Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange
Musical Practice and Performance Stack Exchange

Questions tagged [oboe]

The oboe is a soprano-ranged, double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family made from a wooden tube roughly 65 cm long, with metal keys, a conical bore and flared bell.

Sound is produced by blowing into the double-reed with controlled lip pressure to vibrate a column of air. The distinctive oboe tone is versatile, with a great deal of prominent overtones, and has been described as "bright".

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What do the letters D and E above the staff represent here?

A mystery from a musician friend of mine: In the Alpine Symphony by Strauss, the oboe, Eflat clarinet, and bass clarinet/C clarinet have these D's and E's scattered throughout the back half of the piece in the parts and scores. He doesn't think it's…
GotDibbs
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Why does the orchestra tune to the oboe?

Most of the time, an orchestra will tune to the oboe. Why is that? What is the next instrument if, for some reason, there are no oboes?
SysDragon
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I play oboe and I'm in the top band, but I feel like a failure whenever my band director yells at me

I have been playing oboe for 1 year now and I am in the top band at my school. How come I can't do anything right. I feel like a total failure and not confident in myself. I feel as though I can't face my band anymore after what happened yesterday.…
Oboistinneed
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Is circular breathing something an oboist needs?

Is the Circular Breathing a technique that is needed to know by a good Oboist?
SysDragon
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When composing for oboe, how useful is it to think about recorder fingerings?

I'm always a bit anxious when writing for winds, because I don't really have much of a clue how passages will be executed on the specific instrument. (And I know how needlessly complicated some parts get on my instruments, if the composer somehow…
leftaroundabout
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Why can't oboes play softly while clarinets can?

Clarinets are famed for being able to play diminuendo and crescendo to and from niente. Oboes, however, have trouble playing in very low dynamics. The difference in construction of oboe and clarinet reeds/mouthpieces is obvious. What are the…
oboecat
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Tuning hierarchy for orchestras

Several recent questions have been about tuning. Often an orchestra will tune to the oboe. One reason for this is that oboes are the only instruments that cannot be tuned. 1. What if the oboe was actually out of tune for some reason? 2. When the…
Tim
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Baroque Performance Tips

What are some recommendations for performing Baroque music? My studio professor seems to think that I can improvise in the Baroque style as easily as breathing -- which is sadly not true. The specific piece I'm performing is Marcello's Oboe…
user3169
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What is up with the bell on the English horn?

What is the story behind the shape of the bell on the English horn (AKA the cor anglais)? But first, a quick look at the clarinet family for a comparison. The standard clarinet (in Bb or A) has a normal looking "bell-shaped" bell (some kind of…
Elements in Space
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Alternative fingering for high B-flat to D, on the oboe

Does anybody know of an alternative way to finger high B-flat to D on the oboe? In Malcom Arnold's Divertimento for Flute, Oboe, and Clarinet, there is a vivace 16th note section alternating between B-flat and D. I cannot this play cleanly with…
Barbara Hodgkinson
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Switch to Clarinet or Saxophone, which one is easier for an oboist?

I used to play the oboe. Being in a rock band (mainly as a guitarist) I'd like to switch to the clarinet or the saxophone, as they are more useful in rock / jazz music. My question is, which one would be the easiest choise (to learn and play a…
8odoros
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If I were to switch from playing clarinet (6 years) to starting oboe, how hard would it be?

So I'm aware that oboe is one of the hardest instruments to pick up and learn (partially because of embouchure, reed maintenance, etc.) but I love the instrument and I'd really like to start learning. I've been playing for 6 years currently on the…
Rice Pudding Whale
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Decades of wrong oboe embouchure

I started learning the oboe when I was 10, and went up to get a distinction at Grade 8 in the UK. However, my lips were nearly always sore, and I realise now that my teeth were biting in to my lip. I am now 44, and finding it very difficult to…
Cass
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Oboe Fingerings in the Upper Register

Does anyone have a trick for playing notes like high E (three ledger lines above the staff) with all of those lovely pinky keys? My current technique is button mashing and hoping for the best, but that is not sustainable!
user3169
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How do I improve my physical stamina for oboe playing?

I find I can only really practice for 20 minutes max before my lips and jaws start to go numb and this makes me a bit worried for my stamina for my exam...any suggestions on how to build that up so I can practice for a bit longer? I always begin my…
user6241
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