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Extra-curricular activities

Find advice on the best extra curricular activities in secondary schools and primary schools here.

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Original poster

Which instrument for ds (8) - cello, flute, clarinet or oboe?

42 replies

bisjaralympics · 06/09/2012 22:33

He is going to try them at school and will chose one. What are the pros and cons of each? Is one a better choice than the others?

OP posts:

iwantedanonymity · 06/09/2012 22:39

If he would ever want to be in an orchestra I'd go for cello.

An orchestra will need 2-3 flutes/clarinets and as they ae by far the most popular instruments unless he is brilliant he won't get a look in.

Oboe is hard so hardly anyone plays it but you have to be really talanted to get to play oboe in an orchestra

Cello is a beautiful instrument and will have upto 6 desks (ie 12 players) in any orchestra so if he is even just average at it he might get a place

(should confess I played cello for years - got to grade 6 and managed to be in school and local orchestras where oboe/flute/clarinettists needed grade 8 plus a stinkingly hard audition to get in)

pinkteddy · 06/09/2012 22:39

clarinet and oboe both use reeds and I think you have to have all your adult top teeth through IIRC so that may be something to take into consideration. Out of the two i would say the oboe is the more difficult instrument to get a nice sound out of.

I don't know anything about playing cello although I would imagine it would be the most expensive of the four to buy.

The flute is probably easiest to play out of all of them but has a particular blowing style which may be difficult to learn but once technique is mastered you will get a good sound quite quickly.
Hope this helps!

Colleger · 06/09/2012 22:41

Oboe and clarinet can be difficult to blow and it can take a while to get good tone on the oboe. Children also often complain of sore thumbs because of the thumb rest.

Not much wrong with the flute if a child can blow it. I've never heard of physical strain on the flute - well maybe if one plays 3-4 hours a day!

The size of the winds make them transportable. They are always popular so usually plenty of wind groups for flute and clarinet. However, competition can be fierce but this is less so on the oboe.

Cello's downside is size. Apart from that it is needed in the orchestras so he would always be in demand!

whojamaflip · 06/09/2012 22:42

Ds started with flute this time last year but his arms weren't quite long enough to play it comfortably and he couldn't get a note out of it. He was going to forget about playing and instrument cos he found it really frustrating but his teacher suggested he tried clarinet and tbh he hasn't looked back and is now in the school orchestra!

Oboe I know nothing about but I do remember a friend telling me about the cat dying wailing when her ds started the cello.......

calypso2008 · 06/09/2012 22:43

Definitely clarinet.
I play all these except the oboe (impossible and sounds really awful unless you are brilliant!)

The clarinet you start on grade 3, it is easy to master and sounds good. It is also cheap and easy to carry around. Then you can just more or less pick up a saxophone (alto) later in life and play it! Same as the clarinet. So, clarinet for your DS all the way, I would say.

numptymark1 · 06/09/2012 22:45

flute will get something sounding like a tune most quickly -plus it's the easiest to transport to and from school!

cello is a pita to transport, the sound travels through your floor and it takes quite a while to get a sound out of it

clarinet lovely sound (I could listen to it all day) and very easy switch to sax when he is older -but it's a reed and you have to suck them which is a bit grim when his friends ask if they can have a go -plus they split so you have to keep replacing them

oboe really quite difficult to play, same issue with the reed but as I wanted said, most likely to get an orchestra slot

so it depends on what his ambitions are with his music really

Hopeforever · 06/09/2012 22:46

I love the cello, but it's a right pain to transport......

Original poster

bisjaralympics · 06/09/2012 22:47

I like the sound of the oboe but I'm worried it may take ds a long time to make a sound I'd want to listen to. I'm quite surprised by the odd choice of instruments (eg no violin on offer) but I assume it must be based on what space they have in the school orchestra. Having looked at the cost of an oboe my favourite choice would be the cello!

OP posts:

fruitpastille · 06/09/2012 22:51

I did oboe for a bit as my dad thought it was a good idea to be in demand. I wasn't too bad but hated being the only one in am orchestra and lacked the confidence needed. I was much happier when i switched to flute and could sit with my friends. Reed is a non issue in my experience. Cello could be a pain as they will want a lift.

RaspberryLemonPavlova · 06/09/2012 22:57

You may well have a view, but it may not be the instrument your DS wants to learn, or is most suited to. I'd wait until he has tried them and see what he thinks.

DD plays cello and it is good for orchestra, but very limiting for other groups. She also plays alto and baritone saxes and there is a big variety of windbands and jazz groups to play with.

DS 2 plays clarinet and trombone and loves them both.

Jux · 06/09/2012 23:00

Cello. When he's older, he can then also play bass guitar and earn a fortune playing tours for old has-beens like my bro did! Seriously, it's cool to be in a band when you're in secondary and transferring from cello to bass is easy, and guys always want to play lead so he'll be in demand. My bro used to play Bach on his bass when some old git came up to him at gigs asking if they could play "real music"!

