Hi Mrs B,

It's only a thought, but I wondered if your crackling noises were happening at home because you are not pushing enough air pressure through. It was interesting that you said it didn't happen at all with your tutor. Were you standing up in your lesson and do you sit down to practice at home? I think I sometimes get a slight crackling at home but don't think I've had it in a lesson.

Usually early in my lesson my teacher tells me that more air pressure is needed which is easy to forget at home. My lesson is usually early morning whereas, alot of my practice is in the evening when I am more tired and therefore less likely to have as much energy/puff.

If it happens again you could try standing up and really push as much air pressure through as you can to see if it makes any difference. I'm not saying this will produce a very nice tone but if it gets rid of the crackle then it may give you a clue where the problem lies.

Long notes, long notes and more long notes last night, gosh I was bored but the effort was worthwhile, notes don't wobble (much) now Few minutes working on one the pieces before embouchure went, rather overall

Thanks for the suggestion I shall experiment with my air pressure and see if it seems connected.

I actually always play standing up as we don't have anywhere at home for me to play sat down

I am wondering whether it's because I'm playing too much. When I have my lessons i play in short bursts with lots of discussion breaks. At home I play almost non-stop and often for longer and I wonder if I'm just creating too much moisture by doing this. Should I be giving my oboe more of a chance to recover during and between playing?

Only if you're doing something wrong. More advanced oboists would play for a lot longer than you without moisture problems - except for water in the keys. But even water in the keys is not linked to how long you have been playing but to things like how warm it is, the angle at which you hold your oboe when you're not playing, how clean your octave boxes are etc.

Highly possible!

I hope your teacher can give you some clues, MrsB...

I need to reorganise myself entirely. Work and health are getting in the way of the oboe and it's making everything a bit stressful.

Could do with planning a new life at the moment...

But more realistically, I need to work out a more efficient practice routine and be as disciplined as I can about it (not easy, due to said interferences). What do you folks do? When you're busy, what does your average practice look like? How much time to you spend on what?

I've become so, so bad about starting with the long note thing recently. I do a bit more on scales but they're not advancing an awful lot and I have to admit that sometimes my warm-up is pretty cursory before launching into technical studies or piece practice (one or the other for most recent practice sessions).

I'm enjoying the new technical studies that my teacher gave me this term (Salviani and Prestini) but no doubt they will be picked to utter pieces again on Tuesday.

One lesson on the Marcello traumatised me a bit. Evidently it was in much, much worse shape than I thought it was, and I wasn't very sanguine about how it was sounding... I can fully understand why you've been hesitant about learning it, Roseau, and you are years ahead of me. It's such a lovely concerto - I do so hope that playing it awfully - and being put through my teacher's harsh mill - don't take a lot of the joy out of it for me. I still can't quite like that Vivaldi concerto with which he gave me such a hard time a while back.

Sorry to hear you are struggling a bit at the moment

Hopefully your health is improving and it will be less of a problem for you as time goes on.



I try to routinely practice for an hour and split it into 3 bits -
20 minutes on scales, long notes
- I do major scales and arpeggios one day, harmonics next day, melodics and dim 7ths, majors in thirds (currently still learning these) and dom 7ths next. Also play chromatic from bottom right to the top. I then go on to the "scale of the day" and do a bit more work on that. Long notes, slow scales with tuner, vibrato "bumps", dynamics etc
20 minutes on study
20 minutes on pieces
Depending on what state pieces are in and how many I'm working on I'll either spend all 20 minutes on one and then another the next day, split evenly between them or do 15 minutes on one piece and just review tricky bits from another.

Added extra - if I have a bit of extra time to spare I'll spend a bit of time on orhcestra pieces or playing through pieces for fun.
If i don't have so much time I may do 45 minutes or occassionally 30 minutes but still split it into the 3 sections.

I don't worry about practicing orchestra/ lesson days and I don't feel guillty about having 1 day off playing a week (it can be a good thing!) but I do my best to avoid missing 2 days of playing a week. I am looking forward to hearing how other people approach practising too.

