Oboe Unbound

In writing Oboe Unbound: Contemporary Techniques, author Libby Van Cleve seeks to open up the tradition-bound assumptions of the instrument’s capabilities. Not only does she include descriptions of the oboe’s standard technique from range and reeds to the use of vibrato, she provides a discussion of the many techniques that have recently been utilized—multiphonics, microtones, altered timbres, extended range, and many others—along with numerous music examples and fingering charts that have been tested by a range if oboists with varying reed styles and instruments. A concluding chapter provides basic information about the use of electronics for amplification, recording, and sound enhancement.