I don't have anywhere near enough money to get myself my own oboe, and my parents refuse to "invest" in such a "risk". So I'm stuck with these crappy rentals. Next year I'm going to a big high school. I can at least make the middle band, but they give the freshman the worst rentals regardless of their levels. Curse you, curse you all.

It's not nice to imply a threat, and of course you're bragging. You're an oboist, of course you have superior musical skills. We all do.

I see that there are many young players looking and suspect there are more of the mature variety like myself willing to share. Lots to learn and share in the world of oboe. Many parables of great worth to speed the learning and in my case a load of indebtedness to several good teachers, some of which wanted nothing more than a 'pay it forward' obligation in return for their great lessons taught.

So, in that spirit... a big toast to those who came before us... a blasphem against the demons of progress and their Arundo Donax obstructions... but mostly, a big thanks to Richard Rubenstein and Dick White for their very gentle wisdom in things leading to relaxation and graceful execution of oboe, which in my youth I thought could be gotten via physical endurance, miles of running, thousands of pushups and pure stubburnness. Lessons and guidances sometimes requiring a decade or more to comprehend. Thank you, ...you were wonderful.

Oboe is a metaphysical simile for alls that is good in the world. Doing it gives and yields great pleasures and sorrows. There is little I've seen that even comes close.

If Osama Bin Laden we're an oboist, all might be well in the world. ( and as a corrolary, if he we're ever challanged by the game of golf, at least he'd be too preccupied with that moras to cause so much trouble.)

Play on,

-Craig ( excuse typos and spelling goofs)

This message board is a good idea. I'll have to look into that when I get the time.

AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!

How can you play the oboe but not the English horn? Doesn't add up to me...

Another thing.. why can't classes be frickin' open for sophmores when it says SOPHMORE status? Huh? Why are they closed? I would like to know. I am a frickin freshman with enough credits to become a sophmore and guess what they don't let me do?!? Register for classes that are closed even though sophmores can take them! If you could get them to let me into that frickin' myth class, let me know!

Also, what is up with living in residence halls? I hate this place. People suck. They stay up to all hours of the night and play really BAD music (like Nickleback or Lifehouse (haha)) and keep me up! What the hell is their problem? I think they really really need help!

That is my rant for the day.

Love, Heidi :)

I'm still not sure I should have put this up, having nothing to do with oboes and since its from a violist... viola player... well, you get the picture.

So to all you young guys and gals out there, remember... revenge is sweet, especially when it takes a long time.

I don't know where I stand with this one... I was a jock briefly in high school... though I wasn't a linebacker... and yes, revenge is certainly a dish best served cold.

It also bothers me how the freaking choir people think that a contrabass clarinet is an oboe. Or that a basson is a piccolo. What the heck have these people been taught in school? Our tax dollars at work. Oy.

I'm not sure I entirly followed the story there, but I'm pretty sure you need to let it go, high school is vastly unimportant in the grand scheme of things. And I agree. Throats (as we call singers) are quite strange and useless people.

When Seiji Ozawa forgets about the oboes you know there's something seriously wrong in this world.

But of course if she's a senior and graduating she won't have her spot back, unless, of course, she's on the seven year plan like me...

Yeah, what'll really torch you is when you get into college and people actually OWN better instruments than yours, despite being lesser players.

My name is Ann and I am the second chair Oboe in Wind ensamble. There is one other oboe. I am also the soon-to-be only Oboe in Chamber winds. I had a nightmare that I opened my reed case and my reeds were totally mutalated and shredded. (sad, I know) And, of corse, the next day I broke my only "good" reed. Band camp is in one week and I am reedless. My reed supplyer, the other Oboe, is out of reach. I surrender.

Your reeds mysteriously became mutalated and shredded IN the case, and your source of reeds is out of reach? Conspiracy anybody?

Ok, here it goes.

I was in this really good youth orchestra for 2 years. The first year I auditioned and I got last chair. I didn't really have a problem with that because that's how I auditioned and I still got to play some neat soli parts. I practiced a ton the summer before my 2nd year of that orchestra. When I auditioned I got 1st chair, and the person who was first chair last year got 3rd chair. she was really pissed, (especialy since we were playing Beethoven's 5th) and kept complaining to me that it was unfair. she even complained to the conductor. After that, the conductor announced that all the oboes were equal and we would share all the solos. For the first concert, I got to play 1st oboe on 3 pieces which all had really good parts. And the 2nd chair got the solos on one piece, and the 3rd chair got a really nice English horn and a pretty nice oboe solo.

