When I first started playing the oboe I would get somewhat dizzy and the back of my head would sort of throb after I was done playing...This no longer happens, but I was wondering if this is a major issue or just I was maybe blowing a little too hard?

Thanks for your reply under my topic. I'd already decided not to switch, but I must have forgotten to mention that in the forum.

Dizziness is a normal thing. It mostly occurs when learning notes above high C. It may also be your reeds. If they are too hard, then you may want to buy softer reeds or make them softer. I'm not sure how long you've been playing, but hopefully you're using hand-made reeds at this point. Machine-made reeds (bought from general music shops) are a bit of a pain.

Blowing too much isn't a problem on the oboe. At first, you're always the loud one and probably out of tune; but it'll only be a matter of time before you start getting complaints that you're not playing loud enough. Well, it's not definitely going to happen, but it's happened with me and other, better oboes whom I know.

Anyway, don't worry about dizziness.

--James Dowdy Moose

P.S. I used to be a sax player, too. Plan on starting again when I get out of high school.

i actually had these things and then they went away for a couple of months but now i'm supporting "correctly" and they seem to come back

This happened to me too.

I am a Alto saxophone player and I know that the oboe takes at least twice the amount of air.

You just need to take small breaks in between music.

i've been playing for 2 or 3 years now, and all of a sudden my mouth started to hurt while i would play.. and this hasn't happened since i first started out. i also just got my braces off yesterday and i don't know if the braces were a factor or not. does anybody know?

<Added>

my mouth has stopped hurting too... i guess what i'm trying to say if my lips were getting tired

<Added>

correction.. again. i meant to say was ... i guess what i'm trying to say IS* my lips were getting tired.

I doubt it was because of braces. Based on what I've heard, since I've never needed braces, there aren't many problems with braces being taken on or off and double reeds. Perhaps when you got your braces off, you started to bite a bit while playing.

the thing is my lips started to get tired two weeks or earlier before i got my braces off.. so i'm still not sure

I still think it may be biting. It's an unconcious thing, sometimes.

what do you mean biting.. biting what? my lip, the reed?

Biting your lips.

It's good to hear that braces don't usually cause that much problem. I am supposed to get them after the region/allstate competitions.

the dizzyness was simply because you weren't used to exerting that much air. its normal.