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Re: New to the oboe.

Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-08-25 20:48

<<I was just presented with an oboe as a gift from my friends at work.>>

Wow! Wish I had friends like that . . .

Welcome! I'm another older oboe newbie. I started not quite two years ago (at age 59) after 47 years on the clarinet. At this point, I consider myself an oboist first. And I am thrilled with the instrument.

You will need to get oboe-specific music, though (music for "C" recorder or flute often works, too). The oboe range is not as extensive as the clarinet, esp. on the low end of things. I used the Rubank books at the outset. They cover the subject, but are very no-frills.

I also used a Christmas Carol book for recorder that I already had. Christmas Carols are a great way to learn the basic fingerings. And if you start now, you will probably have something you can play by Christmastime.

Besides doing yourself the favor of getting a teacher to get your embouchure started in the right direction, I would also advise that you do not scrimp on reeds. Use the search function on this board to find my (and others') suggestions for good reedmakers. There are several on Ebay that I can recommend, and my personal favorite is Kerry Willingham at http://www.reedmaker.com. He will work with you, and he means what he says -- if you do not like the reed he sends you, he will make you another one. Can't beat that!

You might also consider joining the International Double Reed Society (IDRS) -- best source of info for "serious" oboists in the world!
http://idrs2.colorado.edu/home/

And this is another great site: http://www.public.asu.edu/~schuring/main.html

Good luck, and stay in touch.

Susan

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