The Oboe

The oboe is a long slender black tube with metal keys. It looks a lot like a clarinet, except for the mouthpiece.

The oboe has a double reed, two pieces of wood tied together that look like a flattened straw. The double reed is inserted into the top of the instrument mouthpiece.

There are 2-4 oboes in an orchestra.

A standard oboe is 2 feet long.

To play it, you hold the oboe in up-and-down position, put the end of the double reed in your mouth and blow. You use both hands to press on the keys to open and close the holes, and change the pitch of the sounds.

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