 The Oboe BBoard
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Author: Cacisnd
Date: 2018-08-03 06:34
I have seen this 2 times on oboes for sale - there is a drilled hole near the top of the bell - no keywork - just a drilled hole - like someone took a drill and put it there. Any reason >
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Author: Hotboy
Date: 2018-08-03 19:30
The oboes I have seen with just a hole in the bell are entry-level instruments designed to sell for as low a price as possible, so they manufacture the instrument without a key for the low Bb, which rarely if ever comes up in beginner music.
If a student with such an instrument finds a low Bb in their music, they merely insert a small cork into the hole, and when the low B key is pressed, it comes out Bb instead.
Dane
Bay Area, California
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-08-03 20:27
Entry level oboes made for the US market (Selmer Bundy, Yamaha 200 series and similar) tend to be built to low B to keep things simple and also to keep the cost down, but they still retain the long bell for tone and pitch stability on some notes, so they have a plain hole in the bell for low B to issue from.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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Author: Hotboy
Date: 2018-08-04 17:41
If by "hokey," you mean "entry level" and "cheap," then yes you are right.
Dane
Bay Area, California
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Author: Claude013
Date: 2018-10-31 17:49
That's the vent hole. Oboes have always had them. Baroque oboes had vent holes in the bell and I just bought a used Buescher Aristocrat that has the bare holes.
I played flute and recorder before and always had trouble with the lowest note. It occurred to me that if it was so much trouble to get the note out with all the holes covered, maybe they should add an extra hole at the bottom just to be open while I play the low C.
Then I played a Dizi, which has a vent hole at the bottom. The lowest notes were suddenly easy and natural. I made a square section alto recorder with a vent hole and the tone is breathy and vague (I may have had trouble making a proper wind channel) but the lowest note is as easy as any other.
I suspect the vent hole on the oboe is the same. It's there to make the lowest note easier to play.
And then later someone added a key to give an even lower note.
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Author: Chris P
Date: 2018-10-31 21:04
The hole is there for the low B to issue from, not to make things easier to play. On an oboe with full keywork the bell key would cover that bell tonehole and closed for low Bb, but this is done purely to keep costs and weight down on beginner level oboes. Low B on a fully keyed oboe will still issue from this same bell tonehole and with the same ease as on an oboe built to low B (provided it's in fully playable condition and the bore isn't wonky).
If they shortened the bell, it would cause the E and other notes to be unstable and also loss of resonance. So to keep things in check, a normal length bell is retained and has a vent hole (or holes) for the low B to issue from without compromising anything else.
Similarly, oboes with full keywork often have a small vent hole for low Bb on the bell and the bell key has two pad cups on it so the low Bb will be brought up to pitch and the hole is closed for all other notes. Oboes without this bell vent fitted often have a flat low Bb and shortening the bell by a few millimetres to bring the low Bb up to pitch caused problems with the E.
Former oboe finisher
Howarth of London
1998 - 2010
The opinions I express are my own.
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