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Post by Bassoon4Life on Sept 29, 2005 22:38:35 GMT -5
The coolest SOUNDING. XD
I've...I've...never played one, so I don't know.
but they look fun! Bassoonists...answer...I must know more. lol
If the reeds break often...that sucks. Those things are expensive!
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Post by friedrice on Sept 30, 2005 4:30:10 GMT -5
one of my friends plays it for the Governers' School.
He has a pouch with four reeds at about $50 each.....he is in the process of learning how to make his own because he said that when he first started he broke one like every week.
I dono aboutdifficulty...other than the simple fact that it's a double reed and those are hard to get sound out of
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Post by doubletrouble on Sept 30, 2005 11:27:59 GMT -5
I play bassoon! Its pretty much awesome The fingerings can get tough because theres about a million places for your pinkies and thumbs to go, which doesn't always work out that well, especially in fast parts (yes, we get loverly runs too). And reeds can be really annoying, mine broke in the middle of a concert once, it wasn't cool. And then theres tenor clef for higher notes, which is kinda confusing to switch between tenor and bass clef, but once you get used to it its not terrible. Usually bassoon is really fun and I looove it ;D
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Post by princessblow on Sept 30, 2005 22:28:24 GMT -5
no affense to any bassoon players but its considered an "odd" instrument in our band along with the oboe, because no one plays it (I use to play oboe but was forced to stop) but anyway I think they're awesome and wish to play one some day, we're suppose to have about 3 of them in our school but no one can find them, a little strange if you ask me.... anyway I think that playing double reed isn't that difficult but it does make your lips really chapped
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Post by tsaxbassoongurl09 on Oct 1, 2005 6:23:21 GMT -5
Cool a thread about bassoons! Yes! *does a happy dance* Of course I play bassoon and have forgotten how to play it due the fact that I been playing t.sax for the last two months. It's a really hard instrument to play and the fingerings are really wierd cause it's got all these numbers like R1, R2, and etc. I have no idea how I learned it play it myself because I haven't taken a single lesson. The reeds aren't like your sax and clarinet reeds. If you bite down on it or not paying attention to where it's at the it is likely to get cracked. Oh and anothor thing reeds are like $12, for just one.
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Post by Tales From Band Camp on Oct 1, 2005 12:38:34 GMT -5
Do reeds break often? You definitely need to be careful with them! About $15 a pop for each one!
Is your music just lots of long notes? It depends. Sometimes we cover the baritone/tuba/3rd trombone part, and other times we have our own special stuff with lots of notes with the rest of the woodwinds. I love playing harmony, so I absolutely adore awesome rich bassoon parts (like Grainger).
Are the fingerings really that tough? It took me quite some time to get used to them. There are a lot of alternate fingerings depending on what sounds best on your instrument. The biggest challenge IMO to the bassoon is that you tune with your embouchure for the most part. You have to constantly listen to tune.
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Post by sombresagacity on Oct 2, 2005 12:39:50 GMT -5
So is it really hard to play? -It's really hard to start, but I don't think it's too hard once you get the hang of it
Do reeds break often? -Depends on how well you treat them. It also depends on the quality of the reed. It ALSO depends on the hardness of the reed. for example, if I were to play very much on a soft, medium soft, or medium reed- it would break very easily. You have to use the hardness that matches your ability. If you get it too soft you'll get acrappy sound and breaks easliy. If you get it too hard, well God be with you if you try to play for very long (ouch on the face muscles)
Is your music just lots of long notes? -hahahahahaha. Bassoon is one of those super weird unstruments. It's not like a tuba where all the notes are killer long, but it's also not like a flute or clarinet that never stops moving. I'd say in most beginner music you're gonna sit on lots of notes for long periods of time. Possibly fewer notes than any other instrument, because beginner bassoon players have it tough. When you get to the difficult music, you're gonna be playing crazy rhythms all the time. A few breaks with long notes... that's about it.
And sitting on notes is very difficult when they're up in the stratosphere
Are the fingerings really that tough? -depends. ther are 9 keys for the left thumb and 4 for the right. before you get used to them and know what they do it's tough, but after a few weeks it's second nature. the bottom notes (Bb-F) are mostly thumbs and pinkys moving. when you get up really high, the fingerings may seem like they make no sense, like someone did "eeny meeny miny mo" to choose which fingers to put down.
your best friend when it comes to fingerings on bassoons are MANY MANY fingerign charts. i think i had 7 charts. you need to know lots of alternate fingereings, because intonation is very fragile-- different to each person. different with each reed, different with each bocal... it's imperative that you know lots and lots of alternate fingerings.
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Post by javelin on Oct 2, 2005 15:17:03 GMT -5
I will play it but I have no right to say anything on this thread about bassoon except that it's really, really heavy.
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jguy1288
Band Nerd
There's an endothermic reaction in my mouth, and everyone's invited!
Posts: 330
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Post by jguy1288 on Oct 3, 2005 16:00:35 GMT -5
www.wfg.woodwind.orgI don't know how accurate it is, but I guess there are no 100% accurate fingering charts for bassoon. I've heard that you sort of have to add keys to improve the intonation. Where's Blue_Bassoon?