Having said all that my practising has been a bit haphazard over Easter with routines being different, having no lesson or orchestra and feeling a bit under the weather. Hopefully back to normal now that lessons have restarted. I have the Rite of Spring concert tonight - it seems to have come together pretty well and I've really enjoyed being part of it. I'm very glad I'm only playing 3rd oboe - I am relying very heavily on the rest of the oboes coming in at the right time! I would be completely lost without the 1st oboe cues!

I thought it was good to pushyourself playing harder things? I've got a Marcello piece in my old music stash and I've had great fun attempting to play it despite it being beyond my ability. It's lovely and gives me great enjoyment playing it and hearing it improve (very gradually!) so it'd be a real shame if your teacher's comments took that away from you.

Well I attempt to be as organised as that.

Generally about 1-1.5 hours a day. I've tried to push that up a bit recently but it doesn't seem to be happening. Recently I've been spending a lot of time playing pieces, trying to figure out what to play for Grade 7 and my technical work has suffered. Minor scales are pathetic, dims, doms and chromatics merely poor. So, having now sorted out my 3 pieces, I'm having to thrash the technical stuff a bit.

But, when I was organsied, I would say I was pretty similar to you. I too had the idea of a "scale du jour" and would base much of my technical work for the day on that, adding arps, related doms, scale in 3rds (just starting that myself too - invaluable for the Albinoni). Then studies in the same key (recently started on Salviani). Once I finish putting sticking plaster on these damned minors I'll try to get back to something similar.

Me too, though I somehow don't seem to find time.

I do a warm up about an hour before I go to Monday evening orchestra, though Saturday morning is far to early to do anything beforehand. It's a good couple of hours playing so I don't normally practice later on (though I may if feeling righteous). I generally give myself (only) 1 day a week off.

I went of to Wales walking so the oboe was left at home for a few days. But even pros are allowed to go on holiday.

Crikey. Mahler, Stravinsky. What next? I've had a go at following the score to Rite (not playing) and failed miserably. I'm sure you'll love it though. What a great opportunity.

ooh..which pieces have you decided on for Grade 7? Are you doing it this session?


I think this is the last one for the forseeable future (bar the Liverpool Phil play day!). It has been a great opportunity. I couldn't follow either the Mahler or Stravinsky against the CD - though I did a bit better with the Stravinksy. Definitely need the conductor to pick up the changes in tempo. There are still bits in the Rite of Spring that I miss, but I think there is only one bit where I am exposed so hopefully the rest won't be too obvious. Key thing is to make sure that I don't play in the general pauses... I've learned so much about orchestral playing through doing both of them and my counting has improved immensely! As has my ability to mime and find my place in the score again after getting lost.

Albinoni Op.7/6
Schumann Romance No.3
Berkeley 3 Moods No.2

So teacher says Just over a week to decide.

Yes my modest attempts have helped both my counting and sight reading, though sometimes you wouldn't think so.

Yes that too. Though recently as I was the only oboe who showed up for windband, the miming I had previously been doing became only too apparent

I don't practise on the two days I teach, although I do play in a windband in the evening of one of these days so there is really only one day a week when the oboe doesn't come out of its case.

On the days I'm not teaching, I usually practise for around an hour and a half. I start with long notes, scales of some sort and usually some sort of technical exercise often (but not always) out of Gillet's "20 minutes". All this can take anything between 15 and 30 minutes depending on what pieces I am playing.

When I move onto the pieces I start with the "difficult" bits, which very often involves playing a scale repeatedly or a finger exercise or a tonguing exercise (which is why my non-specific warm up may be shorter). I have strict instructions from my teacher not to limit my practice to the "difficult bits" and to play through the whole piece (or in the case of Morceau de Salon a whole section) at least once in every session to develop stamina.

I rarely practise orchestra pieces at home, unless I have a particularly exposed solo.

Like you, however, I am feeling that I have rather lost direction at the moment for several reasons. For the last five weeks of the semester I was teaching three days a week not two, which meant that I had two days a week without practising. The other reason is that I feel my playing has changed over the past couple of months and I don't really know where I'm going. There are a whole host of things which I feel are "wrong" about my playing at the moment, and my usual practice routine doesn't seem to be helping with any of them. When I have brought them up with my teacher, he hasn't paid a great deal of attention to them because as far as he's concerned everything is "coming together" and he sees an overall improvement where I see a regression After the holidays I want to spend some lesson time on how to practise so that I can stop feeling that I'm going about things aimlessly.


