My daughter says it definately needs to go in further and have you tried putting grease on the Reed cork?

just done that now...its still not going down any further. Maybe i'll just have to work on my embouchure

can't you chop a bit off? ....... (not having ever set eyes on a reed cork, just a thought)

It is unlikely that you are not pushing it in far enough and you can't chop anything off the reed cork - this part is called a staple and is cork around metal. If you make your own reeds you keep this part and tie a new reed on.

Being a semi-tone flat is an embouchure problem and means you are not using enough pressure with your lower lip. Do you not know the joke "What's a semi-tone?" Answer "Two oboes playing in unison."

If you have any one with you, get them to press gently down on the reed while you are playing (a bit hard to do by yourself as you have no spare hands) - this can make the tone go up considerably (sometimes almost as much as a tone).

What you have to try and do is exert extra pressure with your lower lip without biting down with your upper lip. You can try lifting up your right arm slightly more than your left which puts a bit more weight on the oboe. You can also try imagining you are actively pushing your bottom lip upto meet the top lip (while keeping your top lip rounded and possibly even imagining you are moving it away from your bottom lip).

Also increase the breath pressure. Compared to a flute and clarinet you need very little breath but at very high pressure, if you're not using enough pressure the note will also be flat.

What redas are you using. The average shop bought mass produced stuff is absolutely useless. Rico might make reasonable clari reeds, but their oboe reeds are of a standard not printable on this forum.

I dont know what this is, thought I have a feeling it might be rico

I ordered one from someone who makes them to sell on eBay (on the off chance I recieve that oboe through the post) on the grounds that I'd like find a good supplier to rely on.

Howarth's reeds are good but expensive. If you search for the tread on reeds from a couple of months ago someone recommended an internet supplier.

I;ve ordered one from courtneyandwalker.com are they any good?

I don't know sorrry! My daughter's teacher usually makes her Reeds and the only others we have really been satisfied with are Howarths

I'm afraid I don't know anything about them either.
This is where you could really do with an oboe teacher who could try the oboe for you and adjust the reed (as well as giving you a few playing tips).

As I have already said, when I first started my teacher would listen to the sound I was making and would know just by listening how to adjust the reed to improve them for me. Reeds are also a personal thing so what suits you may not suit someone else.

If you have the money it would probably be a good idea to order a selection and see what suits you. I have three or four reeds on the go at any one time (all made by my teacher) and despite rotating them regularly, I always have a favourite.

You will also have to come to terms with the fact that just because the reed was good yesterday doesn't mean it will play the same way today.

it didnt play the same way today! So I decided to go and practice my flute instead...made me feel much better about myself!

Mine arrived at 7am this morning. It looks lovely & not particularly old - the cork and pads are new-looking. I just need a reed now. I ordered one but I'm impatient (and there are a few of us here to try it) so I'll try to but one today.

I'm going to take Kerioboes's advice and book a lesson straight away just to check that this oboe is all there and playable.

yay! Glad you got it and that the seller didnt come out of the sale.

Not sure what to do now - there are two music shops in our little town but neither sell oboe reeds. Might need a big outing.

could you not request to one of the shops to sell oboe reeds? There maybe several or at least a few who play the oboe who live in the area?
The shop which is below the music school I work in sells really useless stuff when it comes to woodwind. I went in asking for a scale book and she said she didnt sell them, so I requested that she did and also she doesnt sell vandoren reeds or even rico but a strange American brand I've never heard of, I did request that she sold vandoren as opposed to these, she was quite happy to take on board my suggestions which may be of use to her, I dont think she is in anyway musical so sometimes these specialist shops need a little help in some areas from those who are more experienced in a particular area.

Big trip to next large town - "Oooh - that's an obscure instrument!" said the lady as she rummaged under the counter. Now I have a Rico in Medium-Soft, soaking for five minutes as it says on the tube. They didn't have Soft. I was just feeling grateful they had anything. (OK, I live in the middle of Nowhere, hence my deep affection for eBay).

Sometime later...

Lovely sound. It's already in concert pitch and I can't find any leaks. I can get down to bottom D but no further & don't know if that's me or the instrument. And I can go up to the second G. Of course I might have the wrong fingering, but I made the right notes anyhow. I've no idea how to do stacato but I haven't made any duck noises.

I now have a headache and a strong urge to find a teacher.

