First of all, I'm having some difficulty getting my low notes to play, generally a C or below, sometimes a D as well. I can't really play them short or stacato at all. The problem is that those notes just come out as squeaks, not a full rich low sound like it should be.

Secondly, high notes. How can get high notes (B/C and above) to come out full sounding? I can play them but they usually come out very weak and not that loud at all, very faint sounding. Also, advice on play the very high notes? (Above C) The piece I'm working on now, Abram's Pursuit goes *very* high and it just doesn't sound good being so high.

I have a professional oboe and it works great so I'm guessing the reed may be an issue. What type of reed would you suggest playing on the help with both the high and low registers?

BTW, hand making my own/learning from someone or buying them from a local reedmaker is not an option. I'll most likely have to order them online.

Thanks for any help and suggestions!

ok to start. to get a rich and plentiful sound out of the lower octave you need a felxible reed. I take it you play an american or long scrape reed? Well, scrape the back gouges right where the gouge meets the shinny cane above the tread. scrape evenly on both sides, do not take a lot. if you take some off and the lower notes are still a problem, not low b and Bb still sound rough and are problematic, its the nature of the oboe, scrape very litely right behind the tip where the tip meets the heart or "bump". if you need more help email me at bmski0507@aol.com

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mistake in email: Bmwski0507@aol.com

ok to start. to get a rich and plentiful sound out of the lower octave you need a felxible reed. I take it you play an american or long scrape reed? Well, scrape the back gouges right where the gouge meets the shinny cane above the tread. scrape evenly on both sides, do not take a lot. if you take some off and the lower notes are still a problem, not low b and Bb still sound rough and are problematic, its the nature of the oboe, scrape very litely right behind the tip where the tip meets the heart or "bump". if you need more help email me at bmwski0507@aol.com

I buy from a reedmaker a few miles away down here. They have excellent reeds at excellent prices. They hand-make them in their store in Sugarland; by Houston, Texas. Their website is www.singindog.com
Hope this helps!

air, air, and more air.

seriously, its mainly a matter of using more air. that and a rounder embouchure on the edge of the reed, where you are not biting. but mainly, more air.

How long have you been playing? Make sure that you're properly warmed up (as in, start practicing on easy pieces up to a week in advance). I find that if I haven't played in a while, I can barely play low F, never mind C. But then I get warmed up again, and my embouchure comes back (again, this takes about a week) and I can play up and down my register. As for high notes, make sure you're using good fingerings, for there are many different ones for high notes, and make sure your embouchure is very tight. If your embouchure is tight enough, you'll have to worry about playing too loud, never mind faint and weak.

WARMUP is ESSENTIAL.
Let me state that again:
WARMUP is ESSENTIAL.

You got it?
For every hour of practice time, you should warm up for at least 20 minutes - here's the ratio. 20:60 but it is better if you use this ratio: 25-30:60

alex