Which is higher oboe or clarinet

A bad reed makes it nearly impossible for even a professional player to sound good. Many students take private lessons to supplement their band class, a great way to get better faster. The price of equipment is an important consideration when deciding whether to learn the oboe or the clarinet. Oboes tend to be more expensive than similar quality clarinets. This is mostly because the oboe has more complex keywork.

Examples of oboe and clarinet prices:. When purchasing an oboe, you need to make choices on which keys you would like — how many octave keys, and whether there is a left hand F lever. Both instruments require additional accessories that add to the cost. For the clarinet, a mouthpiece usually comes with the instrument when purchased. Double reeds for the oboe are more expensive and fragile than single reeds for the clarinet. Both instruments need to be taken care of in order to assure they play properly.

In time, small repairs may be necessary, like replacing a pad or spring, due to wear and tear. For these types of small repairs on the clarinet, you or your band director may be able to fix it. For an oboe, in contrast, because the keywork is more complex, the instrument often needs to be sent to a music repair shop.

Likewise for reed work. Learning the fingerings for notes is typically easier on oboe , because it has a smaller pitch range than the clarinet. Also, the oboe changes registers at the octave, so a D3 has almost the same fingering as a D4. On the oboe, the fingers are spaced wider apart , which can sometimes be uncomfortable, especially for someone with small hands.

The holes are not all completely open, which makes playing easier. In the kit are clippable plastic pieces which can be placed over the open holes. This makes it much easier to reach the keys.

The clarinet has a wider pitch range than the oboe. While this is a good attribute, it does mean that there are more fingerings to learn and remember. This means you use different fingerings for notes in different octaves. Clarinet is an open hole instrument. Learning to completely cover the holes for a fingering can be a challenge, especially for young students with small fingers.

Composers often give Clarinetists fast-moving, technical music to play. While oboists play technical music, too, you see this in clarinet music of all styles. As discussed, clarinet reeds are cheaper per reed than oboe reeds. Unlike its predecessor, the chalumeau, this clarinet was longer, had a bell, wider bore, and had eight holes and 2 keys.

Later, Hyacinthe Klose suggested to the instrument maker Louis Buffet that a clarinet could be made using this so-called Boehm system. They produced a clarinet with seventeen keys and six rings that controlled twenty-four tone holes, which is essentially the instrument that is used today. The oboe originates from the antiquity era, known as the zurna with the shawm also existing in overlapping time periods.

The actual oboe, known as hautbois in French, was most likely developed in the court of Louis XIV in By this point, the use of finger plates instead of open rings was employed. A clarinet has a mouthpiece and a barrel, whereas the oboe reed gets placed directly into the instrument.

The clarinet, a treble clef instrument, is most often found in the key of Bb in the modern band and orchestra world, however clarinets in the key of A are also used. A clarinet has the most homogeneous range of any of the woodwinds. At any point in the range, a good clarinetist can play any dynamic. The timbre can be described as deep and rich in the lowest register the chalumeau , pure in the middle register the clarion , and more piercing and bright in the highest register the altissimo.

All that being said, the overall sound of a clarinet is very mellow. The clarinet has the widest range in the woodwind family, spanning over three octaves. Unlike the oboe, no vibrato is used while playing clarinet, unless explicitly asked for in special circumstances. Here is what a clarinet sounds like:. The oboe, another treble clef instrument, is always found in the key of C. The dynamic range is not as large as the clarinet, especially in the extremes of ranges.

It is known for its ability to pierce through the sound of an entire ensemble. It is an expressive instrument, with a dark lower octave, and piercing upper octave. The range of an oboe spans almost three whole octaves.

Here is an example of what an oboe sounds like:. Single reeds, such as clarinet reeds, come in boxes of about 10 reeds. They have different strengths, such as 2 or 2. The difference in strengths matters for how each individual player plays: the strength of their embouchure, how much air they put through their instrument, etc. An oboe reed is sold individually. There are many different types of reeds, check out my article about oboe reeds to read more about them.

As the strengths of reeds for clarinets, there is a way to mark that for machine-made oboe reeds. For an oboe reed, they sell them as medium-soft, medium, or medium-hard. These ratings of strength are similar to single reeds - they are merely used to help individual players choose the right reed for them.

A Guide For Young Oboists. The oboe is not a clarinet and so can you!! The oboe is also not a bassoon or a saxophone…. Tags: difference between oboe and clarinet , what is the difference between an oboe and a clarinet. How can I avoid playing sharp on the oboe? And how to play in tune. December 9, How to teach articulation and tone for the oboe- Contrasting features of the pedagogical writings of professors that begin with the letter S:Sprenkle, Schaeferdiek, and Schurring August 26, How to alleviate hand position problems on the oboe.

Especially for young players December 20, How can I improve my oboe embouchure with Photos and Video November 21, Juan 18 Aug Reply. Hey Danny! Nice braid! Now I know that an oboe is not a clarinet, and I am ergo I think.

DannyCruzOboe 18 Dec Reply. You Nailed it!!! Kit-man 2 Dec Reply. Nice article!