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Post by godsgift2bassbones on Oct 3, 2005 17:34:46 GMT -5
I play bassoon...It's fun sometimes. In concert band it's boring and you just double other instruments. In orchestra, you get the most random parts that make no sense...Also you can practically invent your own fingerings in the high register: just pick some left thumb keys, add one right thumb key, add the Eb key and a few holes and it's a high note! Also you can bend the pitch like 1 1/2 to 2 steps (or at least I do)
"Is the music just long notes?" DEPENDS ON THE SONG....in most pieces we have good stuff. In the contrabassoon part for Carmina Burana, the shortest note in the ENTIRE (the whole, real, original thing) is 24 counts long, except for one part with quarter notes. But that's contra...bassoon 1 and 2 have actual parts for some of it.
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Post by bluebassoon on Oct 3, 2005 23:02:53 GMT -5
www.wfg.woodwind.orgI don't know how accurate it is, but I guess there are no 100% accurate fingering charts for bassoon. I've heard that you sort of have to add keys to improve the intonation. Where's Blue_Bassoon? I'm back, after being preoccupied with music theory, aural skills, 7 other music classes, and two non-music classes. (Unfortunately I had to drop bassoon ensemble to keep my sanity. :bigcry: ) The link you posted is one of the better fingering charts for any woodwind, however, bassoons are special and still may not follow that chart all of the time. (There is a book of bassoon fingerings that is about 2 and a half inches thick because bassoons are so special.) Fox bassoons can usually use the standard fingerings if you are playing on a good reed and have an instrument that is in good working order. My bassoon professor plays a Heckel and has so many crazy fingerings for her instrument. My studio also has a professional model Schreiber, but it would require special reeds and special fingerings just to keep the E from sinking. As for Carmina Burana, I must say I love that cantata. (Did you realize that the text came from a satire of the Church by the Goliards in the Middle Ages? It was originally a book of plainchant housed in a monastery at Burana and the title literally translates to "Songs of Burana.") As a bassoonist, I particularly love the solo at the beginning of the twelfth movement, "The Roast Swan."
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Post by bassoonchicka on Oct 16, 2005 0:27:34 GMT -5
I began on the bassoon as a sophomore in high school. I now am planning on buying a bassoon just so I can keep playing through college. The hardest piece I have ever played was called Bacchanole(sp?). I think the bassoon has many good qualities. What I have found is that the bocal has an effect on the intonation of the instrument.
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Post by medya on Oct 16, 2005 13:27:42 GMT -5
I've been playing bassoon since 7th grade, so I guess I'm qualified to give my opinions.
1. Is it hard to play? At first when you're learning the basic scale and getting used to so many new things at once, you wonder if you'll ever be good at it. The size difference from any starter instrument (like the clarinet for me), the double reed, the transition to bass clef, it was mind-blowing. But after a few months I started to get good and that's roughly when I started whining about only ever playing whole notes. Our tubas/baritones/trombones/bari saxophone may not have been complaining, but they were all lazy anyways.
2. Do reeds break often? Depends on how well you take care of them, the medium-soft Jones brand reeds I get at the local music supply usually last 5-6 months each unless an accident happens. A tip for beginner bassoonists: Don't try to 'break in' a new bassoon reed by gnawing on it a bit, you're just gonna break it faster. It took me several reeds (and an empty purse) to figure that one out. It's a pretty long haul for $13, about the same compared to my clarinet friends who go through reeds quickly because they practice a lot.
3. Is your music just lots of long notes? In the beginning, yes. All my middle school music was shared with other low brass, and I didn't start to play any melodies until I was almost in high school. It is SO nice to see sheet music that isn't labeled "Bassoon/Trombone/Baritone B.C." at the top.
4. Are the fingerings really that tough? Only until your fingers get used to going all over the place. In the middle octave your fingers do most of the work but when you get really high or low your thumbs do all the moving. And most of those keys are for alternate fingerings and really high/low notes anyways, so don't panic when you count all the buttons. It isn't much different from clarinet except everything's farther apart.(My brass friends always freak out and wonder how instruments with more than 3 buttons work. Silly brass.)
Extra info: if you're going to use a neck strap on the bassoon, use a nice padded one. I prefer seat straps myself, just make sure they hook onto the bottom or if they cup onto the boot joint that they don't cover up the holes at the bottom or you'll run into playing problems. Yes, you'll get used to the weight on your left forearm. I have a rather petite figure and I got used to it, so I'm sure any of you can.
I can't say much about different bocals, but I use a #2. The #0 makes the notes slightly flat for me, which is useful in flat-heavy tunes. Other bocals such as the #1 and #3 can be purchased online or ordered through your music store.
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Post by javelin on Oct 16, 2005 20:44:07 GMT -5
Wow... I really don't know anything about bassoon. I am a clarinet moving to the bass clef and double reed as well (though you were).
I'm just starting out and for some odd reason the D, Eb, F and a couple other notes don't sound in tune or very good. They don't actually sound in tune or any good unless I go lower.
Another thing.... I don't actually have a neck-strap or seat-strap. The bassoonist before me didn't use one either. I am also petite and the bassoon is heavy after a while of holding it.
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Post by medya on Oct 23, 2005 14:10:16 GMT -5
The fun thing about this instrument is that the tuning is all done with the mouth. When my band director hired an assistant director, I could immediately tell she was completely uninformed about the bassoon when her idea of fixing my playing flat was to "push in the mouthpiece." Your embouchure is the tuner. Tighten or loosen up on the reed and play around with an electric tuner to find out how tight your mouth needs to be to play each note correctly.
Also, just because the other bassoonist doesn't use something doesn't mean you don't need to. The other guy in my band doesn't use a crutch for his right hand, but then again he also brags that he only uses six different fingerings to play all his notes. (Yes, he is a total idiot, don't lose too much sleep over him.) Find yourself a nice strap of some sort and use it.
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