 The Clarinet BBoard
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Author: DrayGuevara
Date: 2008-09-16 23:04
I am a competent clarinetist, but am considering starting the oboe. I hear it is difficult to achieve anything like a good tone for ages, and it is technically very different to the clarinet. Is it really that daunting, and does my experience with the clarinet give any advantages?
Thanks.
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Author: Joseph Brenner, Jr.
Date: 2008-09-17 01:32
Dear Dray,
I say, give it a shot. I began to learn it during the summer between 7th and 8th grades. It's different from the clarinet, but if you find a decent teacher you can make a musical sound in short order. If you've ever tried playing with a double lip embouchure, you already know how to approach the double reed. And, while double lip is challenging due to the weight of the clarinet borne by the upper lip, that challenge recedes on the oboe due to its light weight. The amount of air required to play the oboe is less than the amount required to play the clarinet; sometimes one must dissipate air. Since the oboe is pitched in C, the register key is an octave key--depressing it sends you up an octave. There's no worry about mouthpiece facings or mouthpiece composition and no worry about the optimal ligature since the oboe has neither a mouthpiece nor a ligature...it doesn't even have a barrell! I have heard that oboe mouthpieces exist--chiefly, perhaps, to make playing while marching possible. The double reed is more expensive than single clarinet reeds. Probably many more oboeists make their own reeds than clarinetists do. Swabbing the bore is not with a pull-through motion, since the oboe has only a tiny opening at the top--large enough only to allow the double reed to fit in place. When I played, I used a feather! Most professional oboes are plateau keyed. The one I played (a Cabart) did not have plateau keys, but the tone holes were rather small relative to the clarinet. I had no trouble confusing the playing of one with the other and took private lessons each week on clarinet and oboe. The musicianship you have learned transfers well to the oboe, your concept of embouchure may transfer well, your sensitivity to the mechanical action of the clarinet may transfer as well, as will your recognition of importance of breath support and breath control. Reeds, of course, will constantly remind you of your own mortality. They're double the headache and more expensive, to boot! It's a great adventure...don't pass it up.
best wishes,
jbjr
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Author: David Spiegelthal ★2017
Date: 2008-09-17 01:49
I'm doing the same as you, Dray! Don't worry about it, just do it a little bit at a time. My biggest problems are endurance (embouchure gets tired real quickly as the muscles are used in a very different way to play oboe compared to clarinet), and I have trouble keeping the instrument held perfectly steady so as not to 'bend' or 'wobble' the pitch as I play.
It's a real challenge, but fun and very rewarding. By the way, should you get even more ambitious, there's a lot of synergy between oboe fingerings and Oehler (German) system clarinet fingerings.
Reeds: Probably the best way to start would be to buy some handmade reeds from a local symphony player, but if you're already handy with scraping on clarinet reeds, it is possible to buy partially-made oboe reed blanks and finish them yourself (that's what I've been doing, in preparation for making the reeds from 'scratch' at some time in the future).
Good luck, and have fun!
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Author: Geirskogul
Date: 2008-09-17 03:20
Oh god, the reeds, the REEDS. Nightmares to this day!
But, if you can go for it, then by all means do so. The oboe is a beautiful-sounding instrument.
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Author: pewd
Date: 2008-09-17 04:25
if you have a desire to learn something new, go for it.
get an oboe, some reeds, a teacher, and have at it.
maybe you're a naturally gifted oboe player - you'll never know until you try...
- Paul Dods
Dallas, Texas
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Author: autumnsilence
Date: 2008-09-17 06:19
I have wanted to take up the oboe in my spare time as well seeing as i get bored and learn new instruments fairly often lol (flute, sax, violin, guitar..i get bored alot lol) and found out we had an oboe at my school that was in the collection of instruments that they lend to band students that cant afford their own or are getting theirs repaired ect.. so i borrowed it last school year but i didnt have any reeds... went to the only music store in town and the guy was like "Oh well it happens to be that the only US manufactorer of oboe reeds went out of buisness so no one else in the US makes and sells them (excluding the many that make them for their own personal use)" .... so i was out of luck and i looked around on the internet for some (but still havent gotten around to buying any) and the different types and blah blah werent much of a concern considering im not planning on mastering it just yet and just about anything that will work is fine for me for starters... so i have had an oboe sitting in my room for about a year with no attention.. i tried learning the fingerings to get started but its annoying when you cant play at the same time.... :( but i think it would be fun to try
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Author: EEBaum
Date: 2008-09-17 06:31
Oboe reeds are significantly more complex to make than clarinet ones, and quite difficult to mass-produce with any standard of quality. Good oboe reeds to buy are generally made by individual oboists, who make extras and sell their surplus. Find an oboist and they'll point you to a supplier or two. Expect a single oboe reed of reasonable quality to cost in the neighborhood of $12-18.
-Alex
www.mostlydifferent.com
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Author: DrayGuevara
Date: 2008-09-17 12:09
Thanks for all your replies. I feel encouraged by them to give it a go. Now all I need is to get an instrument!! I don't have a huge budget and am more than happy to get one second-hand. I am from the UK, but got my clarinet from the US as prices were much better there. Are there any pointers you can give me?
