Hiring An Oboe As A Total Beginner Options

[Isi]

Hi all,

I am a flautist but have always harboured a longing to play the oboe. I have decided to take the plunge and at least give it a go!

I see on the Howarth website I can hire one for 3 months which seems like a great way to find out if it's for me or not.

They give the option of 3 models - the S10 beginner, S20 intermediate and a more advanced model.
I wouldn't try the advanced model, but would I find either of the other 2 easier to get to grips with?

I don't mind paying the extra £10/month for the intermediate model but if it's going to be more difficult to play or not make any difference at all I might as well go for the S10.

Alternatively, are there any other places that hire out instruments that people recommend?

Also, should I try and find a teacher immediately or would I be ok teaching myself? (assuming I can even get a note out of it!)

Thanks in advance for any advice, I am really excited about discovering what it's like!

(IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[astrakhan]

I am a flautist but have always harboured a longing to play the oboe.

I'm EXACTLY the same!!! I would be really interested to hear your experiences.

[Isi]

I am a flautist but have always harboured a longing to play the oboe.

I'm EXACTLY the same!!! I would be really interested to hear your experiences.

I'll let you know how I get on!

I'm hoping to get to Howarth's tomorrow lunchtime so will report back sometime this week. Probably dizzy and dejected! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/rolleyes.gif)

[Arundodonuts]

Hi all,

I am a flautist but have always harboured a longing to play the oboe. I have decided to take the plunge and at least give it a go!

I see on the Howarth website I can hire one for 3 months which seems like a great way to find out if it's for me or not.

They give the option of 3 models - the S10 beginner, S20 intermediate and a more advanced model.
I wouldn't try the advanced model, but would I find either of the other 2 easier to get to grips with?

I think as a beginner you'll find no real difference. The S20 has something called "semi-automatic octave keys" which can make rapid shifts between notes in the 2nd octave a little easier. From the point of learning good technique I would argue it's actually a good idea to start out on a "simple octave" mechanism like the S10 in order to embed good technique when switching between the 2 octave keys on the oboe. Also the S20 has an extra trill key (which as a beginner you won't use). So my advice would be save your money and hire an S10.

Also, should I try and find a teacher immediately or would I be ok teaching myself? (assuming I can even get a note out of it!)

I would strongly advise you get a teacher. I think the difficulties of playing the oboe are sometimes overstated but it does have a couple of "unique" problem areas which you might struggle with without a teacher. Since you already play a woodwind you might do OK on your own but a teacher will help you sort out the embouchure and breathing in particular.

Thanks in advance for any advice, I am really excited about discovering what it's like!

It's quite a physical experience, but wonderful.

[Isi]

Thanks Pushpull.

I just rang Howarth and they didn't ask which model I wanted but I'm going to go for the S10.

I'm quite excited about it all. Might have to take a day off work to play with my new toy!!

[Arundodonuts]

Thanks Pushpull.

I just rang Howarth and they didn't ask which model I wanted but I'm going to go for the S10.

I'm quite excited about it all. Might have to take a day off work to play with my new toy!!

And the day after to get over it. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif) Just kidding.

I hope you enjoy it.

[flobiano]

Hi Isi,

I was in a similar situation to you and took up the oboe after playing the flute for many years!

I agree with Pushpull about the S10 being absolutely fine.

I would probably even more strongly advise that you not only get a teacher asap, but make sure that the teacher is a specialist oboe one.

There are some things that are transferable from the flute but also things that you think maybe the same (breathing) that are a bit different!

A teacher will help you with your embouchure and technique, but even more usefully, a specialist oboe teacher will help you sort out your reeds. I started with a general woodwind teacher who didn't know much about the oboe. Managing reeds (working out what is good, what isn't, adjusting them, working out if a problem is you or a reed. making sure you get the right strength) is what I found the most difficult and you really do need someone to help you with this! It is very difficult to teach yourself - and can be very costly when you get it wrong - I think I wasted quite a bit of money because I was giving up on reeds when a teacher could have adjusted them to make them perfectly playable and also not having my embouchure entirely correct was shortening the life of reeds significantly.