Original poster

bisjaralympics · 06/09/2012 23:03

If ds had his way he'd be learning the electric guitar! He is learning the piano and tried the cornet for a term and a half and hated it. Not sure if that was to do with him or the teacher or a combination of both.

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Original poster

bisjaralympics · 06/09/2012 23:04

Cornet was at last school and ds was the only one in the school having brass lessons, which didn't help his enthusiasm. New school is more musical.

OP posts:

Jinsei · 06/09/2012 23:14

I played the oboe when I was younger, as my dad thought it was a good idea to choose a less popular instrument. I hated it, it's quite hard to get a decent sound out of it in the early years. DSis played the cello and loved it, but cellos are big, heavy and awkward to carry around. Flutes/clarinets are both very popular, so guess it's probably harder to get into an orchestra, but if thatsnot the priority, it doesn't matter.

I'd say go for the instrument that he wants to play. I was never really interested in the oboe as I wanted to play a stringed instrument. I did what my parents told me to do, but wasn't really motivated as it wasn't something I wanted to play.

ALittleScatterOfRain · 06/09/2012 23:15

I'd say clarinet (but I am a clarinet and sax player so biased).

For me, the best thing about the clarinet is you can play in orchestra, wind bands, jazz bands etc. whilst the others do limit you a little more I think. You can do all of those with all all the instruments (well, apart from wind band with the cello ) but it won't be as sociable if you're stuck on a desk on your own as 'the jazz-playing oboe'!

Jux · 06/09/2012 23:39

Are guitar lessons not an option then? It seems a shame that if he's keen to play one instrument that he has to play another. (but it strengthens the case for cello!)

SaggyOldClothCatPuss · 06/09/2012 23:43

Pick anything that has an earphone jack!

kitkat1967 · 07/09/2012 08:47

My DD is an Oboe player as she couldn't get a note out of a flute (tried for ages). IMO the Oboe has a beautiful sound and she has learnt it quickly so I really think it is a case of trying all of them and seeing what suits.
Beware - oboe is expensive - the instrument is expensive and the reeds break fairly frequently when you are a beginner.

Theas18 · 07/09/2012 09:02

Difficult to say. Probably cello for the exact reasons that others have said- opportunities to play in groups are generally wider .

Both DDs are clarinettists and though very good for age don't get into the top ensembles are school or county as there are lots of kids the same- you tend yo only get a year in the " best" groups before you leave school (and yes we've been in wind bands/concert bands as well as orchestras , there just are a lot of clarinettists!)

Cellos are big and bulky but in a soft case aren't heavy.

Not oboe please- they must be so frustrating for small kids- high wind pressure to generate and, having heard a lot of oboes at schools, take a long time to sound really nice.

simonthedog · 07/09/2012 09:11

i played the cello when I was young. I liked playing it but I walked to school and very quickly got fed up off carrying it to school all thr time for lessons and orchestra practice etc. It's true that you do get lots of opportunities to play in groups, but you only ever get a boring baseline to play in those groups never a melody. (until you get a lot better I suppose).

ZZZenAgain · 07/09/2012 09:45

if he would like to play the electric guitar and hated the cornet, I am not sure if flute, oboe, clarinet, cello would suit him. Of the three, possibly cello best. You'll have to let him try I suppose and see how he gets on with them. I would be inclined to let him learn what he wants to learn, so if it is what he wants, I would let him learn guitar I think. I realise your school is not offering it but perhaps elsewhere?

Is he enjoying piano? If so, what kind of music does he enjoy playing most?

Hedgehoginhotpants · 07/09/2012 10:27

At the same time as he is 'trialling' you could talk to mums/dads of older kids in the school who've had lessons for some time and see if you can find out about group sizes / the number of those who drop out etc and what parents wished they'd known when they were at the stage you are at now...

For example at your Primary the visiting woodwind teachers could be of a remakably high standard and the string ones nice but not as encouraging or vice versa.

Having a teacher who makes it fun and for whom he wants to do his best IMO is just as important as the instrument. If there is one teacher who consistently has the majority of his/her older children playing in all the secondary ensembles and county orchestra then I'd be pointing my child there...

Original poster

bisjaralympics · 09/09/2012 00:00

Good point about drop out rate etc. I didn't realise when ds had cornet lessons he was only one of two pupils to have brass lessons (and the other one stopped at the first half term).

Apparently guitar is an option and also the harp (!). I'm happy for him to choose an instrument that he will enjoy playing, as that will encourage him to practise.

OP posts:

ALittleScatterOfRain · 11/09/2012 13:06

The harp is lovely, but a pain practically! One of my friends played it and her parents had to buy a new car to fit it in

titchy · 11/09/2012 13:08

Harp = ££££££!!!!! You'll need a small one to start, then a bigger one, then a full size one. And a new mortgage

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