| There are many things to know about oboes. First, oboes are generally made out of five basic materials; -plastic -grenedilla wood -Cocabola wood -Violetwood -Rosewood Plastic is used in sudent oboes, because it doesn't crack as opposed to wood which is prone to cracking. Now there is professional plastic which is used in professional instruments. It has a better tone than regular plastic but not as good as wood oboes. I listed the woods in order of density. Grenedilla is the most dense and Rosewood is the least dense. Grenedilla is less prone to cracking than Rosewood. Grenedilla projects better than Rosewood, but as you go down the line, each wood contains a sweeter, more appealing sound. Oboes contain different keys. Some student oboes only go down to a low B while advanced student models to professional oboes go down to a Bb. Most student models don't include a left hand F, a banana key, or a third octave key. The three oboe types are student, intermediate, and professional. Professional oboes are bound to have more keys and a better tone than student oboes. In 1660, Jean Hotterre of France invented the oboe that we know today. Oboe is the mispronunciation of the original, "hautbois". The fingering is based on a design by Theobald Boehm. In an orchestra, the players tune to the oboe because the produced sound is so steady and focused. The oboe is considered one of the most difficult wind instruments to play because it requires an excellent ear and a lot of patience. Professional oboe players often own an English horn. The 2nd or/and 3rd oboeists in an orchestra often are expected to have an English Horn on hand to play at a moments notice. |
| What's An Oboe? Yeah, it's that instrument you hear in the movie "Peter and the Wolf" when Sonja the duck appears. |
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