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Considerations For Those Looking to Play The Bassoon

  • Cost – The bassoon and reeds, regardless of the model, can be quite expensive.  Instruments easily can cost thousands of dollars and reeds can range easily from $15-30.

  • You must be hard working and be willing to dedicate to daily practice.  This is a challenging instrument to start and to get good on.  To be blunt, if you do not practice on this instrument, you will not be successful.

  • If you become decent at bassoon, it is likely that you will be able to find scholarship money quite easily. 

  • Private lessons are encouraged for the bassoon.  It can be a challenge to get better at this instrument without someone modeling and teaching you techniques to help you.

  • The bassoon requires good finger dexterity and can presents many complicated fingerings.  

  • If played well, this instrument has a gorgeous sound.

  • This instrument gets a decent bit of solos in the band and orchestra world. 

  • Ultimately, students who work hard, practice consistently, and are driven to better themselves will likely have the greatest success no matter the instrument.

Considerations When Buying A Bassoon

  • Beginner – Most beginner bassoons are made of plastic.  They sometimes have less keywork than upper grade bassoons.  Students usually do not stay on a beginning bassoon for more than a year.

  • Intermediate – Intermediate bassoons are usually made of either plastic or maple.  Intermediate bassoons often have a high D and E key.  They also sometimes have an a-whisper key bridge and/or a whisper key lock.  Most intermediate bassoons will get students through high school and sometimes can get a student through college.

  • Professional – Professional bassoons are intended for very serious students and professionals.  They are most commonly made of maple, but plastic models are also made.  They can have additional keywork, different key systems, extra rollers, extra trill keys, and additional bells and whistles. 

  • It is important to acquire a bassoon in good working condition.  When purchasing a bassoon, it is recommended to ask a professional bassoonist to play the instrument to assure that it is in working condition.

  • Normally, bassoonist start on a #2 bocal.

  • Mini/Short reach Bassoons – If someone is starting the bassoon early (elementary school) and is small, a mini bassoon may be an option.  It is great for children with small hands.  These are NOT normally used within the band classroom.  Short reach bassoons are also made for older students and adults with small hands.

  • German System (Heckel system) vs the French System (Buffet or Ducasse System) – German system is used in most of the world.  Generally, German bassoons have a thick sound while French bassoons have a lighter sound.  There are also differences in fingerings.  Depending on where you live in the world and who you study under, you should consult a professional as to which is best for you. 

  • Simply put, as you progress from beginner to intermediate to advanced, the instruments are made of higher quality materials, progress from primarily being machine made to handmade, slightly larger bore size (tubing), better tuning from note to note, and better resonance.  Beginning instruments are built more to get a basic sound and stand through durability so that a musician can learn to take care of it.  Intermediate and advanced instruments are more focused on the sound of the instrument.

  • If you do not know what these differences are or know if they would be valuable to you, consult a professional. I am not claiming to be a professional, but you could contact me as well. A simple google search can also inform you of the basics.

  • Be sure to never leave a bassoon in the elements, as wood bassoons can crack. 

The Contra-Bassoon

  • The Contra-Bassoon is a member of the bassoon family that sounds one octave lower than the traditional bassoon.  The fingering scheme is virtually the same on contra-bassoon as the bassoon.

  • The contra-bassoon has slightly different tendencies than the bassoon.  One must understand solid fundamentals on bassoon, such as intonation and manipulation of embouchure, in order to be solid.

  • In order for an bassoon to be played well, one must have a quality instrument.  It is recommended that an experienced player test the instrument if the player is having difficulty getting a good sound on the instrument.

 

Reeds

  • Reeds are pieces of cane that are attached to the instrument.  For double reeds, reeds are made of two pieces of cane.

  • When air is blown through the reed, it vibrates creating the sound.  This is the entire tone production of the instrument. 

  • Quality of reeds is of the absolute most importance.  Generally speaking, you get what you pay for.

  • Students have to learn to take care of reeds to minimize the cost. 

  • Synthetic Reeds – Recently, manufactures have begun to make synthetic reeds.  While these reeds usually do not have the same tone quality, they often provide greater projection and are more durable. 

  • Most students will begin on medium soft reed and will move to a medium hard reed as they develop proper air and tone.

