I bought a new oboe Fox 450 for my 11 year old. I am waiting to have someone more experienced test it to see if it`s a keeper. In the meantime I let her play it once. She says she can`t play high d (one octave above middle c) in tune- it sounds very flat. She seems to be right on this-we compared to our piano. She says her fingering is right. Are problems like this common in a new instrument? She was playing a school oboe, a buffet before. I`m an oboe idiot, so any advice would be appreciated.

Hi there, if you bought this oboe, and your 11 year old cannot play EVERY note that she can usually play correctly in tune on her old buffet, then you should send the oboe back and get another one! You may want to give it just a little while because if the old buffet was wood, and the fox is a resin topjoint, it may be a little differnt, but it shouldnt be significant. I take it since you are buying a 4000 oboe for your 11 year old, that she is used to playing the oboe correctly and good, so her judgement is probably best on the matter. If the notes are not playing right, and its a brand new instro, send it back and get another one, because with any new instrument, especially fox, they should play perfectly with an experienced player. IF you do end up sending it back, it may be worth your while to actually buy 2 oboes, and have your daughter play both of them and pick out which one she likes best, and then just simply send the other one back. Depending on where you got your oboe from they usually allow returns within a certain time period. Hope this helps!

If I were you, just to stay on the safe side, check to make sure that the reed is all the way in the instrument. If not, it can throw off notes in the upper range and consequently make them flat. Or check for a mechanical error.Good Luck!

Playing this note using only the pinky finger on the right hand normally makes it sharper. Remember that every handmade instrument is slightly different, and so will have its own unique characteristics re tuning, which you need to adjust for using your embouchure. I hope this helps.