But for the 2nd concert, The 3rd chair got the first solos on all the pieces but one. (we were playing about 6 pieces) The one piece that she didn't get was this really loud obnoxious crappy pop piece that didn't really have any oboe solos (except a few doublings with the flute). I got that piece. The real 2nd chair played didn't get any solos.

And that pissed me off because the conductor said the solos would be divided equally and they weren't. Actualy the solos weren't even supposed to be divided at all, but because the 3rd chair complained.

Anyways, I don't know if I should be so upset about this but I am.

Sure you can be upset, but do something about it. Don't let a 3rd chair muscle around the conductor. Principles are in charge... and in the oboes case that includes being in charge of the conductor.

There is no such thing as woodwind loyalty. Oboists stand together against everyone else. It has been that way since the beginning of time and must remain that way eternally.

So anyways....on with my rant. A while ago, my student of 2 years is finally picking up the English Horn. She went to the local Hugo Helmer store and asked for an English Horn. They sold her a reed and sent her on her way. She came to my house for her lesson and I pulled out my English Horn and soaked her reed for a while. I put it on the horn and warm up a little while my student finishes a little bit of her homework. The reed sucks. I mean there's sucks where it can be fixed, and there's sucks where nothing helps. This reed was way too flat to be considered even a piece of crap. I pull it off and try anything and everything to fix it and it doesn't change at all. I inspect it more closely and find a lable on the edge of the staple that reads: "Bagpipe". I said a few nasty words, and then proceeded to throw the reed against the far wall of my living room and stomp on it. I stopped then and continued with the lesson. After the lesson ended, I took the reed and put it in the middle of my street and drove over it, put my Blazer in reverse and ran over the reed again (getting several strange looks by doing so).

Having said that and ranted about my days as an oboist, I will say this: HUGO HELMER MUSIC OF MOUNT VERNON KNOWS SHIT ABOUT WIND INSTRUMENTS!!!!

Wow, there's a lot to go through in that one. I probably shouldn't put the names of specific people up on this site when there's such negativity directed toward them... but what do I care, if they deserve it they deserve it.

That's band for you. There's still some nice band parts though, all is not that bad... just most of it.

A pic playing the oboe solos... man, I don't even know where to begin on that one.

I blame the clarinets. Our instrument came first, and then they came around and decided to use our precious wood. Clarinets have caused us all sorts of problems.

Why do some people insist on playing the English horn when they really can't? They only accomplish one thing when they play cor anglais: a noise slightly akin to that of a dying cow.

My first chair oboist in our youth orchestra is a senior and is quite sharp. I played some duets with her the other night and she confessed to be playing on 'the reed that would never die'; i.e. 'the reed that is obnoxiously out-of-tune'. She got a full paid scholarship on that reed. I would like to know how her horrible intonation failed to catch the attention of the oboe professor. I would not hesitate to say that I am much better than her, and should not be sitting third chair.

The Mozart concerto is the foremost piece of literature in the oboe repertoire. I hate it. Everyone plays it, and it gets on my nerves. It's like the neverending Riverdance of Satan.

To anyone who is searching for a good oboe, but cannot afford the Loree price tag (damn Lorees), try looking at a Buffet Green Line oboe. It has a nice, dark sound; and is guaranteed not to crack. Unless you go ice fishing and take your oboe along.

Okay, jeez, should I comment on all of these points? Why not. 1.) Reed making is a pain in the ass. Just about half an hour ago at reed making class my prof. snapped. I blame the freshmen who keep asking for cane. 2.) I personally don't like playing on the English horn, and since I'm not great at it I advoid it at every cost. 3.) There's more to being good than being in tune, but very true, an out of tune person is annoying, and playing on a reed that for all purposes died months ago doesn't help. 4.) I DON'T LIKE MOZART. HE IS OVER-RATED (along with EVERY other composer from the classical period). 5.) Can't comment, I haven't ever played on a Buffet Green Line... but I do like the idea of taking an oboe ice fishing.