Like many instruments, there are beginner, intermediate, and professional levels of oboes.
Beginner Oboe
- Normally a plastic instrument
- 2 octave keys, semi automatic system
- 1 or 2 trill keys
- Plateau keys including the RH-D key
- Usually no LH hand F key
- Often no forked F in RH
- Articulated Eb/C but no articulated C#/B
- No low Bb (no keys on the bell)
Intermediate Oboe
- Can be wood or plastic
- 2 Trill keys
- Usually 2 octave keys (semi-automatic) but can have a third
- Plateau keys including the RH-D
- LH-F key
- Forked F in RH
- Articulated Eb-C and often articulated C#-B
- Low Bb key on the bell usually without a vent key
Professional Oboe
- Grenadilla wood , occasionally box wood but not common
- Three octave keys-semi automatic
- 2 Trill keys
- Plateau keys except for the low D which is now an open hole-2 piece key
- Articulated Eb-C and C#-B
- Low Bb key on the bell usually with a vent key
- Plus various other keys and adjustments that you can choose from. One thing I wouldn’t recommend is an automatic octave key system
There is no doubt that the oboe is a more complicated instrument to master. It is 2 instruments in one. The Oboe reed is quite complicated and becomes the second instrument. No matter how well you master the fingering of the instrument you still have to be able to master the reed. The nice thing about the Oboe is that it overblows an octave, unlike the Clarinet that overblows a 12th. This is the same of the Flute and Saxophone.
The oboe is one of the instruments in the orchestra that ‘sings’ above the orchestra. The orchestra tunes to the oboes before each performance.
There is no substitute for an oboe teacher. There are situations when a saxophone /clarinet teacher is put in place of the clarinet/saxophone teacher. In the case of the oboe, there is no replacement.
Oboes are complicated to service and have many adjusting screws. The turn of just one screw can make the oboe unplayable. New oboes need to be serviced within 6-8 weeks. The reason for this is that the adjusting screws are all sitting on very thin pieces of cork (or the instrument would be very noisy) and as thin as the cork is, it compresses slightly and the adjustment changes. The player naturally squeezes harder and harder as this makes the oboe play better but at the same time they can be doing damage to the cork pads.
Oboes are one of the more expensive woodwind instruments so it makes sense to start on the beginner, less expensive instrument. Unfortunately even the student/beginner instruments are quite costly. Compare the price of the beginner Yamaha clarinet ($1295) to the price of the Yamaha beginner Oboe($3595). This is a considerable difference and the only reason for this seems to be (certainly at the beginner level) that they don’t make as many oboes as clarinets. Certainly in an orchestra there are 2 clarinets to every 1 oboe
In regards to care of a wooden oboe, please read All About Wood on this web-site. This information applies to all wood Woodwinds.
As technicians we are very aware that the oboes being used in the New Zealand schools are outdated. In current orchestras players no longer play ‘ring key-thumb plate’ instruments yet this is what is being used in New Zealand schools and they are in atrocious condition! We are currently urging the New Zealand education system to purchase some proper instruments so that we can give potential oboe players a fair chance. We need to supply New Zealand orchestras with a full spectrum of players so we don’t end up importing players from overseas.
Several world class players in the NZSO are only enjoying their profession as instrumental players because there was an instrument available at the school they attended.
Oboe players should have a good technician as their best friend!!
