Pulled my oboe out of storage

My mother is moving, and cleaning out old forgotten items that won't be making the trip. My old oboe from high school was among them.

Surprisingly, the corks and pads all seem fine after 35 years, so I decided I'd learn to play it again and surprise my family someday with improbable talent 😁. But my daughter decided that she wasn't going to wait, and would learn to play it herself. I let her know how to soak the reeds, and showed her how to hold the instrument, then turned her loose.

Anyway, let's just say that really old reeds and a beginner's embouchure drive the dog to leave the room. I offered to buy a really nice kazoo, instead. Not deterred, she spent quite some time demonstrating it to her (incredible patient) friends online.

That was yesterday. Today, when nobody else was around to hear, I tried my own hand at playing a couple beginners' songs. With the fingering chart on the left and the music on the right, I muddled through. I like to think I sounded slightly better than a kazoo, but I'm not ready to seek third party opinion.

I've got a new reed coming tomorrow. I opted for a medium-soft synthetic. I hope that improves the sound dramatically. I'll let you know...