  • There is a common misconception that as one gets better at the instrument, one will begin to play on harder reeds.  This is not true.  There are some professional players that play on softer reeds.  Also, temperature, humidity, the use of the reed, and the age of the reed can have a factor on the stiffness of the reed.  In addition, one hardness for one reed maker is not the same hardness for another.  No two reeds are the same even with the same reed maker.  There are too many factors to try to use reeds as a comparison of difficulty. 

Acquiring Reeds

  • There are some manufacturers, such as Jones, who sell decent reeds for beginners.

  • Most often, a student will need to purchase reeds from a reed maker.  This may be a local musician, a local music store, or online.

  • As a player gets more serious, they often take reed making lessons to learn to make their own reeds.

Recommended Brands

  • Fox

  • Renard

  • Leitzinger

  • Howarth

  • Moosmann

  • Puchner

  • Yamaha

Recommended Listening

  • Albrecht Holder

  • Judith LeClair

  • Julie Price

  • Daryn Zubke

  • Keith Buncke

  • Gustavo Núñez

  • Arthur Weisberg

  • Daniele Damiano

  • Mor Biron

  • Monica Ellis

  • Klaus Thunemann

  • Milan Turkovic

 

Some Recommended Method/Technique/Etude/Collection Books

  • Rubank Elementary Method for Bassoon

  • The Rubank  Intermediate Method for Bassoon

  • The Rubank Advanced Method for Bassoon

  • Voxman – Twenty Studies for Bassoon

  • Garfield – 30 Etudes for Bassoon

  • Weissenborn - Method for Bassoon

  • Weissenborn - Bassoon Studies

  • Milde – 25 Studies in Scales and Chords

  • Spaniol - The New Weissenborn Method for Bassoon

  • Romine - Bassoon Reimagined

  • Barolozzi - Metodo per fagotto

  • Hawkins – Melodious and Progressive Studies

  

Bassoon Literature/Books

  • Weisberg - The Art of Wind Playing

  • Waterhouse – Bassoon

  • Spencer - The Art of Bassoon playing

  • Joppig - The Oboe and the Bassoon

  • Jansen - The Bassoon: Its History, Construction, Makers, Players, and Music

  • Pementel – Woodwind Basics

 

Some Solo Literature

  • Telemann - Sonata

  • Hummel - Concerto

  • Vivaldi – Conceto

  • Weber – Concerto

  • Gatti.- Concerto

  • Mozart – Concerto

  • Weber – Andante and Rondo

  • Weissenborn - Roamance

  • Galliard – Six Sonatas

  • Merci – Six Sonatas

  • Rachmaninoff – Cocalise

  • Saint-Saens – Sonata

  • Marcello - Sonata

  • Mozart – Two Sonatas

 

Recommended Stores For Instruments and Reeds

 

Recommended Websites

 

Recommended Apps

  • Bandmate Chromatic Tuner

  • Tonal Energy Tuner

  • Sight Reading Factory

  • Smart Music

  • Intunator

  • StaffWars

  • Tunable

  • Master Ear Training

  • Theory Lessons

  • Tenuto

  • APS Trainer

  • tuneUp

Must Have Accessories

  • Case

  • Reed Case

  • Cleaning Cloth/Swab

  • Cork Grease – Only use on cork. 

  • Tuner/Metronome - app or physical device

  • Container for Soaking Reeds

  • Music Stand

  • Seat Strap

  • Pencil

Additional Possible Accessories

  • Breath Builder

  • Instrument Stand

  • Shoulder Strap/Harness

  • Korg-TM 60 with clip on attachment

YouTube Channels to Follow

 

Instagram Accounts to Follow

  • Bocal Majority - @bocalmajority

  • @fagotto.reed

  • Double Reed Dish - @doublereeddish

  • Tuny Bassoons - @tinysoons

  • Bassoon Factory.- @bassoonfactory

  • International Double Reed Society - @idrsofficial

  • @oliviabrisvallrydqvist

  • Danielle Janos – @danij.clarinet

  • Morgan Davison - @morganpracticesbassoon

  • Kenny Kriha - @bassoonman_

  • Katie Marie Cody - @katiemariecody

  • Lauren Hallonquist - @laurenbassoonpractice

  • Stephanie Sheridan - @bae_ssoon

  • Sophie Dervaux - @sophiedervauxbassoon

  • Matt - @lebasson_bootcamp

  • Eric Zhang - @ericspamsbassoon

  • Fox - @foxdoublereeds