Author: Dutchy
Date: 2007-02-24 14:16
It's okay, it's not a huge issue, we don't want you obsessing over how supposedly inferior your oboe is, because it's not--it's exactly what I said, an entirely suitable beginner's oboe for children. A fifth-grader doesn't need to play that low Bb at first anyway, mainly because the low notes (low B and Bb) are difficult to get your technique around. It takes a tricky combination of relaxing your embouchure (after you've spent all this time learning to tighten it up so as to get the notes out in the first place!), and making sure all the holes are covered, and feeling around with your left pinky to make sure you've got the right key in that little cluster of keys, and breath support. So it'll be a while before your method book will even give you low B and Bb to learn. And if your instrument doesn't happen to be able to play them, just skip them and go on to the next notes. Not much of your beginning band music will even be written with low B and Bb, because composers for beginning band know that those low notes are difficult. And that not everybody out there has an oboe that can even play them.
You spend all your time at the start on the mid-range of notes, and only later on, when your embouchure has developed somewhat, do you start trying to extend your range to the low notes and high notes. So it's not like you're screwed from the start because you bought the wrong oboe, I don't want you to think that.
Lemme think of a parallel here: You do crafts? So if someone came into your crafts forum and reported happily that she was getting into scrapbooking, and had bought a set of scrapbooking scissors at Big Lots with the cool wavy edges, and it had cost only $3 for six different scissors, and what did y'all think, what would you tell her? Same thing here: "They'll do fine for starting out, but you're gonna want nicer ones in a while." So she's not screwed from the start, she can still do scrapbooking. But she's going to get tired of the way the cheap ones don't cut right, and when she does move up to Fiskars, she's going to marvel that she ever put up with the Big Lots fifty-cent wonders.
And as far as comparing and contrasting your Bundy with your teacher's oboe--this doesn't signify. It's not a useful comparison. Bundys aren't inherently *bad* instruments; they're decently designed, they're "adequate", and you probably won't hear any appallingly obvious horrible differences that will make you clap your hand to your forehead and go, "Oy, that's awful!"
Really, you're fine. Have a good time. Don't worry about the low notes, there's plenty of time for them later. Just focus on the basics, learn to play the thing in the first place, and keep reading and learning about oboes, so when other instruments do come your way, you'll have a good idea of what you're looking at, and what you want.
And if you're going to buy one off eBay, you need a LOT more experience. So let me caution you, if you've got money burning a hole in your pocket and you're determined to fork over for a "real good oboe" right now this very minute (I hope I do not offend if I say that you strike me as being somewhat...impulsive, yes? ![[grin]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie5.gif) ), please do not attempt to get one off eBay, but instead consult with any of a number of reputable online dealers, who will back up their instruments with all kinds of expertise and guarantees.
Charles Double Reed
Midwest Musical Imports.
Forrests Music.
Covey Oboes.
Nora Post.
Mark Chudnow Woodwinds.
And just because these folks mainly advertise the high-end oboes doesn't mean they won't be happy to sell you a slightly lower-end instrument. They have lines to other oboes that they don't necessarily have listed on their websites, so if you don't see something you like, call or e-mail them and tell them what you're looking for.
And of course they all sell new oboes, too. Or you can buy a Fox or Loree or Patricola or whatever directly from the manufacturer, if you've got an inheritance that you don't know what to do with.
ETA: A $5,000 oboe will sound like a dying duck with a fifth-grader playing it, just like a $700 Band Now oboe. You can't go by how much the oboe costs. It's not the instrument, it's the player. It's not necessarily "who has the best toys", because your oboe teacher would very likely be able to get your Bundy to sound just fine, barring a few possible less-than-optimal intonation issues. So don't waste your time comparing your oboe with other people's oboes. Just learn to play it, don't make yourself crazy worrying about non-issues.
Post Edited (2007-02-24 14:21)
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