Beautiful when played by a good player; duck-like when played by a not-so-good player. A usually wooden woodwind instrument, part of the double reed family (which includes the bassoon, english horn, etc). Played in treble clef; pitched in C. Insanely hard to play in tune.

That beginner oboe player sounds like she's killing a duck...

A beautiful instrument, in looks as well as in sound. It is a slender black tube with silver keys (generally), with a reed sticking out of the top. No ligature is required. It is in the double reed family, which means it is played by blowing on two reeds in such a way that they vibrate. A crow is when one plays on the reed itself, making a noise that resembles a crow call. The noise of an oboe is a rich, penetrating noise. It has a decent range, going all the way up to a high almost-squeak. Gorgeous when played right, and takes many years to master. Considered one of the world's hardest instrument to learn, but well worth it.

The symphony had featured an oboe solo in their concert, showing off it's beautiful tone.

A really awesome musical instrument that clarinetists pick up for two seconds, make a duck-like noise, and put down, saying that it is too hard. The annoying ones, however, make a nasty sound and say "Look, I can play it. It's not actually the hardest instrument ever." Seriously, though, it is so hard to play the oboe. You have the double reed, all the doo-hickey keys, and the half-hole that just make oboists constantly want to kill themselves. When played well it is absolutely gorgeous, but it is incredibly hard to become a master of the oboe.

Clarinetist: Ooh! Can I play your oboe really quick? Oboist: Okay, sure. Clarinetist: *makes an awful noise* See! Everyone says oboe is so hard but I bet I could be as good as you in about two weeks since our instruments are kind of similar. Oboist: SHUT UP YOU ASSHAT!

the awsomest instrument ever.sumper cool.DOESNT SOUND LIKE A DUCK!!!!! sounds more like a nice little penguin.