Hey thanks for reading! I'm playing oboe (not as main instrument) at my highschool and I'm having trouble playing from Db to Eb. I can play them seperately (not touching at all) but nothing more than that! If I try to play them like eighth notes or something it either sounds like I added a note in-between or the Db sounds like a shriek. I have a pretty short pinky, which is what I'm blaming it on. Is there anything I can do to make this easier or maybe an alternate fingering? We're going to be playing a piece with Db & Eb just about every other note so I'm getting kind of worried. I'm the only oboe player so there's no one to cover up how bad this sounds! I have way too much music to learn right now anyway and I'm pretty sure my band director is insane if he thinks I can pull this off all year.

Thanks for reading!
Rachel

Your Oboe should have a left Eb key. Use that in places where you have to go from Db to Eb.



<Added>

Here's a fingering chart. It's in Pdf format but it's the clearest one I could find.

http://www.oboesforidgets.com/fingerings/oboechart.pdf

Unfortunately my oboe doesn't have that key. Thanks for the help though!

O.o Are you positive?.......

..................Do you perhaps have a picture of your Oboe? Just want to be sure.....

I don't have a picture but I asked my band director about it today. He told me it didn't have that key because it's a student model (and old too!) and he's working on getting me a new one. He said it might be here in a couple of weeks or a month. And this new one will have that key! (Yay!) But nope, no key for now.

Wow really? An oboe WITHOUT a left hand Eb? I'd like to see that =].

By the way, anyone have pictures of a left hand C#?

Well I found this video on youtube and it looks like my oboe. So unless I'm confusing the left Eb key with something else... I don't know. Have a look. It's not my video, by the way.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3-8wZYLfztk

Well in that youtube video the left Eb key is there.
I believe you and your band director are confusing the left Eb with the Left F key which beginner models don't have. If your oboe is like the one in that youtube video it also doesn't have a low Bb key.

O
O
OXO
O
O
O

The left Eb key is the X on two keys for your left pinky. Have another look at the link I posted.



<Added>

O sry forgot. Yes Canadian I believe I saw a picture of an Oboe with a left C# key. They are most well known on Tom Hiniker's Oboes which are made standard.

Well you've solved the mystery. I've been fiddling around with different keys and now I've got it! Thanks! You saved my pinky's life!!! *hugs*

O yay. Your welcome.

I hope your rehearsals and performances go well.

OboeLover, do you remember where you saw the picture? I'm really curious as to where the key is. I know it's in the Bb, B, Eb, F cluster or the "feather key cluster". So, I'm not quite sure where it fits in....

I believe it's next to the left F. I saw a picture a long while back searching about Hiniker Oboes....

I'll look around for it and when I find it again I'll message you a link.

Aha! I did some looking and I found a rigoutat english horn with a Left C#

Heres like link: http://www.oboes.us/sell/english_horns.html