Hiya,

Please could someone tell me the fingering for top E (third octave) on a thumbplate system oboe? I can only go up to E flat....I can sort of tease an E out by adding the 2nd octave key to the E flat fingering but I'm not sure if this is the correct way.

Cheers!

Toni xx

You will find good fingering charts here:

Fingering charts

Thanks Emma, is that for thumbplate system oboes though? I found it before, but wasn't sure....

I think the black shape pear shape in the diagram is supposed to be the thumbplate. I use a gillet system but I think apart from you needing to hold the thumbplate down the fingerings for the E are the same.

As you will see from the diagram, you can either play it "on the left" or "on the right" - you have to hold down at the same time the G# and the E flat key. If you do it on the left this means holding both down with your left little finger, while making sure that your ring finger doesn't slip off. For this reason I suggest you start with the right where the first finger holds down the G# and the little finger the E flat. (If you are coming up from upper E flat this makes sense anyway).

You also need the third octave key and if you haven't yet used it, it might be worth checking with your teacher that it is correctly adjusted.

Apart from that, make sure you have plenty of air pressure, keep your throat nice and open and resist biting down on the reed.

Once you have mastered E, to get an F just lift off your left fourth finger! (This is easy - putting it back again when you are using the left little finger for the two keys is not!)

Have fun!

Keri

Not all oboes have a 3rd octave key - certainly most student models won't.

I teach a very simple fingering for top E on a thumbplate oboe:

Play bottom A, add the 1st octave key and half-hole or remove completely the top finger of the left hand (depends on you and the oboe which you need to do). That should work if you support with enough air. If it's out of tune, you can start adding RH keys to tune it but that gets more complicated. I've never had trouble getting top E this way and most of my pupils (even on simple student instruments) find it works OK too.

To get top F, simply add the G sharp key to this fingering.

[quote name='oboist' date='Apr 20 2006, 02:25 PM' post='305986']
Not all oboes have a 3rd octave key - certainly most student models won't.

[/quote]

I think oboebunny plays on a Marigaux so he should have a third octave key.

[/quote]

I teach a very simple fingering for top E on a thumbplate oboe:

Play bottom A, add the 1st octave key and half-hole or remove completely the top finger of the left hand (depends on you and the oboe which you need to do). That should work if you support with enough air. If it's out of tune, you can start adding RH keys to tune it but that gets more complicated. I've never had trouble getting top E this way and most of my pupils (even on simple student instruments) find it works OK too.

To get top F, simply add the G sharp key to this fingering.
[/quote]

Is this the "short E"? My oboe teacher said I shouldn't learn this one first as it would discourage me from every wanting to learn the long fingering which (according to him) gives a better sound.

Thanks everyone Sounds complicated.....I'm going to really practice at this one!!!