 The Fingering Forum
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Author: >Eowyn<
Date: 2004-05-12 22:59
Just wondering, what do most oboes march on? What do you or any oboist you know use? Rehearsals and all that start in like 2 months, and it'll be my first time. I'm trying to figure out what I should double on, flute or tenor sax. Then I found out that every oboist who's ever gone through the school played alto sax. Is that the standard, or is it just a weird coincidence?
And, just out of curiosity, does anyone here or anyone you know play ONLY oboe and that's it? What do they do for marching band? Can the school really force you to pay for and learn another instrument? In my school, if you don't double, you're out for good.
Thanks!
>Eowyn<
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Author: Carolyn
Date: 2004-05-12 23:42
I don't really think there is a standard instrument oboes double on...although at my school, almost all the basson/oboe players who march in marching band play flute. Other options (at least at my school) are to be in the color guard (flags) or the pit (playing xylophone, marimba, etc).
Also, I don't really think they're forcing you, even if it might seem like it. Most schools own at least a few instruments (Just assuming...my band department has almost no money in the budget whatsoever, but we still have a few flutes, alto saxes, tubas, etc.) that you should be able to borrow for marching band. If this isn't the case, you might want to talk to other kids in the band (or kids who used to be in band, but dropped out after middle school) and see if you could borrow their instruments for marching band. I own a basic student clarinet (I march tenor sax), and at least 3 different people needed to borrow my clarinet at different times this past marching season because theirs were in the shop or professional instruments that their parents didn't want them to march with. Talk to your band director, and let me know how it goes!
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Author: Oboe
Date: 2004-05-13 01:11
I tought myself clarinet, but can't march with it b/c I'm doing soccer and won't have time to practice marching ~ so I'm playing in the pit this year. Since I play piano also, it's not that hard to play all the keyboard instruments (i.e. xylophone, marimba, etc) i did cymbals a bit last year until i just ended up being a manager type person for this past season, and the year before i just stayed out of band until concert season started. This year is my third going through the band camps, and pit will probably help me to stay in. Anyways, yeah, a lot of times oboists just do pit...like the new freshman oboist coming in this year. 2 oboists in pit! yay!
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Author: Kathryn
Date: 2004-05-13 01:41
During Marching Band season, for two years I played alto sax and this year I'm going to learn clarinet. The other oboe girl at my school plays alto sax. The whole alto sax tradition...it's just coincidence. Two other oboe people I knew, one played clarinet and the other pit.
You're school can't force you to pay for another instrument though some can make you learn another one. It's in my Marching Band's handbook stating that for the sake of the band you may be switched to another instrument so we'll have a better instrumentation. Most schools have the basics of brass and a few odd woodwinds. If your school doesn't have an instrument you may borrow then a friend might.
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Author: Gnomon (Eoin McAuley)
Date: 2004-05-13 07:24
I envy all you Americans who have the option of marching band. We didn't even have music in my school. I had teach myself all the instruments I know, and when I want to try a new instrument, I have to buy it.
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Author: >Eowyn<
Date: 2004-05-13 19:25
Thanks everyone! I was really curious about that. I always knew my school was weird...
I talked to my band director, and the school's lending me a tenor sax. That's all taken care of. I can play, I just didn't have an instrument.
And what does it mean to "play in the pit"?
>Eowyn<
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Author: Rick
Date: 2004-05-13 20:42
The pit consists of "non-marching" instruments, like marimba and xylophone. You obviously can't march with them, so they just stand and play.
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Author: D
Date: 2004-05-14 01:01
whatever u want, clarinet is most common
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Author: pinkoboe
Date: 2004-05-14 20:44
I joined marching band last year as a member of the pit. Other oboes at my school have played flute, trombone, and done colorguard. Our bassonists both play flute/piccolo too. The pit, as Rick said, is the non-marching percussion instruments. We had xylophone, concert bass drum, every kind of cymbal imaginable, triangles, anvil, floor tom, snare drum, chimes, bells, cowbells and timpani. There were only 5 of us and it was awful to drag that stuff out to the practice fields every day. We even had our own set up crew for games and cometitions! Oh, and one time I went to a UMass Amherst game, and they had an English Horn in their marching band. They didn't march but came off-field and played a solo. Then they picked up their trombone and went back to the field.
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Author: TorusTubarius
Date: 2004-05-15 22:42
Bet that sounded terrible.
When I was in high school I played sousaphone in the marching band. Now this may sound a little odd, but actually it's really a good idea. Think about it; what other wind instrument is as different from the oboe as the sousaphone (tuba)? What this meant was that I could play the sousaphone as much as I wanted without fear of it having deleterious effects on my oboe playing. Plus, the tuba parts are some of the coolest parts in any marching band music... such as it is.
Plus, sousaphone is easy to learn, at least for the difficulty level of your average marching band charts. So, that might be something to consider.
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Author: pinkoboe
Date: 2004-05-16 18:55
Terrible? No, it was amazing. The band itself is award winning and then the English horn just well, made the whole performance. They didn't march with it, just played it on the sideline.
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Author: amanda
Date: 2004-05-17 22:48
ok nobody has said this yet so im going to you don't have to switch to anything you can play oboe on the field you won't be heard but you can do it ive seen people do it at competition before and we have an oboe player coming up next year and she'll probably stay on oboe hope this helps
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Author: TorusTubarius
Date: 2004-05-20 01:10
I'm sorry, but the idea of marching with an oboe is just ridiculous. You might as well march with a violin. Here are the previously posted reasons why it's a bad idea to march with oboe:
1. The instrument is too delicate.
2. It would be impossible to maintain the appropriate embouchure and march.
3. The reeds are too fragile and expensive to replace.
4. They would never be heard.
5. If they were heard, you'd wish they weren't.
6. It's too hard to learn to play the oboe correctly to adulterate your technique with bad habits acquired from trying to play that loudly.
7. There are usually no oboe parts to marching band show tunes.
8. Oboes cannot play that sharp.
9. Oboists as a general rule are fussy, perfectionist primadonnas who would rather cut out their own teeth than pollute their instruments with tunes like "Gimme Some Lovin'", "Louie, Louie" or any type of fight song.
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Author: Dori
Date: 2004-05-21 19:21
TorusTubarius wrote:
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I'm sorry, but the idea of marching with an oboe is just ridiculous. You might as well march with a violin.
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That comment reminds me of a Woody Allen movie (sorry I can't remember which one) where he tries to march with a chello.
Most oboe players I know played percussion in marching band, often cymbals or bells. Some were in the color guard. There was also a bassoon player who learned tuba so he could march.
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Author: oboegirl
Date: 2004-06-18 17:59
i'm about to start high school and i play the oboe but i'm going to plat flute for marching band.
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