Oboe

Considered to bear striking physical resemblances to a clarinet, an oboe is a musical instrument that can be classified as a woodwind instrument. Unlike most instruments that would belong to the original classification, an oboe has double reeds. Because of the wide harmonic range of oboes, a good oboe is considered to be able to produce a clear and sharp sound.

The oboe was originally called as "hautbois" in French, this which meant good wood obviously because oboes have to be made of wood with superior quality.

Unlike most wind instruments which have fixed ranges, you can change an oboe's pitch simply by either adjusting the embouchure or by altering the reed position. This flexibility in tune is one reason why oboe players prefer this instrument against others.

Choosing an Oboe

Unlike brass wind instruments wherein you have so many options to choose from for your child to end up with the perfect instrument, the main issues when choosing an oboe is simply to choose from the material and the structure.

For military or marching band using, a baroque oboe would do best. This is made from boxwood, has three pairs of side keys, and one great key. For higher pitches to be done, blowing stronger than the usual is done.

The most common type of oboe is the classical oboe. These have narrow bores which would allow the player to strike high notes easily. Typically, the range of these types would be from C1 to F3.

Another type of oboe would be the modern oboe which are typically made out of granadilla, rosewood, violetwood, or cocobolo. This type features 45 keys.

The Ideal Student Oboe

For your child's first oboe, you can consider a student oboe which is available in popular music stores. This type would feature a modern oboe made out of plastic resin which is a considerably tough material. The sound that this type produces is also good enough for a student to effectively learn how to play it.

Another reason to start of with this type is because it is much cheaper than the advanced types of oboes. While an advanced oboe would be more effective for learning, the price gap between a student oboe and an advanced oboe would not be justified if ever your child would later lose interest in the instrument. However, if ever your child chooses to deeply pursue playing this instrument, you can replace the student oboe with more advanced types.

Choosing Between Brands

For the quality conscious, the brand of the oboe is something to be very mindful of when choosing an oboe. For this, the general rule would be that brands that make more than one instrument are generally not as good as those that specialize in making just one instrument. Because of this, oboists prefer those brands that specialize in oboes such as F. Loree and Cabart which is their student line. Rigoutat, Fossati's, and Howarth are the less known brands but still offer excellent quality.

Some exceptions to the general rule would be Yamaha and Buffet oboes. Even if these brands do not actually specialize in oboes and produce more than one instrument, the quality of the oboes that they produce are of superior quality. Every oboe player has a brand where he or she is comfortable with however, your child would still need some experience before he or she would realize what brand would fit him or her best.

Brand New or Used?

Price is also something that you would have to be very mindful about when purchasing your child's first oboe. Although it does not have to be proven that satisfaction is surer with brand new oboes, the fact that used oboes would serve the purpose at a much lower price would have you reconsidering your options.

If your child's inclination towards playing the oboe is still quite questionable, it would be okay to go for a used oboe as long as you trust the seller and if the oboe being sold is still of good quality. There are big chances of you coming up with a used student oboe of good quality as those who start of with student oboes would want to sell theirs once they move up into the more advanced types.