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Hey look! A serious thread! (Sorry. That was uncalled for.)

Okay. So, I play oboe. I've played for about six years, and I think I'm pretty decend. I play in two youth orchestras and am first chair (well, one of two; apparently we tied) in my school band. Anyway, I've recently realized that my "sound" is really weird. It's as flat and dead as a clarinet. I mean no offense; somebody will know what I mean. Oboe is supposed to have a piercing sound, one that has no hope of blending with anything. Composers have to be careful about giving oboe harmony because it just naturally draws the ear.

Anyway, my playing doesn't. It could be the weather (oboeists blame everything on the weather), but I don't think so. I actually think that I've been fighting the typical oboe sound for years, because I didn't want to sound like Claire (the girl I tied for first chair) because she plays soft reeds. I have no respect for those who play soft reeds.

Then I thought that maybe I don't even want to sound like a typical oboeist. There are some professionals that I can't stand. They tounge too hard and bend the pitch and can't control it; it sounds weird when the just from low to high registers, ect. And, like the common opinion, they sound like ducks. Not pretty. I don't know who pays them.

Please don't reply to this saying "You're right. Oboe sucks. Play saxophone," because I think there's a sound that I'm going for...I just haven't got it yet. At the moment, I sound like crap. And weird crap, at that. If you could give me some advice about different styles of oboe, or tell me what it's supposed to sound like, or even link me to some songs by unusual oboeists...well, I can't say it'll do anything, but I will love you forever.

wow thats weird.... usually oboe's (or at least all the ones in our school) are painfully sharp