Unlike a saxophone or clarinet, which has one reed and vibrates against a mouthpiece, oboes and bassoons play on two reeds vibrating against each other, called a double reed. When you first start playing the oboe, you will buy your reeds from a store or from your teacher. You'll begin making your own reeds in high school or college.
You probably won't play English Horn until high school or college, but it's never too early to learn more about it! Here, take a listen as two members of the Rochester Philharmonic tell you about their instruments and then play a duet so you can hear the two of them play together.
Listen as Titus Underwood plays his oboe in a beautiful piece of new music.
WOW! Listen as this oboe player plays one of the most difficult and fast pieces of music, Flight of the Bumblebee.
Sometimes people like the sound of oboe in jazz music! What do you think about it?