most students are able to quickly get something to come out<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nA beginner flute sound often starts out slightly airy, but will still be palatable. Oboe sound is difficult to control, and it might sound similar to a honking goose for a while.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Because the oboe has two reeds to vibrate<\/strong>, beginners may find it challenging to get the instrument to respond right away. Flute is much simpler to get the air to connect and make sound. <\/p>\n\n\n\nIt takes practice and time to achieve a nice sound on either instrument, but oboe usually takes longer to do so. It will take years to develop a consistent, characteristic tone on oboe.<\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>No reeds vs making your own reeds<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe quality of your sound on oboe is heavily influenced by the reed<\/strong>. Pre-made or manufactured oboe reeds can be purchased, but will never be to the same standard as handmade reeds. <\/p>\n\n\n\nAs they progress, oboists learn to make their own reeds, by hand, which is a specialized skill in itself. It takes a lot of attention to detail and practice to cut and shape reeds<\/strong>, but will guarantee a quality reed made exactly the way you need. <\/p>\n\n\n\nCrafting reeds is a time consuming task, especially without experience, and requires specialty tools. Taking into account that an oboe reed will last for 10-15 hours of playing<\/strong>, you will be spending a lot of time creating reeds every 2-3 weeks<\/strong> or so.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThe flute requires no reeds at all<\/strong>. Flutists do not have to spend any extra time creating anything for their instrument, and can solely focus on practicing their music rather than making reeds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Breath support & breath control<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nBoth instruments require good breath support and control, but vary greatly in how this is approached. When it comes to the amount of air and how it’s used, flute and oboe are basically the opposite of each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On flute, the player takes large, deep breaths<\/strong>, and likely uses all of their air while playing. In fact, young flutists often run out of air and must expand their lung capacity to make it through phrases in music.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn oboe, you will never need that amount of air. Due to the small bore<\/strong> of the instrument and the tiny opening of the reed<\/strong>, the instrument does not require a large amount of air.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThis is often described as back pressure<\/strong>, since the oboe cannot physically take the amount of air you\u2019d inhale in a normal breath. In fact, oboists have to exhale at the end of phrases because of excess air. <\/p>\n\n\n\nSo while flutists will take large, open breaths to begin phrases, oboists will exhale old air and then inhale a small amount of air to continue playing<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the oboe, it is essential that stale air be exhaled, which flutists will never be concerned with due to using their air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Embouchure challenges<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nEach instrument contains its own unique embouchure challenges that players face throughout their time on the instrument. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
On the flute, there is a lot of room for error in placement. With flute, placement of the headjoint and mouth hole can be tricky to find<\/strong>. You cannot roll the instrument out or in, and it must be centered correctly beneath the lip before the air stream can connect. <\/p>\n\n\n\nPlacing the flute too high or low on the lips will also cause issues, and only a small amount of the embouchure hole should be covered<\/strong>. Aiming the air into the mouth\/embouchure hole can be difficult to master as well. <\/p>\n\n\n\nThe exact shape of the lips and how you form them varies by player, but in general, the air should be aimed at a downward diagonal angle into the flute. It\u2019s like finding a magic spot.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The shape of the lips for the double reed of an oboe is difficult to create<\/strong>. The reed is placed on the bottom lip, which is then rolled over the bottom teeth, and the top lip rolls in to be placed on top. <\/p>\n\n\n\nBecause the reed is so tiny, the aperture must be tiny as well<\/strong>. Control of these muscles in the lips takes a lot of time and practice, and requires an abundance of strength and endurance. <\/p>\n\n\n\nMany beginning oboists \u201cbite\u201d down on the reed too hard and close off their sound. The opening of the mouth should be a precise but relaxed oval, without too much pressure. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Tuning challenges<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nWhile it can be challenging for beginning to intermediate players to learn to tune any instrument, oboe is one of the hardest to tune<\/strong>. This is because there is no way to adjust the instrument.<\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the flute, the headjoint can be pulled out or pushed in<\/strong> to assist the player in correcting pitch. Some adjustment by the player will still need to be made for certain notes, but nothing drastic.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere isn\u2019t a way to adjust the oboe<\/strong>, and the reed is made to be placed on the instrument all the way. All tuning is done by the player loosening or tightening their embouchure and adjusting their airflow accordingly, which requires muscle and ear training.<\/p>\n\n\n\nIt doesn\u2019t help that the slightest change in temperature and humidity affects the reed. Crafting quality reeds and carefully maintaining them will help with tuning on oboe. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Fingering challenges<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nFlute is designed for ease of finger movement, and so most of its fingering system is logical and simple to learn<\/strong>. The mechanisms respond quickly and everything is relatively straightforward. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the oboe, because of its conical bore, no scale is perfectly tuned. <\/strong>This is compensated for with alternate fingerings <\/strong>or using cross fingerings, which can be tricky to remember and use.<\/p>\n\n\n\nThere are pinky keys on both instruments, but several more on the oboe. The oboe also has an octave key for the thumb<\/strong>, which the flute does not have, and sometimes requires a half hole covering. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOverall, the fingering system on the oboe is more complicated than on the flute due to the extra keys and alternate fingerings. <\/p><\/blockquote><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
<\/span>Difficulty of oboe vs flute parts<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nThe flute is a technically proficient instrument and is designed to play fast passages of extreme difficulty<\/strong>. These fast passages will still require diligent practice to play well, and composers take advantage of the instrument\u2019s proficiency by writing demanding music<\/strong>. <\/p>\n\n\n\nOn the other hand, oboe music is not as technically demanding<\/strong> because the instrument has more limitations. There are flute parts that would be impossible for the oboe to play. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<\/span>Challenges in band or orchestra<\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n\nIn an orchestra, the principal oboist has a major responsibility<\/strong> within the group. It is tradition for the orchestra to tune to the oboe, which creates pressure on the player to maintain accurate pitch.<\/p>\n\n\n\nAlso, the oboe is often used as a solo instrument in ensembles<\/strong>, so having a beautiful tone is important. The sound of the oboe carries, so it is easily heard.<\/p>\n\n\n\nFlute parts tend to be more technically demanding in both band and orchestra. <\/p>\n\n\n\n