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Frequent Soloist
in symphony
Oboe is a woodwind instrument and it
is commonly made of plastic or resin
and African Blackwood for a higher
quality of oboe. The sound of oboe is
full of sentiments, it also named as
“the soprano in the orchestra”.
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A modern orchestra commonly includes
1-2 oboists and may have 3 oboists in a
large performance
Before performing, Symphony Orchestra
may tune the sound of the oboe first and
use it as a standard to adjust the tone of
the other instruments.
Constantly plays the main tone in
orchestral and chamber music. In
symphony, it always plays in solo
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Keys
The notation of oboe is marked in
Treble clef and its playing range
is from B♭ to A6, narrower than
other woodwind instruments.
Upper
joint
Main
joint
Lower
joint
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Single
Mouthpiece Reed
Ligature
What is the difference
between the double reed
and the single reed?
Single
Reed
Double
Reed
Double Reed
Single Reed
Features
formed by 2 reeds
1 reed only but need to
use with the
mouthpiece and the
ligature
Instruments
oboe, bassoon etc.
clarinet, saxophone etc
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What is the materials of
the reed of oboe?
It is commonly made of the stem
of reed, but other materials such
a s s a c c h a r um s i n e n s e a n d
bamboo pieces can also be used.
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Why do we need to wet
the reed before playing
oboe？
Dry reeds are very difficult to
vibrate. After we have wet the
reed, it will become more
flexible and can be made to
vibrate under more gentle
breath pressure.
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Why a symphony orchestra
use the sound of oboe as a
standard to tune the sound of
other instruments?
It is because the oboe is difficult to
tune the sound compare to other
instruments but its sound is
smoother after tuning. Therefore, a
symphony orchestra may tune the
sound of the oboe first.
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How ‘s frequent do we
replace the reed by a new
one?
A reed need to be replace when it has
broken. Normally, a reed can be used for
2 weeks to a month. Beginners may break
their reed more often during the process
of installing or performing the oboe. So
they need to bring several reeds along for
replacement.
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Can stand or sit depending on the needs of
performance
The body keeps straight and slightly move forward.
The center of gravity turns upward that makes the
makeabdominal muscle free to breathe out and in.
Cover the teeth by the lips and hold the reed with the
mouth. Pressure the reed by the muscle around the
lips to adjust the tune of the oboe.
Breathe out first and then breath in. Sometimes,
maybe breath out a part of air only and change
breath for the next time.
It may need the use of the throat to perform a fast
melody by controlling the in and out of the air
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Pierre-Gabriel Buffardin (1690－1768)
Antonio Pasculli (1842－1924)
Heinz Holliger (1939—）
Fumiaki Miyamoto (1949－)
Pasculli
Buffardin
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A. Vivaldi :Concerto for oboe, strings in C major
P. I. Tchaikovsky : The Swan Lake
C.C. Saint-Saens : Oboe Sonata in D major
Joseph-Maurice Ravel ：Prelude from Tombeau de Couperin
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