That range sounds right for what is "easy" to play.
I suggest you play everything slurred to start with.
A headache can be caused by not breathing out. before you breathe in.

As for reeds, Howarth have an excellent mail order service for sheet music (which I use regularly) and also sell reeds by mail-order (which I haven't tried). Why not have a look on their web site?

I use Howarth's for mail order reeds all the time. You can order them online or if you ring them up they'll be able to give you some advice about what reed would be best. Usually the reeds arrive the next day as well which makes them even better

Glad you're both enjoying your oboes.

Howarth's reeds are good, don't worry about medium soft that's what my daughter started on and still uses. You will find that Medium soft will vary depending on where you buy them from so becareful about that.

I'm waiting on a Regency Soft reed from Myatt's and I think a medium soft Rico reed...Just to try them out, the Regency one was much more expensive, but then I found out its english and handmade. What is better about a handmade reed?

Hello! I'm not sure if anyone's raised this, but as an oboe teacher, I feel the need! PLEASE don't start with a Rico or LaVoz reed! Go to Britannia reeds (Google them) and go for their student reeds. I use these for my beginners, and I can send any back I don't like... and they are hand made, not 'machine run'.

Ah too late - but I was desperate and went for what I could get. The handmade one I ordered turned up today - it's Soft though I haven't tried it as I bought it for my daughter who will be starting lessons at school in a coulpe of weeks. (I just need to take this oboe to a teacher first to make sure there's nothing wrong with it before I send her to school with it). I'd like lessons too but I already spend to much on lessons and don't really have time to learn properly.

Well it all happened so fast -

I only asked my teacher if she knew an oboe teacher and then rang the number she gave me. Oboe teacher drove straight here and declared it to be a perfectly fine instrument and I'm starting lessons on Thursday.

phew!

I dont know of any oboe teachers in this area. As far as I know I am the Woodwind teacher here and in the next large town...

oooh! Hang on, I found one in aberdeen...bit of a trek, i'm sure I could work around that, but I dont think he is specialist...would that matter? He does voice, piano, trumpet, all woodwind, which makes me think he is spreading his talents a bit and might get them mixed up?

Try and go for a specialist if you can as Oboe is not an easy beast.

That is exactly what I thought and was put off by the long string of instruments next to his name, I d rather there was just oboe, or even oboe and Baboon

I would go for an oboe specialist as well since the only thing you want to know is specific oboe technique - you already knowhow to read music, breathing from your diaphragm and all the other points which are common to playing any woodwind/brass instrument.

That said, you could always phone and ask what the person's first instrument is. You never know, they might have been first study oboe and have been forced to diversify into other instruments due to lack of demand for the oboe.

Final thought. I presume you travel for your flute lessons. Would it not be possible to ask your flute teacher if he knows someone with whom you could have a few lessons and arrange to travel for both at the same time.

The major disadvantage to travelling a long way for the first few oboe lessons is that your lip wil get tired very quickly meaning that you can't play for long - there is no way you're going to be able to play continuously for even half an hour. It might be a good idea to record the lesson, that way (as you are likely to be bombarded with information) you will be able to refer back to what the teacher said at a later date.

My flute teacher travels up to Aberdeen only once a month to teach so he doesnt know the area very well. I'm in Aberdeen three times a week anyway so I'll try and fit it in somehow with that. There is another lady up in Elgin which is about 30miles north of where I live and she has a website http://www.billerbeckoboereeds.co.uk it seems that she is really a specialist and would love to go and see her but its just to far, as you say for half an hour where I might not even be able to play for the whole time.

Why don't you contact her and explain your position - as one music teacher to another. You never know she might be able to come up with a solution , or she might be able to recommend someone in Aberdeen.

Yes, she might. I'm considering going into see my old flute teacher from school who was very good at the Bassoon and also taught Oboe along with all the other W.W. I seem to remember she had a couple of pupils when I was there who were playing Oboe up to about grade 7 quite well.

Could you contact the lady and ask if she is ever in Aberdeen on Business? My brother in law wants to move to Forrest (sp) from Fiji, his wife doesn't fancy it as it's too remote and she doesn't think she will find work in Elgin.

Sorry I didn't read to the end of the thread before coming up with a similar idea.

Where is Forrest? Is your brother in law an oboe teacher? Perhaps he could move up here instead?! Aberdeen is a lovely place, except perhaps the cold wet weather!

