Author: oboemelli
Date: 2006-02-10 16:19
When I first started to play the oboe, I too rented a Selmer plastic resin student oboe, a 'Bundy' model.
I would suggest that you should buy a good instrument well suited for a learning student, but can take him far through grades. Take a Howarth S20 oboe, for example. There are lots of extra keys, it is wooden, and probably a lot heavier which can be daunting, but this type of oboe (student/intermediate) can bring your son right up to diploma standard.
Then you may consider buying him a semi-pro/graduate or pro oboe if he still wants to carry on with the instrument. The Howarth is easy to play and produces a lovely tone, with stable intonation (tuning) and a wide range of dynamics are possible.
I feel that wood oboes are much better than those that are made out of plastic. They produce a sweeter, much nicer sound and often you can play both quieter and louder on them. The problem with this, however, is that they can crack, particularly in the top joint, but your local music shop that deals with woodwind instruments can deal with it easily and quickly and it can be avoided if your son is cautious about excessive temperatures and about cleaning the oboe suffienciently after EVERY time he plays. The Howarth should sell well again at a reasonable price if it is well maintained in its new condition; lucky this model is particularly robust for an oboe!
Good luck,
Melanie
"People imagine they can reach one another. In reality they only pass each other by"- Schubert.
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