I took up oboe in 6th grade (I`m in 8th now) after playing the clarinet since 4th grade. It took me 3 months to get the hang of it, and yes, private lessons are expensive. My lesson teacher charges $50 for 45 minutes. But, if you really want to try it, go for it!

I think it`s a great idea! I switched from clarinet to oboe, but it`s not easy. The fingerings are pretty much all different, so is the embouchure and breathing. The breathing was the hardest for me to learn, I even fainted once during a concert (talk about embarassment), but I really do enjoy playing the oboe much more than I did the clarinet.

I started on the oboe in the sixth grade as my first wind instrument. Sense then i have also started the flute i dont know how easy it will be to switch from the clarinet but i know i to have fainted

All, i know is that I took up the oboe in seventh grade and have been having a blast. I haven`t ever fainted, but I have come pretty close to it. There aren`t that many oboes usually in bands so, being one of the only ones is pretty cool. Besides you get great music AND can most of the time just overpower the clarinets when you have the same music. By all means take it up!!! It has great sound and is easy to keep a good tone.

Learn as many instruments as you can, but at least get really good at the one your currently playing before learning another one. Also, don`t stop playing your other instruments

Hi,

I`m not an oboe player but one of my teacher in music college was. He told me that the major problem of breathing in oboe is caused by the tiny reeds. Smaller reeds generate greater fiction to vibrate. So breathing in oboe is more difficult than in clarinet. Besides breathing problem, lips also easier to get tired.

One thing I want to add is that, also told by my teacher, it was a historical issue to use oboe as tuning instrument in orchestre. It isn`t because of it`s good tuning. In contary, this instrument`s tuning was very bad in the pass. So, in order to make the performance in tune, all the others tune with it. And this habbit follows today.

Moreover, being a music teacher myself now, I strongly recommend U to choose music instrument from your heart. No matter the reasons are because of the instrument is good hearing or simply U think the appearance when playing is awesome. U`ll practise no matter how hard it is if U really like it.

Go ahead! Just do it!

I have played oboe for over 2 years (4th grade) and when I swiched to oboe from clarinet, I had to take private lessons from my friends dad for 2 weeks so that I could catch up w/ the rest of the band.
I am now in 6th grade and am still playing oboe. I think that oboe, clarinet, and flute are defiantly different and the clarinet fingerings aren`t even the same.
If you would like to switch to oboe, I suggest that you have the following requirments:
~You have played another aerophone before
(preferably clarinet)
~You know how to play with a double-reed
~You can get at least 80+ min. of practice a week
(oboe is tricky)
~You know how to read notes.

If you are interested in playing oboe, I say go for it!!!

Hey,
I`ve been playing the oboe for 3 years now and I definitely agree with Oboe Lover!!!! A lot of practice just with the reed for a while can help a lot. try to figure out some fingerings and then take lessons. I already knew almost all my fingerings b4 I took lessons...but, lessons fixed like, all my problems. But you should definitely try oboe!!!! I`m sure you`ll have a blast!!!

Practising wif the reed is definitely a muz.My instructor made mi bring onli my oboe reed home to practise for 5 mins a day.The fingerings are actually quite easy.Starting from b flat,the lower notes r actually quite easy too...juz need lotz of deep deep breaths.

I started on the Oboe and did not have much trouble. Of course, my district starts band at grade six and I was waiting to join since I was about seven. Also, I wanted to play Oboe, so it came to me pretty easily. I say go for it, although most people say Clarinet is one of the easiest and reverse for the Oboe, i think that isn`t quite true. If you are passoinate for music and really want to succeed at the Oboe, I am sure you will do well. Besides, the reed on the Oboe is one of the main reasons that most people think that the Oboe is so hard, no the fingerings. Except the hirer and lower octives, the fingerings for the middle notes are alike except the octive key. In conclusion... GO FOR IT!! The Oboe is like THE funnest instrument. E-mail me for any questions about fingerings and reed care!

Well...i dun count the clarinet easy...oboe is,to mi,easier than e clarinet...those clarinet players hu juz joined the band this yr,lik mi,they cant even make their mouth shape perfectly...n i`m better then them.....not bragging or NE thing...but tat was wat the band conductor said e other day....

No!! You shouldn`t take up oboe.... clarinet is way different and the oboe is much more difficult. If you are trying it just for fun, it`s a lot of work just to make a sound on an oboe if you`ve been playing a clarinet that long. I have played the oboe for five years, and my friend who plays the clarinet tried to play my oboe once, it wasn`t pretty. So... just try it for a month or two... and if it doesn`t work, don`t keep on trying... you might hurt some people`s ears.

yes!!its fun!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
worked 4 me

Just pretend that Jami didn`t say anything. Now watch the swaying pendulum. Yes, erase that post from you mind, lol. . Go for the oboe!

I think for a begginers insturment you will have to work hard on it. I took up clarinet first and made exelent achievements on this insturment. In highschool I took up oboe. It was one of the best desisions of my life. One of the resons for not taking up the oboe first is because learning to read music and the proper way of playing to oboe all at once. I took on fast on the oboe because of the similar keywork and the ability to read advanced repitoirs.