I think the whole "easy/hard" thing is complicated since so much depends on how you play them. With a "hard" piece (as in lots of notes/complicated rhythm) my teacher can be relatively tolerant, with an "easy" piece (one I can sight-read without a problem) he can be unbelievably critical and I often can't even get to the end of the first bar before he stops me. As I posted on here last year, for complicated reasons, I ended up taking an exam which my teacher had assured me was a long way below the level I am really playing it. In one of my lessons before the exam he was so critical of the "easy" exam piece that I ended up asking him if he really thought I was capable of passing it. He was somewhat taken aback by my question and then said "Let's get this clear, you would pass no problem playing it the way you play it now but I'm not going to waste a month's lessons so I'm teaching it to you at a completely different level"

I also think teaching methods in France are different to those in the UK and I suspect that Katica's experiences are probably similar to mine. Someone once told me about their experience of an English-French recorder course which for me sums up the differences between the two styles. The English recorder players were happy to sight-read through lots of new material; the French ones wanted to discuss exactly how they were going to play everything. After a couple of days the groups split up into French players and English players; the English players were frustrated by how long it took to get to the end of a piece and what a small number of pieces they were playing; the French accused the English of "bashing through" things without paying attention to detail and of wanting to play far too many different pieces.

I rarely work on more than one piece at a time, I can't remember the last time my teacher asked me to play a scale in a lesson and on the rare occasions when I have played a study this has been instead of a piece rather than alongside a piece.

That's interesting Roseau.I'm very much of the plough through to see how it sounds and go from there brigade, so I must be typically British! My tutor also encourages metokeep playing when I make a mistake and correct it the next time (unless I've got it completely wrong!).. i'm sure if I was working towards exams though I'd be a lot more methodical and picky in my approach but as I'm playing just for fun I can be a lot more relaxed if it takes a while to get something perfect.

In theory my practice should look like this too but I don't always stick to it. I think I need to be more methodical about rotating the scale stuff. I haven't been completely consistent about the "scale of the day" thing either. Scale testing is so basic in lessons so it's not useful as motivation to improve across the range. More often than not it's Ab or E major as a warm up and that's it.

And I know I'm not doing enough long note practice. My teacher says that even just 5 mins in a 15-20 minute long note / scale warm-up will yield results.


I'd pick the first two too.
Good luck if you do decide to go for it. If your teacher thinks so, you must be good for it...


My teacher has criticised me in the past for spending too much time on playing through the whole thing when practice could be much more efficiently spent on the hard bits. Mind you, I've got so used to him stopping me at the slightest problem that I've got into a very bad habit of stopping - and got pulled up for that a couple of lessons ago.

Generally my teacher tries to do some work on both studies and piece in the lesson. Like you, I'm never normally working on more than one piece at a time (with him - I'm usually working on a couple more at home).

I don't do a lot of work on band stuff but do try to spend a few minutes on very difficult bits, especially as we're a small group and I'm the only oboe, so quite exposed. I did have to quite a bit on the salsa pieces, especially as we were bashing through them at quite a rate in rehearsals. That's not normal for us, though. We'd definitely be with the French rather than the British group. Actually, I think that both approaches have their merit. I've really enjoyed playing sessions in the UK where you just "bash through" quite a lot of material as a contrast to the meticulous breaking everything down we do here. Good for building sightreading skills too.

I had my best practice today for some time and I think it had a lot to do with spending time to do long notes, slow scales and arps LOUDLY before moving on to anything else. Everything after that went really well because, I think, I was well warmed up, as were my reed and oboe.

Well? Was it good?

I think we pulled it off....we started together and finished together and generally the general pauses were silent. There were a couple of dodgy points inbetween but overall it was pretty good I thought!

After a step in the right direction during Friday's practice (despite foul down-in-the-dumps mood), Saturday was a write-off due to a migraine. It was thefirst in 6 months - hope they don't come back .

I meant to follow Arundodonuts' example yesterday but got distracted by my flatmate. He came in and spotted the very same Albinoni Op.7/6 and...

