I absolutely adore flute and piccolo, but I feel an odd inclination to take up oboe. I don't know why as I hate the sound of oboes before they reach like grade VIIAre there any people out there who play both, does oboe completely ruin flute tone and embouchure and vice versa? And do you get the fingerings mixed up between instruments? Also I can't afford lessons for oboe so I would be self-taught which I know isn't good at all and I will probably get into all sorts of bad habits Also I don't really know if it's worth it as oboes are so expensive I could get a new flute or picc for that money, I dunno it's probably just a faze I'll get over it but it's an interesting topic anyway.

Daughter plays Flute and Oboe she started them a couple of months apart and hasn't really had any adverse effect to embouchure from playing either. That may be because she has always played both. Her Flute sound suffers more if she plays Sax alot.

I would not recommend anyone playing Oboe without a teacher unless you have experience of another double reed instrument. If you don't get the breathing right you can suffer dizzy spells. It will take you a while to get a nice Oboe sound and help from an experienced teacher is essential.

Oboes are expensive and reeds are also pricey and can be very frustraiting.

Hi Flute Fanatic,

I was a flautist who converted to the oboe, initially I did both but have left the flute behind now as I really want to focus on oboe.

I found that playing both did not ruin my tone on the flute, but as I was just learning, and teacher wasn't an oboe specialist I don't think the tone on my oboe - or my embouchure - was particularly good. But other people do seem to have managed.

Similarly with fingering - when I was regularly playing both instruments I didn't seem to have a problem with the different fingering. On the odd occasion that I have picked up my flute recently I have found it a bit confusing (especially F/ F#) but I think that would go away with practise if I really wanted to get my flute playing back.


I found that that splitting practice time between 2 instruments meant that I had less time for each so progress was slower on each one. Other people seem to manage multiple instruments, I have come to the conclusion that it just doesn't work for me and I find it much more sustainable to stick to one!

Generally the oboe is less forgiving of not being played regularly than the flute. Embouchure and stamina falls away very quickly.

I would also say, that it is essential that you have some lessons from an oboe specialist who can help you find a suitable reed, adjust your reeds and get your embouchure sorted out. Reed are very tricky and very personal - it is not really possible to just buy some from a shop and see how you do. You do need someone to help you! Bearing in mind that you say that you hate the sound of an oboe up to about grade 7 - you will struggle to get anywhere close without a teacher (and probably give up) and with a teacher you will probably be making a nice sound well before Grade 7 level. I had a general woodwind teacher for a while, quickly plateaued and then gave up. On restarting I have gone to a specialist teacher and the difference is ENORMOUS. But I have had to spend a lot of time getting rid of bad habits and there are vast holes in my knowledge which are slowly getting filled (especially about reeds). I think it was a mistake not to start with a specialist, and would have been even worse without a teacher at all.

When I started I rented a student model for 6 months to see whether I would like it or not. This was a much cheaper option and you may find that you can then fund some lessons - or at least send it back after 6 months if you don't take to it. I also alternated flute and oboe lessons on different weeks - so was still having (and paying for) only one lesson a week.

As you said, an oboe is a large investment of money and trying to do it alone is just setting yourself up to fail. A few lessons to get you on your way will really help you get the most out of it and you'll be far more likely to get that lovely oboe sound that you want! It is a lovely instrument to play so worth the investment of time and money! Good luck with your decision.

Hopefully this will be helpful.

There are loads of people on my course who play both oboe and flute to a high standard.