I ... er ... that is ... um ... nope, sorry can't come up with an adequate reply to that one. *hangs head in shame*



Perhaps Forres, about 30 miles east of Inverness? (about seven weeks' drive away on the A96 unless they've improved it recently) I have a friend in Forres who would probably be quite glad to move to Fiji, though I must say it's a nice place.

Ah! Yes I know where Forres is - its near Elgin...

He's not an Oboe teacher, he couldn't even get a sound out of my daughter's , Forres (wrong spelling) I think is about 40 miles form Elgin. Infact from what my sister in law said Elgin is the nearest big place. It's the cold weather his wife doesn't want

Forres is only about 12 miles from Elgin. It only takes about 15 minutes. Its also about 25 miles to Invernessa so about half an hour I think. Elgin is a great place, but a bit behind in the times being a bit remote, but I think everywhere north of Dundee is behind with the times, you can tell by the stuff they sell in the shops - I'm sure its everything that didnt sell in England! We do get alot of nice weather up here and the highlands, which Inverness is in, gets heaps of govenment funding because of its location so its a great place really. Inverness is aparently the fastest growing city in Europe, but it is basically turning into one big housing estate!

On the Oboe front, so people dont think Im hijaking the thread or anything, I have just bought a new case for it from Howarths, a student Buffet one (it looked like the most robust out of the selection) there seems to be a clasp problem on the original case which is a shame. I got it valued and was told to insure it for £900 or there abouts and that I had myself a good buy! Yay!

Glad you are happy with your Oboe and I hope you get many hours of pleasure from it. My Husband's family grew up in Inverness, though they were orginally from Oban, my sister in laws still live there.

So how was the first lesson?

Well it all moved very quickly - teacher brought me Time Pieces for Oboe Vol 1 and after I was shown several notes which I could never have guessed I played Pavane,Que la bella Franceschina and A Point - accompanied by piano.

I can't manage more than a few minutes but I'm seeng progress with several sesssions a day. It's an addictive sound - especially when played quietly in minor keys. I have a lot of Klezmer and shall be exploring that this week. I keep expecting a genie to appear.

In some ways I quite liked the stage when it was physically impossible to practice for more than half an hour. These days I have to make a conscious effort to put the oboe away after an hour (and resist getting it out for a second session of an hour later in the day although I am not always successful). I have to keep telling myself I am supposed to be working from home not playing the oboe.


*sigh of relief*
I felt responsible for having told you the oboe could be played quietly and was hoping you wouldn't regret buying it.

I've been using the Hinke Elementary method book for Oboe which I'm really enjoying in a funny sort of way, and I found some old cheap book in a second hand box in the music store - I got a tune a day, which I finished and found it a bit boring, new peices for Oboe and 22 traditional tunes for beginner Oboists. Even writing this is makng me want to go and play!

I quite liked these too, although my teacher doesn't - he says they are not tuneful enough, which is true but they do allow you to concentrate on one thing at a time.


If you're patient just about all the standard repertoire for oboe (from beginners' tutors up to grade 8+) turns up regularly on e-bay for next to nothing.

Have you managed to get your oboe to play in tune now?

I found out how to cheat - I pinch the reed flatter

My oboe teacher has told me I need to play louder He has told me to stop practising long tones with a diminuendo into nothing (which I love) and to start doing them with a crescendo up to ff instead.

oh no - it needs to die gently into a sigh. If we wanted LOUD we'd have bought clarinets.

I must admit to having practiced no long tones at all so far (despite haveing been told to) as by the time I've finished playing what I want I can't go on.

I like that. Maybe I will try it out on my teacher next time he's complaining that my playing is not loud enough. (Instead of telling him pathetically that I've never known how to play loud on any instrument).


I have always started by long tones (or initially by one long tone) since otherwise I wouldn't have got to play anything else. They do help to improve stamina (and of course this is how you learn to do the wonderful dying away into a sigh).

I can do ff on piano - I can do ffff too, but would rather not. But I can't play loud on my flute and that was a reaon to ditch Te Deum in favour of Mazurka at G3.

Today I managed 40 minutes - and played Firn di Mekhutonim Aheym really badly but for a slow tune in Dm it's unbeatable. I did a few long notes too.

There isn't much time to look after three children anymore - what with two hours piano, an hour's flute, half and hour's singing, ... oh and I must find time to practice the recorder... and then there's the theory exam...

anything heartbreaking or mystical?