But I think I needed to play around a bit, though, to get my mojo back. Time to go home and see if I can do better tonight. Lesson tomorrow!

Hi i'm another oboist to add to your collection
I have been playing for just over five years and I absolutely love it!

Hi floboe



Well I went along for my first orchestra session and have been left very unsure if I want to pursue it.

The orchestra was very relaxed which was nice, but it's very small, less than 20 people and I was the only oboe, although apparently they usually have another, so I was sat all by myself.

I really struggled with counting through the long sections I wasn't playing which didn't give me confidence to start playing so I missed my solos a couple of times, but once playing I didn't have any real trouble.

Everyone was really nice, but the standard of playing was really varied and I felt that the music was probably too hard for those closer to the grade 2 entry standard - my part had a low B, high D and triplets so not beginners music.

So I know it wouldbe good for me to keep going, learning to follow conductor, play with others, count, sight-read and experience different music, but it's not an orchestra I can imagine being ready to perform any time soon and I'll have to pay to keep going...

I tried a community orchestra when I'd been playing clari about a year, and thought that with the music they were attempting that they wouldn't be performing for a while either!! Do you have any concert bands local to you? You'd probably get a few more performances with a band, just a thought

This place has a windband too, but it's a bit early for me to guarantee getting here after work. It's before the orchestra though and I heard a bit of their practise when I arrived and I think the standard's about the same to be honest.

I haven't found anywhere else running amateur orchestras. I just left feeling a bit flat and I remember loving paying in my school windbands and ensembles and had hoped to feel like that again. Maybe I expected too much...

floboe? Ooh, now it's getting confusing. Welcome floboe. I have to say I can't imaging anyone playing the oboe for 5 years and not loving it. That would be masochism.

Well done for taking the plunge MrsB - it can be a shock to the system the first time. I really struggled with when to come in and following the music etc the first time - and even when I managed it with another oboist present I struggled when on my own for the first time. You were really thrown in the deep end which is very unlucky especially if the other oboist is normally there. I can only share my own experience which is that I was surprised at how quickly I improved at following the conductor and counting bars , this will also be easier as you get to know the music (can you take it to practice at home?) what may seem difficult as sight reading could seem fairly straight forward after a couple of weeks rehearsal. If you didn't have any trouble playing once you came in then I don't see why you wouldn't be ready to perform with them.

If it was me in your position I'd try and get to another rehearsal (first checking that the other oboist was going to be there!) before giving up on them as you may find that it is completely different experience.

Welcome to floboe too - please tell us more about yourself! What make oboe do you play? Thumbplate/ conservatiore? where do you get your reeds? (If you make your own, are learning to make your own, are interested in learning to make your own we have another thread for that so please join in there too!) Are you having lessons? Do you play in an orchestra or other ensemble? what are you working on at the moment? We like to know these things. Oh and congratulations on passing your Grade 8 last year (and flute diploma too!) very impressive.

Thanks flobiano. I didn't have any problems with my music, but it did seem that others were. Hopefully if everyone practices it at home then next time can be focused more on the orchestra coming together rather than just attempting to get through. What worries me though, and I feel awful saying it, but some of the bits just sounded dreadful and I'm worried that that's maybe because of the standard of some of the players rather than just a lack of cohesion...

I shall certainly have to have a good think over the next few days as I'm not certain this orchestra is right for me but it is the only one I've found so maybe I should stick with it for a term and see.

Hi, I am not quite sure how to add a quote properly yet but in response to flobiano (whoah thats confusing!), I play on a thumbplate Loree Royal which I absolutely love!
I am hoping to go to the RWCMD in september to study the oboe.
I use Wiggins reeds from Howarth at the moment because I find that when I get a really good one, it really compliments the instrument and myself. I am also learning how to make my own, but need to get a lot more proficient at scraping before I can use them .
I am currently having lessons at my college with a fantastic teacher. I have only been having oboe lessons with an oboe teacher for about a year, I had a clarinet/woodwind teacher before, which isn't quite the same because they are a different breed of instrument entirely!
I am playing with my local music centre orchestra which is a lot of fun, we don't do many concerts but it keeps the orchestral experience going. I have also played with the county orchestra but that only meets once a year.

