# Oboe



## ChromaticScale

I am thinking about taking oboe lessons. I would like to have some professional advice before I go ahead and start looking for a private tutor.

A bit of background: I have several 8 years of piano training (age: 7-15). In my students years I had a go at a clarinet for a couple of months followed by 3 months of trying to learn to play the alto sax. I found playing clarinet rather difficult (particularly fingering), learning saxophone was a bit easier; but sax lessons and hours of practice caused a lot of problems with my neighbours (you can imagine why).  After several years of hardly playing any music (an occasional hour in the evening of playing the keyboard), I am now looking at learning oboe. 

The reasons for choosing oboe:

I would like to play an instrument that I can easily pick up and take with me to another country (transporting a keyboard could be rather challenging) and an instrument that has a soft tone which is not likely to cause any disturbances (if everything goes to plan, I'll be practicing approx. between 19:00 - 20:30 after work). Oboe meets all of the above criteria, but I heard it is rather difficult to learn.

N.B. I am not a professional musician, so will probably be able to allocate 1-1.5 hours per day for music practice (after work).

Would appreciate some professional advice as to how difficult it is to switch to a woodwind instrument after playing the piano? Also, unlike clarinet, the oboe is a double-reeded instrument, so I suspect it might take me a while to re-adjust? 

Thank you in advance.


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## ChromaticScale

Does anyone know how to edit posts? Mine is full of typos.


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## Bix

ChromaticScale said:


> Does anyone know how to edit posts? Mine is full of typos.


Go to your post and at the bottom of the box should be the option edit (the option disappears after a time)


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## hreichgott

I don't think you can edit posts (or see your profile or do a few other things) until you have made at least 10 posts.

Adjusting from piano to anything else will be difficult at first because you will have to think about intonation (exact pitch) all of the time, whereas on the piano you just have to find the right key and press down, and if something isn't right you call the piano tuner  There's the matter of tone production as well -- it's just as important on the piano as on any other instrument, but a piano student who isn't thinking about tone will still sound tolerable to the neighbors, whereas a student on another instrument who isn't thinking about tone will sound awful.

So if you are going to go through that initial difficulty, which will exist on any instrument, you might as well pick an instrument you really love and makes you willing to suffer through the initial period! If you love oboe, go for it.


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## Lunasong

What did you find difficult about clarinet fingering?
I am much more proficient on the clarinet, but I have played oboe and did not find the transition from single reed to double reed to be difficult but, as Heather mentions above, I had problems with oboe intonation.


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## ChromaticScale

hreichgott said:


> I don't think you can edit posts (or see your profile or do a few other things) until you have made at least 10 posts.
> 
> Adjusting from piano to anything else will be difficult at first because you will have to think about intonation (exact pitch) all of the time, whereas on the piano you just have to find the right key and press down, and if something isn't right you call the piano tuner  There's the matter of tone production as well -- it's just as important on the piano as on any other instrument, but a piano student who isn't thinking about tone will still sound tolerable to the neighbors, whereas a student on another instrument who isn't thinking about tone will sound awful.
> 
> So if you are going to go through that initial difficulty, which will exist on any instrument, you might as well pick an instrument you really love and makes you willing to suffer through the initial period! If you love oboe, go for it.


Thank you for your response.

Yes, I remember struggling with intonation when learning to play clarinet. Bass notes were particularly difficult to play.  Could not produce a decent D (first octave) for a long time without a squeak.


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## ChromaticScale

Lunasong said:


> What did you find difficult about clarinet fingering?
> I am much more proficient on the clarinet, but I have played oboe and did not find the transition from single reed to double reed to be difficult but, as Heather mentions above, I had problems with oboe intonation.


Having played the piano for 8 years and being able to produce sounds straight away without looking at the keyboard, I found playing clarinet particularly fiddly. I found it rather challenging keeping all my fingers in a straight line with the clarinet holes fully covered. My fingers would often slip thus distorting the sound. I found playing the alto sax much easier. Although producing the bass notes on the alto sax was even more challenging (for me and the neighbours).


