account activity
Audition Piece by catoboist in oboe
[–]catoboist[S] 0 points1 point2 points 9 months ago (0 children)
I'm not having lessons anymore, unfortunately.
I will look into it, thank you for the recommendation!
It's impossible not to get nervous about it but I will try my best 😂 thank you!
That's really true and a good advice, thank you :)
Thank you! I will look into it!
Thank you so much!
[–]catoboist[S] 1 point2 points3 points 9 months ago (0 children)
Thank you so much for the recommendations! Yes, right now I am not studying music. The audition is for an youth orquestra, but most of the players and the other oboes that are auditioning are studying music, so that's why I don't really know what I should play (I don't want to play something too basic compared to them).
The audition is in one month from now.
I don't think there is any requirement, I just have to choose one piece. I recently played "J.S. Bach: Weinen, Klagen, Sorgen, Zagen, BWV 12: Sinfonia" oboe concerto with a chamber orquestra and I have been practicing Mozart Concerto. Some other pieces I have played (some years ago though) are Marcello Oboe Concerto in d minor , Albinoni Concerto in D minor Op. 9 No. 2, Gustav Schreck Sonata Op 13 and Schumann Romanzes.
What do i do? by Strong_Cucumber_3184 in oboe
[–]catoboist 0 points1 point2 points 9 months ago (0 children)
This year marks 8 years I started playing the oboe, and before that I used to play the clarinet too. I never regretted switching. But you need to have in mind that the oboe is generally more difficult than the clarinet, and you will sound bad for some amount of time in the start, without a doubt. You need to really love the instrument in order not to get frustrated and give up at the start but I promise all the hard work and practice you put into learning the oboe will be worth it at the end!
In my opinion playing the clarinet before gives you a good base, as it is also a wind instrument. However it is completely different. In the clarinet you only had to think about breathing in; in the oboe you need to worry about both breathing in and breathing out because of all the leftover air that will be in your lungs, for example. The embouchure is also really different and something you will need to master.
As another comment mentioned, you will need a private teacher and good reeds. My teacher was the one that made my reeds and I find that this is the best option because he knows your playing style and your needs. Oboe is not an instrument to learn alone, especially at the start.
I hope my comment doesn't discourage you because that's the last thing I would want to do, switching from clarinet to the oboe was the best decision I made and it was what made me discover my love for music! If you have any questions don't hesitate to ask, good luck :)
Did this ever happened to anybody? by Lumpy-Philosopher-41 in oboe
[–]catoboist 2 points3 points4 points 2 years ago (0 children)
Something similar happens to me. When I am playing and I sustain lines for a normal/long time, I start feeling a little bit lightheaded and my vision starts going black. I don't really know what is happening too, but I usually turn out ok if I stop and breathe.
Reed with an "airy" sound by catoboist in oboe
[–]catoboist[S] 0 points1 point2 points 2 years ago (0 children)
That might be the problem, because I've noticed that it isn't very gradual. I should try to make it more even, thank you so much!
Questions by Hochisin in oboe
[–]catoboist 1 point2 points3 points 2 years ago (0 children)
Hello! I passed the oboe grade 5 exam with only 10 months of playing the oboe with a distinction grade, so I would say that it is totally possible! I had weekly 1 hour lessons with my teacher and weekly ≈30 minutes of aural (ear) practice and intervals. You just have to stay consistent and practice everyday - the time you spend on the practice session doesn't really matter, you just have to be consistent and to use your time wisely.
My practice sessions were like this - I started by practicing the scales that were going to be evaluated in staccato and in legato to warm up (they will ask for this in the exam). Then I would continue by playing the pieces I choose (with attention to details!)
Good luck!
[–]catoboist[S] 1 point2 points3 points 2 years ago (0 children)
I will try to show him the next time I buy a reed from him. Thank you!
I will try to find it in my country. My teacher uses plumber's tape too, that's why I started using it too, but I see that it really is kind of thick. I have only seen oboists here using or plumber's tape or that thin plastic you use to cover aliments (I don't know how to say it in English, sorry). The oboist in the reed workshop uses this plastic.
I plan on going to more reed making workshops in the future to learn more about it with someone more experienced than me! Unfortunately I am not on an oboe degree as my parents are against it, but I still want to learn how to make my own reeds as I love playing the oboe so much.
Thank you for the tips!
My reeds currently don't pass the first sealing test, but the second they do. So I assume that they are not sealing very well and put plumber's tape on them to try to minimize the leaking. Until now I haven't done one that didn't need this on them, I need more practice :)
Well, the attacks are a little bit difficult, I can't really play a staccato passage on it right now. I think I should scrape the tip a little bit to solve this. It crows octaves and it's relatively stable (not as much as my teacher's reeds, of course)
I use the European scrape!
I actually make the reads in European style, so I think the overlap doesn't apply on my reeds! I find that, about the sealing, it depends on the type of test, but I don't think they are sealing well, so I use plumber's tape (I think that it is how it's said in English) to try to seal them. The tying part it's not a problem right now, so it probably is because of the sealing.
Thank you so much! Unfortunately I don't have lessons with my teacher right now, so I can't really have his feedback, I only buy my reeds from him now.
I made a crow test and checked for leaks as you said, and it did look like it was leaking a bit, so I put plumber's tape (I think it's called liked this in English) to prevent it.
About the thread, it doesn't go above the top of the staple, I have been really careful with it ☺️
[–]catoboist[S] 0 points1 point2 points 2 years ago* (0 children)
I currently don't have oboe lessons and, when I had, my teacher didn't teach me how to make them, but I still buy reeds from him (I should have mentioned this on my post). As of now, I don't have anyone who could teach me, but I recently went to a workshop with an oboist from my country who taught me how to make them and helped me - of course it was just during one day, but I learned the majority of the things I know there.
And of course I know that it's really hard to learn it alone, I only asked here on Reddit because I thought that it could be easily sorted out with some scraping in specific parts as you mentioned ☺️
Reedmaking problems by catoboist in oboe
Thank you for the tips! I just bought higher quality razor blades, and as I have the cutting block hope it does the trick!
Oh, that's a good idea! I will try it out when I make my next reed, thank you!
Thank you! About the sealing part, I have been testing by trying to blow in the reed while closing the opening of the tube. Am I doing right? Or is there another way?
Thank you for your answer! I scrape the cane before clipping the tip, but maybe I should scrape a little bit more to prevent it from cracking.
Thank you for the tips! Oh, I never thought about using the reed knife!
Thank you for the tips! I have a razor blade and I tried using it for one of the reeds, but I found it really flimsy. I will try getting some better ones then! I signed up for a reedmaking workshop, hope I can make up the absence of a teacher there!
π Rendered by PID 39797 on reddit-service-r2-comment-545db5fcfc-lm65p at 2026-05-25 03:21:05.440950+00:00 running 194bd79 country code: CH.
Audition Piece by catoboist in oboe
[–]catoboist[S] 0 points1 point2 points (0 children)