I am currently working on many different things, my favourites being the Vaughan Williams Oboe Concerto and Hindemith's Sonata. I did my A Level performance just before Easter with the first movement of the Hindemith, 2nd and 3rd of the Marcello, finishing off with the Grovlez sarabande and allegro.

I did also buy Lutoslawski last week, but not quite sure what to think of it yet!

I hope that answers some questions!

I would suggest that you keep going for a few rehearsals to see if things fall into place.

If you can get a copy of the music to practice at home (and an indication from the conductor of what you will be playing at the next rehearsal) this should make a huge difference. Even knowing the "geography" of a piece of where keys changes, repeats go back to and where the complicated bits are can be enormously helpful.

I joined the local windband 18 months ago when I was around grade 3 standard. My first rehearsal there had a go at RVW's English Folk Song Suite. It starts in 4 flats ( ) at a fast pace and has an oboe solo (after 6 bars rest ) of Eb, F, Db, Eb. That tied my fingers in knots at first, until I worked out the fingerings needed. Luckily, the part doubles the clarinets, so I could get away with playing about one note in a bar. (I get about 4 or 5 in the fast 6 8 passage now!) They were delighted to see me, as I was (and still am) the only oboe amongst a dozen flutes, 10 clarinets, several saxophones and a variety of bits of brass tubing. I really enjoy playing with them, and it has developed my playing enormously and been a lot of fun.

All players who have long rests count to themselves, (more or less visibly!! ) by counting 1,2,3,4;2,2,3,4;3,2,3,4; and so on. The other trick to keep your place is to count bars with your fingers on a leg while you have the instrument in a down position: this avoids miscounting by a bar. I often catch the flutes doing the same thing when we both have long rests.

It will get better
When I first joined my first windband I was the only oboe. It was the beginning of the year but they started by playing through all the pieces they had played the previous year and I got hopelessly lost as I was the only new person and the only one sight-reading

I played in an orchestras as a teenager but I was a violinist - so one of many - and I felt very exposed as the sole oboist Although I wasn't too bad at counting rests, it took me a long time to remember that I needed to breath before I started to play and that I needed to integrate that into my counting.

I think it probably took me the best part of a year to feel at ease playing in it.

I totally support the advice of flobiano, Barry Toner and Roseau - and your plan to stick at it for a term, MrsB.

It sounds rather like the small local orchestra/wind band that I joined. I'm glad I persisted even though often the music we're playing isn't always that exciting, the player level is patchy, some rehearsals are very frustrating and I, too, am an only oboe. But I've learned such a lot and when it comes together it's completely exhilarating. So, I hope it works out similarly for you.

Welcome floboe! (again)

Despite absolutely dreadful last practice session, my lesson went better than expected. Lots of good advice and the current focus is very definitely on playing through exercises/pieces to (re)develop stamina rather than just concentrating on the difficult bits. My teacher was decidedly less scathing than in the lesson of two weeks ago. Not that I think I'd improved much but I think my teacher felt he should be less brutal in the circumstances. Just technical excesises yesterday. No Marcello.

Rehearsal went OK despite stamina having withered by then and sound a bit off. Exhausting evening wrapped up with a late lesson for the beginner student, who continues to struggle with articulating notes. My invented exercise for getting him to articulate the first attack worked ( ) but unfortunately he has regressed on articulating subsequent notes. Yesterday we reverted to just working on the reed - doing it with the reed in the oboe just means too much for him to think (and worry) about. Oh well, two steps forward, one step back will still eventually mean progress, I hope. And he keeps coming back for more, which is a good sign...

More gigs coming up... Our windband will provide the closing act of a "musical marathon" in two weeks time, with probably only one more rehearsal (three in total) to resurrect some old film music pieces from the ashes... It's a fundraiser for the cultural centre, so people will actually be paying. Looks like we've also been invited to repeat our symphonic salsa programme at a town out towards the Caribbean coast, in June.

Thanks - it is nice to know something you. Well done on getting into RWCMD. I started with a general woodwind teacher and don't think it was a great idea. It is amazing what a difference a specialist teacher can make.

