides oboes and accessories of all ranges and top brands at reasonable prices. We do not carry cheap but unplayable oboes that would be better off as lampshade-stands. We take our core values integrity, respect, expertise and excellence seriously. Buying unknown brand of oboe from a music shop that has limited support and/or knowledge of winds will be at one’s own risk.
We are also affiliated with WindWorks Singapore to ensure that all our instruments are checked by professional technicians.
How much am I looking for?
These are the entry oboe brands that are available and recommended by Flute and Music Academy:
Student Range (from $999 - 6000)
MGX Oboe
Other Oboe brands need to check availability as it is not always in stock.
NOTES: All makers vary in the key system. The basic oboe should consist of the following keys: 3rd Octave key, Forked F resonance key, Left hand F key, Bb Key
What is Oboe?
The name “oboe” comes from the French word hautbois, which means “high wood”. It has a nasal and penetrating voice because of its double reed. It is slightly conical in shape and opens up into a flared bell at its lower end. The oboe has similar looks as the clarinet, due to the fact that both oboe and clarinet are usually made of granadilla wood and on top of that, oboe is played vertically too. However, oboe is more similar to flute and saxophone in the fingering.
The oboe is approximately 62cm long. The oboist puts the reeds rather than the instrument itself into his or her mouth. To produce sound with an oboe, air is blown into the oval-shaped opening that is formed by the double reeds (i.e. two blades of cane reeds that are bounded together onto a metal tube called a staple).
The oboe several siblings in the family: Cor Anglais/ English horn. It is a non-transposing instrument.
Oboes can be divided into three main parts:
- Top joint & Middle joint:
- Bell: The conical bore helps give oboe its distinctive, piercing tone
Is it difficult to learn?
- Oboes
Oboe-playing requires a more developed lung capacity. Some beginners may feel dizzy at the beginning stage, as it will need a lot of air to make the double reeds vibrate. Besides, there is actually very little difference between the air pressure needed to produce a soft sound and a loud sound. Thus, a good control of breathing techniques is needed.
The hand does not need to be large to be able to play the oboe, however the pinkies still do need to be able to reach the lowest keys. Sensitivity of the double reed makes the oboe a very taxing instrument to play. Reed must be chosen carefully as unsuitable reed will cause the lips to tire quickly.
How to choose?
- Oboes
à The quality and condition of the instrument.
àThe quality, condition and the suitability of the reed.
àThe oboists’ ability.
à External conditions such as the temperature, surrounding acoustics and so on.
- Materials
Student oboes can be made of plastic or wood, so that the weights are lighter and easier to hold. There are several grades of plastic used to make oboes. In general, the better resin-based oboes offer a better tone and better intonation. Plastic oboe is easier to maintain as well, as is it unlikely for them to crack.
Intermediate oboes are usually made of higher quality materials such as Grenadilla wood or high-density resin. On the other hand, professional oboes are usually made of Grenadilla wood and have very good acoustics. Nowadays, professional oboes come in plastic or with a plastic upper joint too. This is a very good feature as normally, the upper joint is the easiest part to crack due to the variations of the environment.
Similar to clarinet, wood oboes are very sensitive to the environment. They are prone to cracks if there is no proper care. Thus, plastic oboe is recommended for young beginner, as it is very durable.
- Key Options
Metal keys are used to cover the holes in the body of the instrument, which makes the fingering easier. In general, keys are forged in nickel or plated with silver, gold or other metals. The modern oboes usually have more than 20 keys:
- Low Bb: This key extends the range of the oboe to low Bb. Basic student oboes only able to play until low B natural.
- Left Hand F Key: This key allows the player to have an alternative fingering to play F. This is more essential to more advanced players as they will get the freedom to choose the desired tone colour that they want.
- Forked F and Bb Resonance Key: These keys improve the quality and pitch of the respective notes. Basic student oboes usually don’t have these keys.
- Ab-Bb Trill Mechanism: The mechanism basically simplifies the fingering of this trill.
- F# Key Tab: A small uplifted tab on the bottom of the F# key. The player will not need to stretch their first finger of the right hand to reach the key.
- Third Octave Key: Most oboes have two octave keys (thumb octave key & side octave key). More advanced oboes will have the third octave key, which is on top of the thumb octave key. The third octave key will makes the extremely high notes be produced more easily and more in tune.
- Reed
Many experienced oboists make their own oboe reeds.
In general, a good reed should respond in all registers easily, otherwise one will need much effort to produce the sound and one may get dizzy and tired very easily. Apart from that, a stable reed, i.e. one is able to play in tune with the reed with very little lip pressure, is the reed that one is looking for. Above all things, good tone will be produced easily with a good reed. We will usually recommend beginners to start with KGE reeds (Student Artist) soft or medium for the good value and quality.
- Reed Case
- Swab
- Cigarette or perm paper.
- Feather.
- Polishing cloth.
- Cork grease.
- Key Oil.
- Bore Oil.
- Soft brush.
- Screwdriver.
- Small container.
Rent or Buy?
We would always recommend the students to buy their own instruments. The reason is very simple; the cost of renting can quickly goes beyond the price of buying a oboe.
Whether to buy a brand new oboe or a used oboe is the next question. There is no right or wrong answer to this question, for there are so many factors to consider. A brand new oboe usually comes with a warranty from the manufacturer, while buying a used instrument means there are certain risks that one might need to bear, although there is a possibility to get good quality instrument with a much lower price.
However, it is compulsory for one to purchase a one piece of reed right at the start of the lesson for hygiene reasons.
Why buy from Flute and Music Academy?
As a woodwind specialist, Flute and Music Academy provides oboes and accessories of all ranges and top brands at reasonable prices. We do not carry cheap but unplayable oboes that would be better off as lampshade-stands. We take our core values integrity, respect, expertise and excellence seriously. Buying unknown brand of oboe from a music shop that has limited support and/or knowledge of winds will be at one’s own risk.
We are also affiliated with WindWorks Singapore to ensure that all our instruments are checked by professional technicians.
How much am I looking for?
These are the entry oboe brands that are available and recommended by Flute and Music Academy:
Student Range (from $999 - 6000)
MGX Oboe
Other Oboe brands need to check availability as it is not always in stock.
NOTES: All makers vary in the key system. The basic oboe should consist of the following keys: 3rd Octave key, Forked F resonance key, Left hand F key, Bb Key
