 The Fingering Forum
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Author: frenchie
Date: 2004-02-20 07:40
Hello,
I've been playing the saxophone since I'm 5. Today, I'm 15 and I'd like to start english horn. Does anybody knows if I can start with learning the english horn or if it would be better to learn first the oboe ?
Will my saxophonist experience help me with oboe playing or is it really really different?!
Thank you very much.
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Author: Eric B.
Date: 2004-02-20 14:31
I'Ve heard that the oboe is very challenging so go for it because it isn't played by too many people and neither is the english horn but i think woodwinds are better than brass and i don't think your saxophone experience will help you w/ these 2 instruments ( i'm a sax player too 6 years now) Play OBOE!
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Author: TorusTubarius
Date: 2004-02-20 15:32
In regard to your first question, yes you can start learning English horn first, however there are several reasons why you should learn oboe first:
1) For one thing, you're going to have a much harder time finding reeds for the English horn, and any reeds you do find are naturally going to be more expensive than oboe reeds.
2) The repertoire for the oboe is much larger than that for the English horn.
3) If you are ever planning on playing English horn with a group, you'll never be able to do so exclusively. This means that you will be called on to play the oboe when there is no English horn part of if you're part is written for both oboe and English horn.
4) Given what I said above, it would be a good idea to learn oboe first since oboe is harder to play. If you start out on English horn and then try to learn oboe, you're going to have a much harder time than if you started out with the oboe and then moved to English horn.
5) If you're planning on getting a teacher, that teacher will almost certainly want to you learn oboe as well.
6) English horns are more expensive and harder to come by.
So anyway, long story short, playing the English horn and <i>not</i> learning to play the oboe is unwise, and impossible in practice.
Will your saxophone experience help you with oboe playing? Perhaps with the fingerings it will. In just about ever other aspect of playing however, you're going to have to re-learn everything. The saxophone is the antithesis of the oboe in many respects, most notably in how you blow through the instrument. Don't count on playing the oboe or English horn feeling anything playing a saxophone.
Anyway, this may not have been what you wanted to hear, but I speak you the truth.
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Author: Old Dog - New Tricks
Date: 2004-02-20 15:37
I play violin and recently took on the oboe. It has been too many years to mention since I last played a woodwind (flute). The transition to oboe was relatively easy for me - HOWEVER - I am only working with treble clef notes. Sorry for that description but I have yet to figure out what is meant by 1st, 2nd, and 3rd octave. I love the oboe (which has my violin instructor concerned) and would recommend it to anyone who likes the sound!
Good luck!
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Author: ferlendis
Date: 2004-03-21 15:13
i think u should play the oboe because the saxophone has a lot of similarity to that of the oboe for example their role are alike.The saxophone is a solo and singing instrument in jazz and so is the oboe in an orchestra but in a different mood. The instruments' range is also almost alike that is from low B to high F.
Your saxophone can help a little in your playing but the technique apply is different though.
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