About oboes
The oboe probably demands more delicate sensitivity than most of the other orchestral instruments. Professional oboists usually create their own reeds by using various tools. The oboe is a kind of musical instrument which requires players to not only hone their playing skills but also their artisan spirit.
A delicate instrument with a narrow bore and thin reeds
The oboe is a musical instrument with two reeds (double reed). The name oboe came from the French word 'hautbois', meaning 'wood which plays high pitch'. Although it was not clear who actually originated the instrument, the oboe was being played in Paris by 1670. After that, it quickly spread throughout Europe. The modern mainstream oboe is a modified version of the 18th century 'German style' oboe, and is known as the 'conservatoire system' oboe. The conservatoire system oboe was developed in the 19th century by the French oboe maker Frederic Triebert. He made the bore narrower and the reed thinner and changed the positions and size of the tone holes to create a refined timbre. The composer Richard Strauss, known for 'Thus Spoke Zarathustra', gave the highest praise to the oboe's mellifluous and melancholy timbre, a sound which has been carried on until today. By the way, the narrowest part of the oboe bore is only 4 mm, and the distance between two reeds is only about 0.5 mm. Usually wind instrument players suffer from running out of breath, but in contrast, oboe players suffer from having 'too much breath', because they can blow only a little air into the bore.
The 'German style' oboes used to be on the verge of extinction. But they were saved by Yamaha's Research and Development, and are still used by the oboists of the Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra and others.
Typical oboes are pitched in C
The oboe pitched in C is also known for being used by orchestras to tune to based on its note. The most commonly-used oboe is this C instrument, but the oboe family also includes the 'cor anglais' pitched in F, and the 'oboe d'amore' pitched in A. The former is the tenor version of the oboe. The exact origin of the name is unknown; however, it is known that Haydn called this musical instrument 'cor angle' (crooked horn). As for the oboe d'amore, Bach fell in love with its pleasant timbre and used it in about 60 of his works, including the 'St John Passion'.
If you starting to learn the oboe, you should choose a common C oboe. Oboes are made from wood or plastic. Since the oboe is an expensive instrument, we recommend you to take your time and find one that is right for you.
Range of the oboe
Related Products
Related Series
- YOB-800 Series Duet + Models
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Yamaha oboes have achieved clear sound quality and sperb intonation by dramatically improving precision and stability of the bore. Also to cope with various quality issues inherent in wooden wind instrumentsm Duet+ models employ innovative techniques to form a protective layer next to the air column. The combination of precious wood and state-of -the-art resin is not simply a "Duet" of tradition and technology - it's a "Plus" advantage indeed!
- YOB-400 Series Duet + Models
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Yamaha oboes have achieved clear sound quality and sperb intonation by dramatically improving precision and stability of the bore. Also to cope with various quality issues inherent in wooden wind instrumentsm Duet+ models employ innovative techniques to form a protective layer next to the air column. The combination of precious wood and state-of -the-art resin is not simply a "Duet" of tradition and technology - it's a "Plus" advantage indeed!
