Oboe: breath required

[bubblegirlsax]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about buying an oboe because of the low-allergy components for me concerning brass and their materials.

How hard is an oboe to blow? I'll need to use a plastic reed. I could get notes out of a clarinet with a plastic reed (2 1/2 strength). Would this be a sign of possible success in blowing an oboe? I know the reeds are different - I mean the amount of air needed.

S.

[bpimentel]

The oboe plays with lots of backpressure, more so than most clarinet setups.

I think there are some synthetic clarinet reeds (notably Legere) that are acceptable substitutes for cane, but I don't think this is the case with oboe reeds. I have never found and plastic oboe reed to be even marginally playable.

Incidentally, for quite a long time, Legere's website (www.legere.com) has said this:

Double reeds made with Légère's propriety polymer formulation are not yet available. We have tested some very promising prototypes, but it may be some time before these reeds are commercially available.

(For those of you that have been waiting and watched these announcements before, we should point out that it is a lot harder than we originally thought it would be!)

If anyone can do it, they can, but I have serious doubts.

If using cane reeds isn't an option for you, then oboe is not your best bet.

Good luck!
Bret

[bubblegirlsax]

That's what I thought - but the clarinet fingerings aren't close enough to sax for me to take it on.

[jaysne]

You can't compare clarinet reeds with oboe reeds as a way to predict success. Oboe is a completely different universe than the single reed instruments.

Oboe breathing is also completely different. Not only do you have to learn to breathe in through your mouth--always--you also have to learn to breathe out. The back pressure you build up while playing oboe is so enormous, you will find that you have to exhale CO2 well before you need to take in another breath of O2. So there is a technique of "breathing out" that you have to learn in order to play oboe properly.

All that said, oboe is a heavenly instrument and is well worth the time.

[Johnnymo0829]

sax and clarinet fingerings are pretty close in the mid range. I started on sax and got onto clarinet in a month or two. Oboe is a great instrument to play though. The fingerings are similar to sax, I found that plastic reeds don't work as well as the natural cane reeds do. The plastic reeds for oboe tend to be not only a little louder, but never give as warm a tone I found. I would suggest that you start with the jones reeds ( best off the shelf oboe reeds I have ever tried) or you try to find a local pro who is willing to make reeds for you till you can start to make your own reeds. That haqving been said, the best help I had when I started oboe was I was told to breath a little shallower. The oboe has such a small opening to push air through that if you try to put the same ammount of air through it as even on a small sax set up your going to get light headed since your building up co2 in your lungs. I found that at first you should breath as if you were whispering to talk then after a month or so you should have a good firm feel for your ability to put air into the horn and be able to fill your lungs more and play longer. My first oboe teacher stressed that when I started that I should force myself to breath every 4 measures to try to establish good control. He would tell me to practice playing 4 measures without having to exhail before you breathe in. I hope that helps you as much as it helped me in the beginning. Good Luck!

[Enviroguy]

Hi all,

I'm thinking about buying an oboe because of the low-allergy components for me concerning brass and their materials.


I you want to start out cheaply, I have an older Conn Artist model oboe that I would sell for $300. It has very solid construction with Grenadilla wood and no cracks or repairs. Keys are silver plated (open hole style) and no brass showing anywhere I can find. It plays now, but will probably need a few new pads and a tune up. I figure $150 would put it in tip top shape. Case is a modern Protec model. PM me if you are interested. :)

[kymarto]

I studied oboe for many years after starting on clarinet and then switching to sax. It is indeed a different world. First of all, oboe reeds are enormously expensive and nowhere near as consistent as single reeds. You'll not get far on oboe if you don't learn to make you own, or at least adjust them. I never found breathing on the oboe a problem, but oboe chops are very difficult--it takes a tremendous amount of musculature to maintain a decent embouchure. I could pick up clarinet or sax after a week of not playing and barely notice; not so the oboe.

Also, I know of no decent synthetic oboe reeds, though I haven't played for years and perhaps there is something new on the market.

I strongly urge you to consider clarinet. The middle register is very similar to flute/sax, and it is not (I think) so difficult to learn the differences in fingering of the lower register. You just have to think in fifths.

Toby