My daughter has never played an instrument and wants to learn the oboe. The school band teacher recommended her starting on clarinet for a year or 2 first. Learning any instrument is difficult at first, so why shouldn`t she start out with the instrument she really wants to play ?

I think that if she wants to play the oboe, she has to start with the oboe. If she doesn`t like clarinet, she will give up and never start to play oboe. Yeah, it`s difficult but my teacher played oboe since he was a little child and he`s the best oboist I know! how old is your daughter?

I agree with Ember. The key may be in getting her a good teaacher.

Starting with clarinet and then going to oboe is not the best idea...clarinet and oboe embouchures are totally different and you can pick up some bad habits from clarinet. I think she should just start with oboe, just be sure to get a good teacher for her. Good luck, oboe`s an awesome instrument!

Thanks! I thought that advice sounded wrong, we will start looking for an oboe teacher. Anyone know of any in Rhode Island?

There is a great oboe teacher in Rhode Island, Cheryl Bishkoff of the Rhose Island Philharmonic. Good luck.

I started on clarinet for 3 weeks. Then I went to oboe. If she has to play another insturment before starting oboe, I would say flute. I just started playing flute and the fingerings are much better. Then it comes to the resistance problem. START ON OBOE!

Well, I`m going into 11th grade in September, and I started off on oboe in the sixth grade, my teacher never hesitated to ask me to start on another instrument. But once I got into high school I marched oboe for one year, then we got a new teacher and he did let me march oboe (he said it was too dangerous because if I fell the the reed could through my mouth and into my brain cavity, that kinda scared me) and I was forced to play flute. So I`ve been playing flute for about nine months and it`s my second instrument. My point is, I don`t think you have to start on another instrument and if they do then I reccomend flute because it`s in the same key and the fingerings are similar.

I remain on my idea of starting with oboe, but I`d rather suggest sax than flute. Maybe soprano, if she`s a small girl, `cause saxes are heavy :D

I started with sax and I found very easy to change, fingerings are very similar and the reed is single but it`s not so difficult to pass from sinngle to double reed.

Ive been playing flute for about 6 years and i taught myself oboe fingerings and embroucher last summer and im just starting it again because im going to play flute/piccolo in marhcing band and oboe in concert band... i found it incrediably easy to remember the oboe fingerings its just hard keeping resistance blowing into it... but i guess i will get better the more i practice...

My advice though, id say start out on the oboe WITH a privet teacher... otherwise start out on flute ( its always eaiser to learn a second instrument once u learned once first...)