Editing Oboe (section)

==Sound==

In comparison to other modern [[woodwind instrument]]s, the soprano oboe is sometimes referred to as having a "bright and penetrating" voice.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://louisvilleorchestra.org/the-amazing-instruments-of-the-orchestra/ | title=The Amazing Instruments of the Orchestra }}</ref><ref>{{cite web | url=https://www.10differences.org/difference-between-a-clarinet-and-an-oboe/ | title=Difference Between a Clarinet and an Oboe | date=22 July 2022 }}</ref> ''The Sprightly Companion'', an instruction book published by [[Henry Playford]] in 1695, describes the oboe as "Majestical and Stately, and not much Inferior to the Trumpet".<ref>{{cite book |last1=J.B. |title=The Spritely Companion |date=1695 |publisher=printed by J. Heptinstall for Henry Playford |location=London |page=2 |url=https://imslp.org/wiki/The_Sprightly_Companion_(Anonymous) |access-date=19 May 2022}}</ref> In the play ''[[Angels in America]]'' the sound is described as like "that of a duck if the duck were a songbird".{{sfn|Kushner|1993|loc=167|ps=: "The oboe: official instrument of the International Order of Travel Agents. If the duck was a songbird it would sing like this. Nasal, desolate, the call of migratory things."}} The rich [[timbre]] is derived from its [[bore (wind instruments)|conical bore]] (as opposed to the generally [[cylindrical bore]] of [[flute]]s and   [[clarinet]]s). As a result, oboes are easier to hear over other instruments in large ensembles due to its penetrating sound.<ref>{{Cite book|title=American Symphony Orchestra League|date=2001|publisher=Oxford University Press|series=Oxford Music Online|doi = 10.1093/gmo/9781561592630.article.00790}}</ref> The highest note is a semitone lower than the nominally highest note of the B{{Music|flat}} [[clarinet]]. Since the clarinet has a wider range, the lowest note of the B{{Music|flat}} clarinet is significantly deeper (a minor sixth) than the lowest note of the oboe.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ifcompare.de/|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304061700/http://www.ifcompare.com/clarinet-vs-oboe/|url-status=dead|title=ifCompare|archivedate=4 March 2016|website=ifCompare.de|access-date=19 April 2021}}</ref>

Music for the standard oboe is written in concert pitch (i.e., it is not a [[transposing instrument]]), and the instrument has a [[soprano]] range, usually from B{{Music|flat}}<sub>3</sub> to G<sub>6</sub>. Orchestras tune to a [[concert A]] played by the first oboe.<ref name='Why the Orchestra Tunes to an "A" and with an Oboe'>{{cite web|last1=Thomas|first1=Julia|title=Executive Director of the Rockford Symphony Orchestra|url=http://www.rockfordsymphony.com/faqs/why-does-the-orchestra-always-tune-to-the-oboe/|website=Rockford Symphony Orchestra|access-date=October 20, 2014|archive-date=June 5, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200605142043/https://www.rockfordsymphony.com/faqs/why-does-the-orchestra-always-tune-to-the-oboe/|url-status=dead}}</ref> According to the League of American Orchestras, this is done because the pitch is secure and its penetrating sound makes it ideal for tuning.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20090717011835/http://www.americanorchestras.org/utilities/about_the_orchestra.html "About the Orchestra"] American League of Orchestras, (accessed January 1, 2009).</ref> The pitch of the oboe is affected by the way in which the [[reed (music)|reed]] is made. The reed has a significant effect on the sound. Variations in cane and other construction materials, the age of the reed, and differences in scrape and length all affect the pitch. German and French reeds, for instance, differ in many ways, causing the sound to vary accordingly. Weather conditions such as temperature and humidity also affect the pitch. Skilled oboists adjust their [[embouchure]] to compensate for these factors. Subtle manipulation of embouchure and air pressure allows the oboist to express timbre and dynamics.

=== Reeds ===
[[File:Albrecht Mayer 04.jpg|thumb|240px|Oboist [[Albrecht Mayer]] preparing reeds for use. Most oboists scrape their own reeds to achieve the desired tone and response.]]
The oboe uses a double reed, similar to that used for the bassoon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.notestem.com/blog/oboe-vs-bassoon/|title = Oboe vs. Bassoon: Similarities and Differences}}</ref> Most professional oboists make their reeds to suit their individual needs. By making their reeds, oboists can precisely control factors such as tone color, intonation, and responsiveness. They can also account for individual embouchure, oral cavity, oboe angle, and air support.

[[File:6 Oboen.jpg|thumb|500px|Renaissance oboe (shawm); baroque oboe (Stanesby copy, maker Olivier Cottet); classical oboe, early 19th century (Copy of Sand Dalton on the original by Johann Friedrich Floth); Viennese oboe, early 20th century; Viennese oboe, late 20th century; modern oboe.]]

Novice oboists rarely make their own reeds, as the process is difficult and time-consuming, and frequently purchase reeds from a music store instead. Commercially available cane reeds are available in several degrees of hardness; a medium reed is very popular, and most beginners use medium-soft reeds. These reeds, like clarinet, saxophone, and bassoon reeds, are made from ''[[Arundo donax]]''. As oboists gain more experience, they may start making their own reeds after the model of their teacher or buying handmade reeds (usually from a professional oboist) and using special tools including [[gouge (chisel)|gouger]]s, pre-gougers, guillotines, shaper tips, knives, and other tools to make and adjust reeds to their liking.{{sfn|Joppig|1988|loc=208–209}} The reed is considered the part of oboe that makes the instrument so difficult because the individual nature of each reed means that it is hard to achieve a consistent sound. Slight variations in temperature, humidity, altitude, weather, and climate can also have an effect on the sound of the reed, as well as minute changes in the physique of the reed.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://oboehelp.com/reed-styles/|title=Reed Styles and Reed Testing|date=2017-08-11|website=Oboehelp|access-date=2020-01-10}}</ref>

Oboists often prepare several reeds to achieve a consistent sound, as well as to prepare for environmental factors such as chipping of a reed or other hazards. Oboists may have different preferred methods for soaking their reeds to produce optimal sounds; the most preferred method tends to be to soak the oboe reed in water before playing.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.yamaha.com/en/musical_instrument_guide/oboe/play/play002.html|title=How to Play the Oboe：The most attention is paid to the reeds - Musical Instrument Guide - Yamaha Corporation|website=Yamaha.com|access-date=19 April 2021}}</ref>

Plastic oboe reeds are rarely used, and are less readily available than plastic reeds for other instruments, such as the clarinet. However, they do exist, and are produced by brands such as Legere.<ref>{{Cite web|last=legereadmin|title=Oboe Reeds|url=https://www.legere.com/products/oboe-reeds/|access-date=2021-06-24|website=Légère Reeds|language=en-US}}</ref>

{{anchor|Hautbois|Hautboy|Baroque oboe}}<!-- [[Hautbois]], [[Hautboy]] and [[Baroque oboe]] redirect here. -->