My Straw Oboe

When objects vibrate, they produce waves that travel through the air.  When these waves enter the ear of the listener, they can be interpreted as sounds.  Musical instruments vibrate in different ways to produce a variety of appealing sounds.  The faster they vibrate, the more waves per second the instrument produces and the higher the pitch (frequency) of the sound.  Some instruments like a flute or piccolo can produce very high pitches while other instruments like a tuba or trombone can vibrate at much lower frequencies.

With reed instruments the sounds are made when the air travels across a thin piece of wood called a reed. The reed vibrates making the sound. Some instruments like the clarinet have one reed while others like the oboe use two reeds to vibrate against each other.

The pitch of our straw oboe will depend on the volume of air that is vibrating inside of it. A longer oboe with larger volume vibrates more slowly, producing a lower pitch.  A shorter oboe with a smaller volume vibrates more quickly, producing a higher pitch.  With real oboes, the player can also change the pitch by opening and closing holes along the instrument's length.