I've been playing oboe for 3 years and lately I've been running into this problem A LOT. In keys where you have lots of flats (Ab, Db, etc) you end up having to slur notes together that require you to move your pinkie keys.

That probably made no sense so I'll give some examples! Middle Eb to middle Db. Middle F to middle Db. Low C to low Db. On all those fingerings, you have to switch pinkie keys, and if you do that during a slur, I find that I get a note in between.

On some of those switches I know there are alternative fingerings (like Eb) but not on others. How can I slur those notes evenly and smoothly without a 3rd note creeping in the transition?

Please help!

For the F to Db switch, you can always use left F (or forked F).

And for the C to Db, some oboes have some kind of third key that you can hold down to avoid that "third note" (my teacher has one). However, this seems like a somewhat dramatic solution... Try fingering low C with your pinky very close to the edge of the key by the Db key, and then just rocking your finger back. That might help.

Unfortunately, my oboe is an "intermediate" without a left F. That would solve a lot of problems, huh? I was researching the issue and ran across a fingering for the forked F that didn't use a pinkie key. Is that the fingering you are refering to? I'm used to a fingering for forked F that uses a pinkie key.

And I'll try rocking to make the link between low C and Db smooth. Thanks for the tip.

You're very welcome That's really interesting--the only fingering I know for forked F is the one not using the pinky (234 on left hand, 24 on right, for lack of a better way to put it).

How do you do your forked F? Now I'm interested. XD

Well for the three years I've been playing, I've used about 6 or 7 different method books from about 3 or 4 different authors.

The ones I started off with show the forked F using the Eb pinkie key as an alternative to the regular F and the left F. I mentioned earlier that while doing some research, I ran across a fingering chart that didn't use the pinkie key.

I just bought Rubank Advanced Method Vol 2 and I checked the F fingering. It doesn't show the Eb pinkie key, but down on the bottom of the chart there is a note that said "it is advisable to finger the forked F with the Eb key (5 or 5B on instruments not having a resonance key."

Key 5 is the Eb key and 5B is the Eb alternative key.

Without a left F you should always use the Eb key for forked F. Without it the note tends to be dull and probably a few cents flat.

But what about using the alternative Eb key? It sounds odd, but technically wouldn't it work?

Strictly speaking there is no "alternative" key. Both are Eb keys and should be practiced equally.

so basically, the only way to avoid getting a note in between is to upgrade to an oboe with a left F.

F to Db to should done using forked F fingering, which should not include the Eb key (except on low-quality oboes lacking the F-resonance key). Eb-Db can be done using the left Eb key (which can be held down throughout, since it is overriden by the the C# key). C-Db can be donw with the little fingering activating both C and Db (not sliding, but curling).

Have started getting lessons! Everything you just said actually makes sense now! My oboe does not have f renosance, unfortunately. A nicer oboe will be in the budget in about three years, when I go to college

My music teacher taught me this (it may seem gross, but it is really not...) : Before you play rub your finger on your forehead to put natural oils on your pinky to lubricate between the pinky keys and your finger. Be sure to wipe your instrument off after playing.

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It also takes away the complex confusion of alternative fingerings that can mess everything up.

Actually, that makes a lot of sense; I'll try it
Gross or not, my dad does the same thing with lightbulbs. He rubs them on his forehead before he puts them in so that they come out cleanly

You don't need the Eb key on forked F, even on student oboes. It will sound fuzzy without the resonance key, but it should be more or less in tune, as long as you're fairly in tune in general. In fact, I've found that adding the Eb key tends to make the note sharp. The whole point of forked F is to facilitate technical passages, especially ones with lots of Db's and Eb's. It can't do that if you're using the Eb key all the time. The only fingering charts I've seen that stick the Eb key on forked F are the ones in band method books. Nothing really oboe-specific uses it.

The only notes you can't avoid playing with the same pinky are Bb-B, C-C#, and B or Bb-Eb. For those, sliding is always a good option (and I second the suggestion to rub your finger on your forehead or the side of your nose to help with this). If you'd rather, you can also try pivoting your finger. For example, you can play C with the first joint of your pinky, and move to the pinky for C#.

Band method books are where I learned my fingerings... hence the belief that the pinkie key was mandatory. I'll sit in front of a tuner today and see how I do without. (Intonation is still a problem with me on certain notes). I am typically very sharp on F, so I think you may have solved two problems here...