There are few things I find more disappointing or stressful than finding that I have water clogging one of my keys during a performance. I […]
How Long Does an Oboe Last?
Unlike our string-player friends – whose instruments will probably outlast them and sound even better as time goes on – our instruments are more likely […]
Basic Oboe Care
This is my list of the basic oboe care you need to be doing to take care of your instrument and what should be taught […]
Improve Your Tone: Don’t Blow Straight Into an Oboe Reed
When I read the biography of Marcel Tabuteau last year, one of Tabuteau’s comments that made it into the book was to not blow into […]
Oboe Reeds Now Available
Head over to my shop Northwoods Oboe Reeds to buy affordable handmade oboe reeds! Handmade oboe reeds are important for your success in playing oboe […]
The Structure of an Oboe Reed
While there are many different preferences for how to scrape an oboe reed, this is an explanation of how I like my American long-scrape reeds. […]
Basic Reedmaking Principles
Learning how to make reeds can be a very frustrating process. There are so many factors and no two reeds are the same! This is […]
Teaching Reluctant Students
One of the biggest challenges for me in learning how to teach young oboe students was figuring out strategies for teaching reluctant students who did […]
The Oboe’s Overtones: Why Does the Oboe Sound So Unique
As you are probably already familiar with, instruments do not produce pure notes, but each note is accompanied by members of what is called the […]
Avoid My Reedmaking Mistakes Chapter 3: Tip Too Thin
As I have improved in my reedmaking, I have gotten better at scraping a really thin tip. Really, really thin. While this is a handy […]