Why does the oboe give the tuning pitch to the orchestra?
by 
Stu B in white tie and tailCOAT
ANSWERS: 3
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my best friend was first oboe in an orchestra last year, and she told my why: the oboe itself is the hardest instrument to tune, so it tunes itself and then the orchestra tunes to the oboe just because it's easier for the oboe, since it is hard to tune... i hope that makes sense :/
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See my comment to the first answer
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I believe it's because the oboe has a piercing sound, so it is always heard, even over other instruments. I also believe that the oboe can be easier to tune because there are so many variants. It doesn't matter what I start at, when I'm playing the oboe, I can always get it to the right pitch by adjusting as I play. The French way of playing oboe is that you make the reed soft enough so that you never pull the reed in or out, you just change the embouchure. Also, pulling the reed out is a way of tuning. It make the note somewhat less stable, but it is a way of "otherwise tuning" that alxtrck mentioned.
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