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Author: BflatNH
Date: 2008-09-17 14:23
I've heard good stuff with http://www.goodtoneguild.com/ (Palm Spring, CA) for a supply of reeds, and got a 'rookie' and the next level up reed to take with me when I visit a friend with an oboe she lets me work on. Good luck!
I've wanted to play oboe too (to fill in an open part at the community band).
I started back on clarinet with a used Bundy, then successively better instruments and learned a lot with each one to help me get the next better one.
Right now I'm looking to borrow an oboe to start on so I know if it is going to work for me, and also what to look for (e.g. are all those key options important?) in an oboe I would buy. Anyone know where I can get a loaner or an inexpensive fixer-upper (I can do repairs/repadding)?
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Author: Ebclarinet1
Date: 2008-09-17 14:28
Hi! I've played oboe since 1967, as my teacher was impressed with my ability to play the Eefer in tune and thought I might have the ear for oboe too. It has been fun and I do get quite a few gigs for both oboe and English horn. The initial phase of learning is a little rough and i can't imagine doing it without a qualified teacher.
Student instruments can be pretty scary too. The Fox plastic horns are very good and at least reasonably priced. Bulgerhoni also makes a cheaper wood oboe that is decent too but a good used Loree, Howarth, Marigaux or Rigoutat would be much better. If you find a good teacher, he/ she may have contacts for a working student horn. Each of these makers does make some "intermediate horns" that might be available too.
In the US, the Jones and Meason reeds are generally OK for student reeds and WWBW sells a very cheap "professional" reed that a friend of mine uses as "blanks" that he scrapes down to something usable. About half play OK right away. They're only ~$6/ each, which is quite reasonable compared to most double reeds. Makes the BOX of Gonzalez or VanDoren's seem like an absolute steal!
One thing oboe does for your playing is how a vibrato is produced. I know some clarinetists wretch at that but I think the tide is going to those that use at least a bit of well placed vibrato is a good musical addition. On oboe it is essential. As I go back and forth from oboe to clarinet and back I wish the clarinet did not have the annoying break from A to B. The oboe makes a virtually seamless transition between the octaves!
Good luck!
Eefer guy
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Author: FrankM
Date: 2008-09-17 17:31
I've got almost 45 years in on clarinet/sax ( amateur) and after years of wanting to, started up on oboe about 3 weeks ago. It is not an impossible task if you get a decent reed. Several varieties of store bought reeds in different strengths produced almost no sound at all. 5 minutes with a pro made reed and I could play almost 2 octaves ( out of tune and squawky, but a sound never the less !)
I lucked out with a very playable Selmer oboe for only $200 from eBay , and am having a blast. I'm going to have it overhauled soon, but it's quite playable now.
The one problem I do have is, I have very large hands and I accidentally touch all sorts of strange trill keys while playing. It feels very different from clarinet. Also, the reed offers very little "feedback" to me regarding how far it's in my mouth...very odd feeling ( or lack of it).....Oh, and my cat now runs from the room at the site of my oboe !
I will be seeking some lessons soon. Oboe's a blast ! Go for it!
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Author: Arnoldstang
Date: 2008-09-17 17:40
I've been at it for overy 20 years as a doubler. Midwest Musical Imports is a good source in the US. You might look into another board.....Oboe Bulletin Board for starters.
Freelance woodwind performer
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Author: rtmyth
Date: 2008-09-17 22:21
Go for it. I played clarinet for 10 years before taking up oboe to help out my university orchestra, which lacked an oboe player.. Not difficult, but I bought ready-made reeds. I was good enough to servive. (They had little choice).
richard smith
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Author: Wes
Date: 2008-09-18 02:47
Yes, go for it!
After many years of studying and playing the oboe, I still find the reed as the major difficulty in playing the oboe. The cost of playing the oboe is also quite a bit more than that of playing the clarinet. For many reasons, the student instruments don't do the job that a fine but expensive Loree will. The oboe is one of very few instruments that have a national identity, the Loree being the instrument of choice in producing the American sound with the American style reed.
While many nonplayers of oboes have opinions on oboe tone, few really can understand it until they play for a long time. Playing the oboe can be a time consuming effort if one wishes to be a fine player. Most beginners seem to have no idea of the work required to play well. And with the oboe, there is no place to hide, even in a big community band.
I believe that it is not possible to be a serious oboe player without a teacher and continuous lessons for a long time. Although a few good performers use reeds made by others, I think it is necessary to make your own. As a minimum, one must learn to fix reeds so that they play freely and to redo them as they change.
On the positive side, a whole new world of music is opened for the oboe player. Trio sonatas are one example.
The book by Laila Storch on the great Tabuteau is a good buy on Amazon for serious oboe players.
Good Luck!i
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Author: Bassie
Date: 2008-09-18 12:30
Starting the oboe? Turn the key...
(/really really/ sorry about that, just couldn't get the image of a gently chugging oboe out of my head :-D )
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Author: William
Date: 2008-09-18 15:05
Learn to use the "alternate" F fingering from the start--it will be easier that way.
F(5) RXXX/XX(L)O rather than, RXXX/XOX better intonation and sound.
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