Parts of the oboe.

What are the parts of the oboe?

The oboe is made up of 5 main parts:

• Upper joint
• Middle joint
• Bell
• Keys
• Reed

Upper joint:

The upper joint is where the left hand is placed. It has a conical bore. At the small opening in its upper central part, the reed is inserted; this is what makes the instrument sound.

Middle joint:

As in the upper joint, the middle joint contains a large number of keys, controlled here by the right hand. On the back there is also the thumb rest. It also has a conical bore. The upper joint, middle joint and bell fit together through joints called tenons, covered with cork.

Bell:

The bell is the last part of the oboe and is named after its shape. It extends and widens the middle joint and projects the sound that starts in the reed and travels through the whole instrument. In a way, it works as an amplifier.

Keys:

The keys cover the holes of the oboe. Together they form a mechanism that, when pressed, lets us open and close different holes and reach holes our fingers could not cover, so we can play all musical notes. Throughout history, the oboe key system has evolved from keyless oboes and 2- or 3-key Baroque oboes to today’s complex mechanism. In another post we will talk about the different key systems and fingerings used today.

The oboe key mechanism is delicate, so it is important to assemble the instrument carefully. Here is a video where we explain how to assemble the oboe correctly.

Reed:

The reed is not exactly a part of the oboe, but it is essential because without it we cannot play. If you want to learn more about the oboe reed and its parts, or about the parts of the reed scrape, here are two posts from our blog:

the oboe reed and its parts