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## ChromaticScale

Bix said:


> Go to your post and at the bottom of the box should be the option edit (the option disappears after a time)


Thank you. I think I need to accumulate about 10 posts first.


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## OboeKnight

Oboe is amazing!!!!!! I love it. I play clarinet as well and didn't find the switch too difficult (clarinet to oboe). The fingering is a bit more spread out on oboe, but nothing unmanageable. Intonation will be your biggest challenge. It is the most difficult woodwind instrument when it comes to pitch and tone.


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## Jaws

The biggest problem with the oboe is not the intonation or the fingering it is the reeds. If the reed doesn't work you can't play.
An oboist really has to be good at the craft of reed making and adjusting to get any satisfactory pleasure from playing, otherwise it is just a constant battle to get a sound out of the instrument. 
It is also extremely difficult to get a decent sound and to get the kind of sound you hear soloists make on CDs is like learning rocket science. The quality of the sound you get is directly related to how good you are at making reeds. Here in the UK there are lots of amateur oboists who really can't play the oboe well enough to get a decent sound. Some of the problem is due to the fact that in order to center each note minute movements of the lips on the reed are required. The centering of the notes is made easier or more difficult according to the quality of the reed.


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## randomnese

I started on piano and picked up violin after a few years. I'm doing both, and studying the oboe right now. For me, the intonation thing is a non-issue: my years of piano training have left me with a tuned ear and playing the violin has helped that greatly. However, the oboe is a very temperamental instrument. The majority of oboe playing consists of reed adjustment and breath control. Fingerings and agility are only issues occasionally; unlike violin and piano, there is a definite limit to an oboe. In violin, the hand shifts all the time, making the notes themselves very difficult to find. In piano, the same thing occurs, though a bit differently; jumping from key to key is a challenge to pianists. In oboes, your hands remain relatively stable and still, and your lips control the majority of your sound. Thus, learning oboe is not so much about learning "notes" or practicing scales like piano/violin, but about scraping the perfect reed and keeping your breath under control.

For your case, intonation problems may arise as you've never played a free intonation instrument before. Starting on the oboe is very difficult in that matter. I suggest you study a string instrument (much easier to control intonation) before transitioning to a wind instrument so you have a solid base of ear training.


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## Couac Addict

I realise that this is an old thread and if you're just a hobby musician, I guess it doesn't matter... but I'm amazed at how many times on here I've seen people wanting to toss away 8yrs of training to switch instruments. However, if you're trying to make a career out of it, you can't afford to 'play the field' so to speak.


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## RonP

I don't see switching instruments after 8 years as "throwing away training". If anything, the piano will provide a firm foundation as far as scales, melody, etc. are concerned. And life is short; do what makes you happy.

I played guitars on and off until my late 30s and then switched to electric bass until a few years ago. The lessons I learned on those instruments helped me get started on double bass. I can stil play those other instruments, although I'm a tad rusty due to lack of practice, so not much is really lost.


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## Couac Addict

RonP said:


> I don't see switching instruments after 8 years as "throwing away training". If anything, the piano will provide a firm foundation as far as scales, melody, etc. are concerned. And life is short; do what makes you happy.


Theory is one thing. Practice is another. I agree that if you're so unhappy with the piano then you really should switch. I'm curious as to why it took 8yrs to find out.


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## Jaws

Couac Addict said:


> Theory is one thing. Practice is another. I agree that if you're so unhappy with the piano then you really should switch. I'm curious as to why it took 8yrs to find out.


This doesn't seem odd to me. It took me 7 years of trying to find out that I would never be able to play the piano due to lack of coordination. At least I gave it a very good try.......


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## randomnese

Couac Addict said:


> Theory is one thing. Practice is another. I agree that if you're so unhappy with the piano then you really should switch. I'm curious as to why it took 8yrs to find out.


Also, to be blunt, the transition from guitar (string) to double bass (bigger string) is not that large of a jump.


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## MoonlightSonata

What was it that made you realise after seven years of not knowing?


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