Im in a bit of a dilemma. I live in Australia and currently play on a thumbplate system. I have been learning for 18 months and i am about to go onto grade 5/6 in AMEB standards. I am about to buy a new/ secondhand oboe but i dont know what type. A professional Australian oboeist has told me that i should start to learn on the conservatoire system and my class music teacher wants me to as well because it is the accepted method in Australia. My oboe teacher who is the only other oboe player for a few hundred kms wants me to buy one im confortatble with.

I personally like the thumbplate system and I have already got a list of potentials. My dad doesnt want me to get a dual system as he thinks it will only do an anerage job at each system, not the great job i need. Is he right to worry about a dual system not being good enough? I plan to get to at least grade 8 AMEB standard.

I also would like an opinion on open hole and gillet models. Which do you prefer?

Thankyou. This will be a lot of help.

As most of the members of this forum appear to be in USA not many will understand your question! The thumbplate system was only accepted in Britain & its former colonies despite both systems having been developed at about the same time by Triebert in France.

The thumbplate system is better than the conservatoire one in that the C & B flat (Middle of the stave) are a closer match tonally to the surrounding notes as you are not closing the hole for RH first finger. On a dual system oboe you will find that the tuning is slightly different on these two notes using the two systems - the cons. versions being slightly flatter. There is no way round this (for the same reason as the tonal differences). These notes ought to be tuned for the thumbplate fingering as this will be the normal fingering used - the cons. one being used for trills & fast passages only. A Howarth oboe should be tuned this way but other makes might not be especially if the plate is added later. This is easily rectified though by a competent technician.

This is a long winded way of saying there will be no real compromises on a dual system instrument.

Very few oboes - if any - are now made with ring keys - they are definitely totally out of fashion.

Hope this helps.

Ian

What are ring keys?

Thankyou! Your reply makes a lot of sense.

Caitlin

Ring keys = open hole.