Sounds like things are moving in the right direction Katica, hopefully you'll build up your stamina quickly. I've started playing through things a bit more too to build stamina, I have a tendency to want to stop - especially to breath and I think I need to manage it a bit more. It's particularly a problem at orchestra - we're doing Crown Imperial at the next concert and I am really struggling to get through it. THe two long top C's at the end don't really help much either....or maybe they count as my long tone practice on an orchestra night.

Anyway, I have a trip to Howarth's on Saturday to look forward to. Any recommendations of things to buy? I am thinking of looking at the Berkeley 3 moods since Arundodonuts mentioned them. What are they like?

Not looking forward to my lesson tonight, as have been away for both weekends since my last lesson, and have been stuck on jury service for the last nine days (I got let off today - time off for good behaviour!) but it means I have done very little practice .

My oboe is playing up, too, which doesn't help matters. It is very difficult to get low notes (below G) to speak easily, and my teacher at the last lesson diagnosed a leak somewhere and advised me to get it seen to, but I have just had no time. I'm off now to try to catch up!

Well done indeed. The coventional wisdom is "you must have a specialist oboe teacher". I'm guessing your general woodwind teacher was pretty good. Oh and I reckon before long we'll be coming to you for advice

I like them. I've only tried No 2 (List C Grade 7) and I would suggest the other two are somewhat harder. They are very free in character, you can pull the tempi around and there are lots of "Pan-like" pauses. Indeed I would suggest they are a bit reminiscent of Britten.

I discovered a recording of them on Hyperion (only available as a download from their website).

Sounds interesing, I will definitely have a look, teacher has suggested I pick up the Hindemith Sonata too. I'll also be picking up some reed making things and rummaging through any sale items.

Thank you! I really cannot wait to go!
although my first teacher got me through my grade 8 successfully, she felt that I needed a specialist teacher, so since last summer I have had an oboe teacher through college who is fantastic. It really does make a lot of difference.


( I still havent found out how to add quotes properly! )

If you have time Foyle's often has a box with half-price oboe music in it. Some obscure things but also some of the things that are on (or have been on) exam syllabuses. I picked up the Krommer Concerto and the Gregson Sonata there.

Can anyone give me some tips/exercises to work on my low B.

It's a note I've not worried about much before as it's not in any of the pieces I've played up til now but I've been practising the piece we played in orchestra and it's alternating between playing fine and warbling uncontrollably! Given it's my first note in the piece, is a solo and has to be played p, I'm a bit worried by how unpredictable it is...

Lots of support and a very relaxed embouchure. Try starting it "on the wind" i.e. don't articulate with the tongue. That will give you an idea of how much air you need to get the reed moving and how quietly you can play. Then bring the tongue back in.

Bottom B p as a first note is a hideous thing to do to an oboist. Sounds like a Dvorak trick.

Thanks for the tip, I shall have a go playing lots of Bs tomorrow.

It's Maurice Ravel. I've just been listening to it on youtube and we desperately need a flute! I don't think the conductor understood when I told him the first note was putting me off though.

Hmm. Why am I not surprised?

Thanks for the tip - hopefully I will have time.

I am sorry to say that my oboe days (for the timebeing) are coming to an end. I have a couple of lessons to go then the oboe has to go back. As much as I've loved learning the oboe and have made reasonable progress, the clarinet is taking up more and more of my time. Thanks for all the advice you've given me over the last few months, you really are a helpful bunch

That's a real shame Louise. Do you think you'll pick it up again in the future?

I've spent most of my weekend playing through the next piece for orchestra and although I've made real progress with it I am hugely worried about playing it in front of others. Orchestra was meant to be fun and to help me improve but I'm now so stressed about the difficulty of the music that I'm wavering again about going back.

Although I can understand that you don't have time for two instruments.


I would go back, although I know it's not easy. I used to feel terribly exposed as the only oboist But honestly, it does get better (although I still have the odd passage which causes me major stress, often for no particular reason).

As far as your mistakes go they are going to be far more important to you than to anyone else. If you try and remember other people's mistakes from last time you went, I'm sure they won't be engraved in your memory the way your own mistakes are, which means that other people are going to have forgotten yours.

