 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2005-10-11 13:08
Bought it from Kessler & Sons via their eBay store for $1975, brand new, arrived last night. So farewell to the rent-to-own Selmer 1492, which was already "used" when I got it, and which gave me 8 months of good service, but which the rent-to-own place was charging me $1300 for upfront, and which after the two years of finance charges, was going to add up to $1800, for an oboe that's only going for $600-700 on eBay. Why pay $1800 for something that's only worth $700?
The sound is a bit smoother and mellower than the Selmer, which sounds just a bit more "plastic-y" somehow. But I can't really fault the Selmer, tone-wise. The issue here was mainly "value for money".
And it feels heavier, too, on my thumb.
And man, are the keys ever shinier! :D [wonders if the Selmer is supposed to be that shiny--realizes Giardinelli sells something called "polish". Oh.]
And yes, the Fox case IS cool. :D
And I like having Bb keys on the bottom joint just like the Big Kids.
However, nothing miraculous has happened to my playing; I continue to be challenged by the C major scale. Not that I really expected it to, but one does wonder...
So, my next question is, what are all these "simplified conservatory" bells and whistles FOR? Left F I can see might come in handy (once I figure out how to play it without having to turn the oboe upside down and look for where it is every time), but do I have to use it, or can I keep on using Regular-F and Fork-F if I feel like it?
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Author: sömeone
Date: 2005-10-11 14:01
of course! but you must learn the left F. it is very conviniently made for to service your ability to sound better. the fork F does not sound too good on most oboes, and intonation is mostly hard to adjust too.
congrates on your new oboe, do remember that bad posture will also affect embouchure, so please discipline yourself. i'll leave the rest of the questions for the more experienced ppl on the board to answer u. cheers!
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Author: sylvangale
Date: 2005-10-11 19:52
Congrats on the new Oboe.
You should probably try practicing with the left F so that you will be able to use it when the need arises. Try using the "norm" F only and use the left-F for anything that you couldn't use normal F for.
Some Oboes have a really bad forked-F and some Oboes have really good ones. Some have modifications so that the forked F speaks far better than the "norm" F / left-F fingering.
I liken forked-F to a Flutes Bb Thumb/Shake key... some schools say the Thumb MUST be used at all times and some say no you must practice with the non-Bb thumb key as it is more difficult to play smoothly.
Now ALL flutes have the Bb thumb/shake, but many student Oboes lack the left-F. Because of the discrepancy between student and advanced Oboes... people will assume use of the Left-F is more professional as it is one of those things that separate beginning horns from advanced horns.
Ultimately use which ever works best for the situation you're in.
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2005-10-12 01:28
Well, now that I got home from work and had time to sit down and play with it, I see that the Left F does come in mighty handy when moving to and from Eb, so I will conscientiously learn to use it.
Also, I notice that my lower register isn't flat anymore. With the Selmer, it was so consistently flat that I was beginning to assume that it must be my embouchure, but the embouchure hasn't changed, and suddenly my lower register isn't flat. So it was the oboe.
It just paid for itself right there, IMO. :D
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Author: vboboe
Date: 2005-10-12 06:05
Hey, congrats on your very own oboe, play happy-hippy-hoppy dance tune in key of C :-)
Cool Case won you over, eh? (yaya, Fox 333 was readily available, good deal!)
have to train right and left fingers to work together when substituting LHF for standard or forked F's, so practice doing that as often as you can
do you find it helps to rotate left wrist to reach for LHF?
it's all about alternative flexible fingering options, there's no one right way to play any F, keep standard and forked F's too
... and do let us know when you're ready for key of B-flat (heh, heh, heh)
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Author: my58vw
Date: 2005-10-12 09:25
^^^ :lol: Key of Bb... Too much music is written in that Key IMO.
I am playing with a fox 300 Full Conservatory right now and I really don't like it at all, very plastically compared to the greenline (which sounds 100% better), and quite fussy on the lower end of the scale. The 333 is a nice instrument though and you should be very happy with it.
I think the hardest part of the C-major scale is using B vs Bb...
Have fun... good luck!
It only gets funner from here!
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-10-12 12:55
Sincere congratulations, Dutchy!
And it sounds like you got a good oboe for a very fair price.
So, how are the reeds feeling now, on the new axe?
Susan
P.S. I have long suspected that the guy who owns Kessler Music (whose name, I believe, is David Kessler) is a VERY distant cousin of mine. The original David Kessler was my (counting on fingers) 4th-great grandfather. And yes, a branch of that family does live in Arizona, or wherever Kessler Music is. So it must be a GREAT store.
![[wink]](http://test.woodwind.org/clarinet/BBoard/smileys/smilie3.gif)
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Author: Dutchy
Date: 2005-10-12 13:59
Well, on the reeds, I went back to the Fox reeds from the Giardinelli catalog, mediums, which seem a lot softer than the "medium" reeds I was getting from other places. They need to be pinched just a tad upon starting, but then do very nicely IMO.
Plus since I ordered 5 of them, they were IIRC $5.99 each.
They may be missing some subtle nuances that I as a beginner wouldn't notice, but they sound plenty "oboe-y" for me, plus I can focus on my technique, not on simply getting the sound out.
The C Major scale is my biggest challenge this week, and yep, it's the Evil B Natural.
As far as rotating my wrist, I'm actually finding that locating the G# key in order to play an Ab is the oddest challenge. It's just in *slightly* the wrong place. Actually, all the keys are *slightly* in the wrong place. I guess I assumed that oboes were more standardized than they evidently are.
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Author: my58vw
Date: 2005-10-12 14:21
I have that problem with the Ab key (of G#) on the fox 300 also.
B natural is an annoying fingering, mainly because it literally requires all the fingers but on off the oboe, but works going from the low A to B to middle C.
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Author: ohsuzan
Date: 2005-10-12 15:19
One of the things I really love about my Covey is how "naturally" the keys lay under my fingers. I think they paid especial attention to this aspect of the player's experience when they designed this instrument.
The only key I had consistent trouble with (on every oboe), at the outset, was the left hand Eb. But after one season of community (concert) band, it has become a breeze. That's what HOURS of playing in the key of Db major will do to your technique.
Susan
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