The oboe is an instrument that belongs to the woodwind family. Its name is derived from the French word “hautbois”, which means “high-wood”. It has a conical shape and its sound is produced by the vibration of blowing through a double reed.

The oboe family consists of various instruments. The most known are the English horn (tenor or alto), and the oboe d’amore (mezzo soprano)-mostly used in the music of Johann Sebastian Bach.

The oboe is used mostly in a symphonic orchestra setting, but also used alone, in chamber music or bands.

In the symphony orchestra it is the instrument used to tune the orchestra using the “A” as tuning note. It is used because among the orchestra instruments it is the one that stays better in tune.

Oboe Reeds

Professional oboe players make their own reeds to meet their individual needs. Making their own reeds allow the oboist to control factors such as their individual sound and the tuning of their instrument.