Homepage    Back to Tuition Index Woodwind Fact Sheet
Flute	When to start:	From school years 4 - 5.  Very much depends on arm length and hand size.
	Costs:	Very little - occasional adjustments and pad replacement.
	Hire:	Gloucestershire Music hire charge £22.04 per term.
	Buy:	From about £350 for a new 'student' quality outfit. (flute & case).   Advanced students should be prepared to spend considerably more.  Secondhand instruments easily available.  Always seek the teacher's  advice before buying.
	Pros/Cons:	Pro:  Relatively easy to play in the early stages. Wide range of music written for the instrument. Opportunities to play in wind bands and flute choirs.   Con:  Becomes harder later on. Most orchestras only have two or three flute places so there is intense competition.  Limited opportunities in Jazz and folk music.  Summary:  Once you've mastered blowing correctly the flute is not too difficult to learn, there are fewer opportunities for orchestral playing than the oboe, clarinet or bassoon
Oboe	When to start:	Many oboists start in secondary school, but if your hands are big enough there's no reason why you shouldn't start earlier.
	Costs:	Reeds need replacing quite often - about £5.  Otherwise very little - apart from occasional adjustments and pad replacement.
	Hire:	Gloucestershire Music hire charge £22.04 per term.
	Buy:	From about £800 for a new 'student' quality outfit. (oboe & case).   Advanced students should be prepared to spend considerably more.  Secondhand instruments are available but not always easy to find. Never buy second-hand without expert advice.
	Pros/Cons:	Pro:  Wide range of music written for the instrument. Opportunities to play in wind bands & orchestras where oboists are in short supply.  Many beautiful solos for oboe in the orchestral repertoire.   Con:  The hardest of the woodwind instruments to master.  No opportunities in jazz or folk music.   Summary:  A wonderful instrument - but very rewarding and well worth the effort. You will need dedication and practice.
Clarinet	When to start:	School years 5  - 6   Very much depends on arm length and hand size.
	Costs	Reeds need replacing often - about £2.  Otherwise very little - apart from occasional adjustments and pad replacement.
	Hire:	Gloucestershire Music hire charge £22.04 per term.
	Buy:	From about £350 for a new 'student' quality outfit. (clarinet & case).   Advanced students should be prepared to spend  more. Secondhand instruments are readily available but don't buy second-hand without seeking your teacher's advice. NOTE: Orchestras require you to have two instruments - in Bb and A. (GM orchestras will loan you an A clarinet free of charge but long term you will need to buy).
	Pros/Cons:	Pro:  Not too difficult to play - particularly in the early stages. Wide range of music written for the instrument. Opportunities to play in wind bands & orchestras.   Con:  Most orchestras only have two or three clarinet places so there is intense competition.  Limited opportunities to play in Jazz or Folk groups. (For this reason many clarinetists 'double' on the saxophone).  Summary:  Not too difficult to play - which means that there are lots of clarinetists!  If you want to be sure of playing in an orchestra later on consider the oboe or bassoon.
Bassoon	When to start:	Because of its size and weight secondary school age.  (Mini bassoons are available to hire from Gloucestershire Music).
	Costs:	Reeds need replacing quite often - about £7.  Otherwise very little - apart from occasional adjustments and pad replacement.
	Hire:	Gloucestershire Music hire charge £22.04 per term.
	Buy:	From about £2,500.   Second-hand instruments are available from about £1000, but take expert advice.
	Pros/Cons:	Pro:  Not too difficult to play. It's an excellent instrument for late starters. Bassoonists are in very short supply and you will be very much in demand in wind bands and orchestras.   Con:  None - except for the cost.   Summary:  A good choice if you want to go a long way in a short time. You will be very much in demand.
Saxophone	When to start:	Usually secondary school - many sax players also play the clarinet.
	Costs:	Reeds need replacing often - about £2.  Otherwise very little - apart from occasional adjustments and pad replacement.
	Hire:	Gloucestershire Music hire charge £22.04  per term.
	Buy:	Alto saxophones from about £500. Tenor and Baritone saxophones are considerably more expensive. It's better to avoid the cheaper end of the market. Secondhand instruments are easily available but rather variable in quality so always seek the teacher's  advice before buying.
	Pros/Cons:	Pro:  Fairly easy to learn, and a must if you want to play jazz.   Con:  There are too many people playing the alto saxophone, which means that getting into a band is virtually impossible.   Summary:  It's a great instrument, and not too difficult to play, but if you want to play in a band or jazz group on alto saxophone you will need to be very, very good!  You might consider instead Tenor or Baritone sax, fewer people play these.