I started with a specialist teacher in September and the difference that has made is astonishing - even in a couple of lessons. I really wish I'd gone to an oboe specialist from the start - it would have made things a lot easier.

Initially it is very difficult to get a note out from the oboe. If you find at first that you can only do 10 minutes of playing at a time - don't worry, this is perfectly normal! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) It takes a while to build up stamina on the oboe, much longer than the flute. But it really does get easier so stick with it! Work done at the start to get good technique and tone really does pay dividends later on.

It is definitely worth it though! I really LOVE playing the oboe (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/wub.gif) and have no regrets at all about switching from flute.

So stick with it and I hope you enjoy it! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif) (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Arundodonuts]

Hi Isi,

I was in a similar situation to you and took up the oboe after playing the flute for many years!

I agree with Pushpull about the S10 being absolutely fine.

I would probably even more strongly advise that you not only get a teacher asap, but make sure that the teacher is a specialist oboe one.

Ah yes. Good point. Definitely an oboe specialist.

[pikkoloflautist]

I was in exactly the same boat about 8 months ago - G8 flute but desperately wanting to play the oboe (especially as I was reluctantly playing clarinet at the time, and my teacher was actually a specialist oboe teacher).

I went down the same route - persuaded a parent to accompany me up to Howarths and rented an S10. I have recently swapped to an S40 and there are just so many keys! I would definitely advise going with the S10. There really isn't a noticeable difference playing on an S20, and it would be at least £30 more expensive (as I'm going to assume you will love it and never want to give it back, like me (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif))

An oboe specialist teacher is a must. There is a lot of technique stuff to be learnt, but as has been mentioned previously, reeds are the most important issue of all! They will probably give you a complimentary Howarth Academy reed to play on. These are awful (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif) (imho, anyway). If you can find a teacher/fellow oboist, ask what they recommend. I started on a Nick Winfield reed, but have since swapped to a Peter Wiggins reed. I would probably buy a Soft and a Medium Soft, just to get you going...

Hope that's somewhat helpful!

[Isi]

Thanks everyone!

Really appreciate the advice from you - and it's great to hear of other flutes who have successfully picked it up.

I am definitely going to find a specialist oboe teacher and will probably ask in Howarth's when I go over at lunch if they recommend anyone as it's pretty difficult to find someone using just the internet!

When I re-started flute lessons after a 10 year break I went to a specialist after having been taught by a general woodwinder up to grade 8 and the difference was massive.

I wish I had had one when I was at school - the number of bad habits and bad technique I have was shocking, and almost impossible to correct at this stage when I can't manage hours and hours of practise because of work (IMG:style_emoticons/default/sad.gif)


Anyway, we live and learn. At least I won't repeat the same mistake!

Hurry up lunch time!! (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

[Isi]

Well, I have my new toy!

I have managed to get a sound out - with the windows firmly shut to not annoy my neighbours! - but it is a very breathy and unstable sound that changes pitch every few seconds! I switched my tuner on while I tried to play Gs, As and Bs and I never got to within a semitone!

It's pretty hard!!

I definitely need some time with a teacher so will pursue my leads a bit harder tomorrow as otherwise I can see myself getting frustrated quite quickly!

It's a beautiful instrument though... if I can't play it I might just spend my evenings admiring it (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[pikkoloflautist]

If I may, can I ask what reed you're playing on?

Don't worry about everything else - you'll get there in the end! And it's always worth bearing in mind that the oboe is notoriously one of the most difficult instruments to play.

Good luck (IMG:style_emoticons/default/smile.gif)

[Isi]

If I may, can I ask what reed you're playing on?

Hi pikkoloflautist,

I'm using the Howarth Academy reed they gave me - which I know you said was rubbish!

I have ordered a couple of Fortay ones after seeing a recommendation on another thread on this site but they won't arrive for another month or so.

I would like to get another to use in the meantime, but thought I should wait until I find a teacher as they might be able to steer me in the right direction rather than me spending £s on random reeds on the internet!

