Instrument reference · woodwind

Oboe

By Band Tuning editorial · Facts checked 15 September 2026

The oboe is a non-transposing instrument notated at pitch. ^2,3

The frequencies on this page are computed from the pitch standard A4 = 440 Hz, the 1939 London conference standard reaffirmed by ISO in 1975, in twelve-tone equal temperament, which divides the octave into twelve equal semitones: f = 440 × 2^(n/12), where n is the number of semitones above A4 (negative below). ¹ The notes are named in scientific pitch notation, where C4 is middle C.

Tuning notes and reference pitches

In a band's daily tuning the concert A and the concert B♭ are the notes this instrument tunes to, and the source says to warm up before tuning and to use no vibrato. ^5,6 The table gives every octave of those notes inside the instrument's sounding range, the note the player reads for it, and its frequency. The browser tuner plays each of these as a reference tone.

How the pitch is adjusted

• The reed is the strongest influence on oboe pitch: reed pulled out plays flatter, pushed in sharper. Good oboists make reeds that play at A = 440 with the reed pushed all the way in, because pulling it out harms the response. ⁶
• The oboe's pitch can only be changed through the reed, by its breadth or length; it cannot be pulled the way a clarinet's barrel can. ⁵
• Cold plays flat, hot plays sharp. ⁶

Every note in the range at A4 = 440 Hz

B♭3 to A6, sounding; A6 is given as attainable by professionals, F6 as the usual upper limit. ^2,4 This instrument reads at pitch, so the written and sounding notes are the same.

Maker's specification

Figures as printed in the maker's catalogue for its standard and intermediate models; a bore is the inside diameter of the tubing, a bell the diameter of its rim.

The family: other keys and sizes

Notes from the sources

• The oboe works as an open tube and overblows at every harmonic partial, starting at the octave; its compass is just under three octaves and fully chromatic. ²
• Two explanations are given for why the oboe leads the tuning: its pitch is stable, and its pitch cannot be adjusted on the day, so the others adjust to it. ⁵
• The English horn is played by an oboist as an auxiliary instrument when a composer writes for it. ⁸