I am probably not a typical beginner.

I have not played a musical instrument since I was a freshman in high school. That instrument was a b flat Cornet.

I am now a high school math teacher.

Over the past few years I have been feeling a strong desire to study music again. I am very interested in the Oboe and the Bassoon. It is the sound they make mostly. I did not even know what double reed meant until a few days ago.

Basically I know nothing except what I have learned from the internet. Friends have suggested that I try to rent first and I believe that is good advice.

What should I look for in an oboe?

Also, I live in a rural area and doubt I will find an instructor for oboe. Is it possible to learn on my own?

Any other advice will be gratefully recieved.

You can get a lot of advice here:
www.mklreeds.com/

You express an unlikelyness to find an instructor in your town. I will suggest two ideas for you to consider.
1) find out where there is an instructor. As an instructor who works with adults I have adult students who take weekly lessons, I have adult students who take monthly lessons, and I have adult students who just come in for a coaching session when they need it or when they have time for it. So, find an instructor and then drive to them and make it a special day or weekend out of it. A little monthly junket.

2)You might also see if there are any good quality instructors who might Skype lessons with you.

Rent? I seldom see decent instruments for rent. See if you can find a good used student oboe to start with (perhaps one of your conversations with an instructor can find you one or maybe they know a place that rents good oboes).

Excellent advice. Thank you very much.

It may be interesting for yor to look att Peters page:
http://oboes.us/resources/buying.html

First off, welcome back to the music world, and thanks for your intrest in double reeds!

"What should I look for in an oboe?" Semi-literally, you just want an oboe that can get you by as you're starting. Even though you've handled an instrument before, I would rent a plastic student oboe, or purchase one in good condition, if you can. You can get one for like... $200-ish (huge generalization) bucks on eBay.

If you want to ask about the reed, process, just PM me or post here if you like, because that's a whole other deal. (;

"Also, I live in a rural area and doubt I will find an instructor for oboe. Is it possible to learn on my own?"
Although this is possible, for double reeds, I would not attempt this, quite honestly. Oboe and bassoon are just strange. It is best to get a good start now and slack off a bit later. You really want to get down the good embouchure and habits right off the bat.

I know a couple of reedmakers that offer online lessons. My reedmaker offers lessons online: http://www.reedmaker.com/index.html . You can easily take a few from someone online, just do some browsing. Also, if in your area there is a lack of oboe teachers, even if you drive an hour to meet up with a quality teacher once a month (or whenever you can), it is worth it. For double reeds, it is darn well worth it.

My advice is simple and quick.

Do NOT give up on it!

The instrument poses many challenges, and, more than naught, creates frustration during the course of the first few months (it was but a few weeks for me). It will vary, depending on the amount of time you dedicate to the instrument, and the amount of effort you're willing to put into it.

Pointers:

DO NOT soak your reeds in your mouth.

Practice at least an hour daily, it will get you far with the instrument.

Seek advice from a local oboist.

I think it is wonderful you are considering taking up the oboe!

You mentioned one of the things that drew you toward the instrument is the sound. You really need to find a teacher in order to get the oboe sound you desire. It is a tricky thing and even with forums and videos on the internet you will need someone to help you with the specifics to you.

Since you live in a rural community it might be more difficult to find a teacher who is very close to you but keep looking. Check your local music stores, ask the local colleges, and do internet searches. That will be a great place to start. Is there a professional symphony orchestra near your town? If so, there will certainly be oboists performing there. If all of these suggestions still end up at a dead end, you could try Skype lessons. Lots of musicians are offering them nowadays and it is better than nothing at all.

Renting an oboe is a good way to get started. Most music stores will only rent the beginner plastic Selmer oboes. They aren't that great but you need an instrument to play. If you were going to buy an oboe, I would really suggest finding a teacher first and having them look at it to determine if you will be inheriting more problems than it is worth.

In order to keep cost down you can buy Jones or Emerald reeds to start. Oboe reeds are expensive so it will at least get you to make a sound. If you can afford handmade reeds you will sound better right away.

I'd be more than happy to answer any other questions you have. I'm a professional oboe player. Keep us updated on your progress!

Tanya Johnson - www.reedpros.com