I'd like to, will have to see what happens



Thanks Roseau, your advice has been gratefully received




Would agree with Roseau, stick with it Mrs B, I spent the first two or three months at band in shock, everyone seemed way better than me and I never thought I'd be able to keep up. Now, well, best decision I made to keep going, I love playing in bands, they've given me so much confidence

When I first start in any band or orchestra, I always feel a bit intimidated, as if I don't belong there, it just takes a few weeks to get settled in, it may be difficult at first but it shall pay you huge dividends. Joining a band or orchestra gives you vital experience that helps you to be aware of what else is going on around you and following the instruction of someone else amongst many other benefits.

I also agree with Roseau about others not noticing your own mistakes anywhere near as much as you. They are reading their own music and concentrating on what they are doing themselves more than listening out to what you are doing yourself.

I am only in my third term at orchestra and am so pleased I joined, although I can imagine it must be difficult without another oboe to support and guide you. If at all possible I would try and carry on and I'm sure as the weeks go by you will gain in confidence and begin to relax and enjoy it, expecially as you become more familiar with the music.

What is your conductor like, that can make a big difference to how much you 'enjoy' orchestra and who do you sit next to? Flutes? could you tell them how you feel and hopefully they could give you a bit of encouragement.

I really enjoy orchestra and even though a lot of it is still quite difficult/fast for me, it has really given me an incentive to practice and improve.

Good luck

Louise, we will be very sorry to loose you. Though, like Roseau and others, I do understand that you want to concentrate on your main instrument.

It would be interesting to have your parting assessment of what has been similar and what has been different when you compare learning the oboe to learning the clari.

And we look forward to seeing you back here one day.


I agree with floboe, Roseau and others - your difficulty is much more noticeable to you than to others. I hope you'll take Louise's advice and stick with it. I still find moments that are a bit nerve-wracking but they're definitely outweighed by the good stuff. It will get better as you get to know folks better. Team up with the first flute (I presume you are located next to each other). It can make a big difference to have an ally.

Thanks for the support.

I'm still unsure. I guess I'll go along this week and see how it feels.

I was sat completely by myself last week as there weren't any flutes - am not sure if there usually are, but the music we're playing needs them so I hope so. Hopefully the other oboist will go this week so it won't be so obvious when I don't play the stupidly fast bits.

I'd just expected that an orchestra aimed at grades 2-5 would be playing simplified music and I fear that it's going to errode my confidence to play music that's so much more complex than I'm comfortable with.

I can empathise, as I've had similar experiences on the oboe & cello & have lost confidence on both instruments in the past because of attending orchestras that were playing music for a far higher standard than advertised. Trying to keep up on the cello certainly damaged my technique too.
Some conductors forget the orchestra is there for the players & seem to be using it for their own empire building. Maybe consider how seriously everyone else is taking it & if you feel intimidated & embarassed & that you'll be so stressed & feel you're letting everyone & yourself down, leave it for a bit. As you say - playing an instrument should be for pleasure as an amateur. I mainly now play with friends & in chamber groups as the atmosphere is less formal, & we have more say about what we're playing & ENJOY it! I also play solos in concerts with the piano or in small chamber groups, so know I can do it, but enjoy that far more than orchestral playing, but we're all different.
Good Luck with whatever you decide & have fun.

My teacher turned up with a copy of the Hindemith Sonata to my lesson this afternoon but then decided that as I hadn't given up on the Strauss in despair, that we'll stick with the Strauss for the time being and leave Hindemith for later. As he cheerfully told me, the Strauss reveals all the glaring holes in my technique that I am able to get away with in other pieces

He did suggest some places to breathe and then drew a tombstone at the end of the first page as a symbol of how you feel when you've got that far This week's challenge is to practise taking really quick breaths while at the same time slowing down the music slightly before each breath so that musically the breath becomes part of the phrase. As he pointed out, the audience is not supposed to realise that this is technically difficult

Uncharacteristically (since we usually spend a whole lesson on just a few lines) after the first page, he skipped to the cadenza. Breathing is not a problem in this but it is supposed to be LOUD. By the end of the lesson I was starting to think that playing without breathing was probably easier than playing as loudly as he wanted .