In the past month, I’ve had 2 colleagues brave the bass oboe part in Holst’s Planets, one here in Chicago and one in Nashville. It’s a very cool part and doubles on oboe, and there are some juicy low B solo tidbits that are pretty scary.

I’ve tried a Heckelphone before, but the few notes my friend let me honk out this past month was the only time I’ve tried a bass oboe. Both folks rented horns from Forrests. They have a Rigoutat and a Loree, and they come with a bunch of reeds, though most professionals opt to make their own.

The hardest thing about the instrument was its height coupled with the odd angle of the bocal–it made for an awkward playing position and a sore neck. I’ve heard of petite players having to sit on stools to play it.

Have any of you ever played the bass oboe?