An Oboe and Reed Troubleshooting Guide
for Parents and Students

Welcome to the weird and wonderful world of the oboe! Here are some ground rules for dealing with this lovely instrument:

1. ALWAYS swab the oboe after playing to avoid build-up of nasty green stuff on the inside of your instrument. To do this, unwind the swab and untie any knots (VERY important!), then feed the weight through the bell of the oboe and pull the swab through gently. Repeat. If the swab gets stuck, take the oboe apart and pull it back through the other way using the handy string that's there for exactly this purpose. If it won't budge, take it to me or your band director. Please do not get a hammer involved in any part of this process!

2. If you're having trouble getting the oboe together or the reed in, use cork grease. I love this minty-fresh stuff they give the band kids, it's great!

3. If you suddenly can't get the lower register to play AT ALL, despite your best efforts, something is probably wrong with the instrument. Bring it to me or the band director. I can fix some minor adjustment problems, but I am not an expert repairman.

4. If you get a weird gurgling noise on a particular note, you have water in a key. Take a very thin piece of paper and test each key for water under the pad. You'll undoubtedly get a demonstration of this at some point during a lesson when the problem pops up.

5. If the reed suddenly won't play or becomes extremely flat, it probably has a big ol' crack down the center. This happens sometimes. C'est la vie. Use a spare.

6. NEVER ADJUST A REED YOURSELF unless you have special permission from me (which will only happen if I'm teaching you to make reeds). This goes for parents as well. Don't use a kitchen knife or scissors or sledgehammer, just take out a spare and bring the dud to me in your next lesson.

7. Never hesitate to call me if you have questions or a problem that is not on this list. My cell phone number is and I can best be reached later in the evening or anytime on the weekend. I'm always happy to hear from students or parents and I just love to talk about the oboe!