Do you think I would notice a difference using a different reed?

[Roseau]

I would like to get another to use in the meantime, but thought I should wait until I find a teacher as they might be able to steer me in the right direction rather than me spending £s on random reeds on the internet!

Do you think I would notice a difference using a different reed?

You will probably notice a difference using a different reed but I think the best thing to do is to find a teacher. Until you have some experience of playing you won't know what is down to the reed and what is down to your playing. Nor will you know what you want the reed to do or be able to explain what you find unsatisfactory about your current reed.

My husband bought my first oboe for me as a belated birthday present and it came with a reed. I started lessons about three weeks later. By that stage I had taught myself the fingering for the first two octaves but playing was exhausting! Almost the first thing my teacher did was to scrape the one reed I had and to give me two others and the difference was amazing. It was like playing a different instrument.

The first couple of years my embouchure changed quite rapidly and having a teacher meant he could continually adjust and/or replace reeds as my embouchure changed. These days most of the reeds I play on are ones I have made myself. My teacher still helps with adjusting them but he expects me to be able to say what I want to change in the way they play. (Things you need to consider are: how easy it is to start a note, how easy to play a long note, whether notes over the whole range of the instrument come out equally easily, how responsive it is to dynamics, whether all notes are in tune and the tone in the different registers).

[Arundodonuts]

If I may, can I ask what reed you're playing on?

Hi pikkoloflautist,

I'm using the Howarth Academy reed they gave me - which I know you said was rubbish!

I have ordered a couple of Fortay ones after seeing a recommendation on another thread on this site but they won't arrive for another month or so.

I would like to get another to use in the meantime, but thought I should wait until I find a teacher as they might be able to steer me in the right direction rather than me spending £s on random reeds on the internet!

Do you think I would notice a difference using a different reed?

Fortays are very nice. Will you notice a difference? Well 2 reeds of the same type from the same batch will feel and sound different. That's one of the delights of the oboe. (IMG:style_emoticons/default/biggrin.gif)

Back to square one.

I'm guessing that as a flautist your breathing is pretty good and you breath properly into the bottom of your lungs and use your diaphragm to support the airflow. Pay attention to this, the oboe is very physical and if you don't use enough air the tone will be poor and the pitch will sag. I heard a teacher say "all oboe blowing is fortissimo blowing".

Have you done any reed exercises without the oboe? You need to get a reed ready to play. Soak the tip of the reed in water for about a minute before you use it. Blow out the surplus water. Now stick it in your mouth up to the binding and close your lips loosely around it. Blow hard. It should "crow" (make a sort of squeaky 2 tone sound). Repeat until it does. Then put it in your mouth as if to play (do you know how to make an oboe embouchure?) and blow hard. It should now give a fairly monotone squeak around C. Once it's crowing and squeaking nicely stick it back on the oboe. It should be a little easier to blow now.

Use your tuner to try and blow long notes holding the pitch steady. I know some misguided fools think the oboe gives the pitch to the orchestra because it always plays in tune, but no. It is EASY to be a semitone out and you will have a long journey to play reliably at pitch. Do not bite down, that will send your pitch shooting to the stratosphere. Your mouth should be open, teeth apart and lips firmly around the reed (think an O shape - especially when playing E).

So, lots of long notes. Try bottom D up to 2nd 8ve G for starters. Lower and higher notes will feel hard work right now. A to C will probably sound horrible, don't worry. Then try slurring two notes and staying in tune and maintaining the same timbre without adjusting your embouchure. Then some scales - D, F and G for starters I would say.

Don't do too much to start with. 10 minutes a day will probably be all you can manage for a while. Build it up gradually. Your cheeks will ache and your head may sometimes spin. It does pass.

Oh, something I only started doing fairly recently (after a couple of years). Make sure you rotate your reeds. As I said above, all reeds feel and sound different and you will always have a favourite. Make sure you also use the not so good ones. It will get you used to coping on a less than perfect reed - something you will have to put up with using bought reeds. Rotating 3 reeds your should get 3 or 4 months use from a batch.