Upgrades

Accessories/Gift Ideas

Oboe Stand - A great stand for rehearsal or home. Students who keep their instrument out are more likely to practice.

About Double Reeds

Double Reeds are at the forefront of how the oboe speaks and how we make our sound as oboists. It is of extreme importance to understand that there are very bad reeds and we should avoid purchasing inferior reeds. How a reed is made and how it is balanced has a lot to do with how well it will play. There is nothing the oboe player depends on more, than the condition of his/her reed and double reeds are very sensitive and delicate. Most double reed students begin to make their own reeds as they progress as a musician. This must be done with a private instructor and I would highly recommend all double reed students to study privately.

Reeds are expensive and they need to be cared for in a case. I recommend this reed case (Reed Case for Oboe and Bassoon) This case helps keep reeds safe while not in play and does not allow the reeds to warp. It is important to keep reeds within this case to help lengthen the life of a reed (saving you money) and it also preserves its playability. I also keep extra humidity packs in the band room should students need to replace them (for free!).

Recommended Reed

Charles Double Reeds - This website is the way to go! They have the best reeds for the money. Middle school students should be playing on the student reeds and high school students should move to the standard reed.

Instrument

The last thing to do as you progress is to upgrade your instrument. Student model instruments only allow you to go so far in your musical endeavors and an intermediate or better instrument will help you achieve that characteristic tone of the oboe and allow you to play with more ease. Also intermediate models and better are made from real wood. This is a concern because a true wooden instrument is very fragile and students must take great care in keeping them indoors and out of big temperature swings. I recommend 2 instruments and believe you should play instruments before making a purchase. Please contact Mr. Rafter (trafter@delranschools.org) if you are considering making a new instrument purchase.