|
Post by bluebassoon on Oct 25, 2005 11:15:07 GMT -5
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. Definitely get a seat strap for at least 2 reasons- 1)holding all of the weight of the bassoon can really strain and damage your wrists and hands and 2)the neck straps you'll find at music stores are designed for saxophones- they typically aren't quite long enough to play bassoon comfortably with. As for being out of tune on many upper notes, you should use more air support and the correct embouchure. (Or, if the E was sinking whilst using one particular reed, get a bassoonist that knows what they are doing to flatten the tube of your reed a bit.)
|
|
|
Post by godsgift2bassbones on Oct 25, 2005 16:46:34 GMT -5
If it's the Eb and F that are on the staff, they just sound out of tune. There's not really anything you can do about that as far as reeds, bocals, horns, straps, or anything is concerned: You have to lip them up. The Eb's just a bad note for the horn...
|
|
|
Post by evilbassonygenius on Oct 26, 2005 18:12:49 GMT -5
Does anyone have suggestions on how to improve articulation/tonguing speed on bassoon? Any specific exercises, advice of any sort?
|
|
|
Post by bluebassoon on Oct 27, 2005 10:47:27 GMT -5
I'm still trying to figure out how to tongue faster, although I was able to get up to speed to play Mendelssohn's Fourth Symphony earlier this fall. I wish I had a way of posting my teacher's tonguing exercise online, since that helped quite a bit, but as of now I don't think I can.
|
|
clarinet361
Band Nerd
Music teacher looking for a job...
Posts: 220
|
Post by clarinet361 on Oct 28, 2005 19:41:32 GMT -5
As far as parts go, take a look at the bassoon part to Mozart's Symphony 35 and Overture to Marriage of Figaro. But those are just some of the harder parts for bassoon. (I admire the bassoonists I sit by in orchestra. kudos to them for being able to play those parts.)
|
|
|
Post by alrec on Nov 6, 2005 21:29:57 GMT -5
OHHHHh the happinesssss, a bassoon topic ( dies happily)
Its not hard to play, its just different. ANything involving bassoon is circumstancial. some reeds will break like a window beinf pelted with a paintball gun, others seem indestructable. Bassoon arnt consistient, whats true for me, isnt true for a different bassoonist. (neccesarilly)
The bassoon is difficult, but if you have the patience to trudge through the first couple months, and then a year or so, it is worth it, beutiful tone, great quality 9 depending on the horn your using) and when part is written by someone who knows what a bassoon is, it is brilliant.
lots of circumstance, like i said, it all depends
my only tip, is embochure, that is everything, if that is off, you might as well not play, as far as speed goes, play it slow, and work it up, just like any other instrument, you'll get better with practice
|
|
|
Post by bluebassoon on Nov 6, 2005 22:50:24 GMT -5
Has anyone else had the change in weather dramatically affect how your reeds play? In the last week or two, the weather has caused my reeds that had sounded like bad bari saxes to sound halfway decent and reeds that had worked well the day before to barely be able to play.
The worst part of this is I can never be sure if my reed will make it through a 2-hour opera rehearsal without becoming to stiff, stuffy, or otherwise incapable of playing (especially in the very high and very low registers where most of our soloistic parts are.) The opera's music director is a vocalist, so he wouldn't understand if I tried to explain that I sound worse on some days because of the weather. At this point I'm hoping the weather remains cold and rainy for the next two weeks so that my reeds won't keep changing so much on a daily basis.
|
|
|
Post by medya on Nov 7, 2005 18:29:27 GMT -5
Y'know, I don't seem to have reed problems with weather changes. If anything, the instrument becomes far more difficult to take apart when it's cold. (No matter how much cork grease I put on)
Minor bassoon anecdote: shortly before the chair auditions, I was goofing off with the freshman bassoonist by sucking on the bocal and getting the reed to make noise backwards. I'm sure you've all tried it by now... well, he says "Oh, you wanna go? I'll bring it on!!" and he proceeds to rip out his bocal from his bassoon so fast that the old decrepit piece of junk snaps off right above the cork.
Great, I had the thing for a year and a half and returned it in even better condition than I got it in. He had it for all of 30 minutes (he never practiced before then, the stupid freshman) and already broke it. The cork part of the bocal was actually stuck in the wing joint for 45 minutes until our director found some needlenose pliers and pulled the thing out. The thing was greased, but it was also total junk. And now he's stuck using a bocal that makes him permanently flat unless he tightens his mouth so much it hurts.
Anyways, articulation. Hmm, well, I never have any music that's impossibly hard to articulate or requiring double articulation. Do like I do and practice saying the word "taco" over and over again as fast as possible. It may not help you musically but it's pretty fun to do anyways.
|
|
|
Post by alrec on Nov 7, 2005 19:01:02 GMT -5
my bassoon is new, but my reeds tend to fluxuate as well, but right now im using leshers, which are fantastic by the way, and the weather changes here, anrt affceting them to much....mind you im still breaking them in
|
|
|
Post by frlssab on Nov 8, 2005 19:49:25 GMT -5
yay!
bassoon is fun! but hard on the wrists...maybe thats just me cuase my wrists kinda suck but i love them anyways
know any good reeds other than jones, i wanna try something new
please and thankyou
|
|
|
Post by prongs4band on Nov 8, 2005 20:41:46 GMT -5
hahaha...i have a story for all of you...lol. I tried playing bassoon for the first time today!!! it was crazy..it doesn't help any that the one i played on is a peice of crap...but i got a few notes out...but i'll only learn how to play it in college...i admire people who can play that thing...i could BARELY play it..it was awesome, though. i love it..i'll never get to play it again in HS, though...oh well...lol. I'd just thought i'd tell you that i suck at one particular instrument..almost as bad as flute. Pretty close. i'm worse on flute, though. lol..I'm so happy..lol
|
|
|
Post by alrec on Nov 8, 2005 21:08:19 GMT -5
Leasher reeds are almost as good as hand made reeds, they give good tone and volume....consistantlly, there like an all weather kind of reed, my instructor uses his all year roubd, and he never has probloms with them, and they last longer. They are as close to expert hand made reeds as it gets www.music123.com/Marlin-Lesher-Bassoon-Reeds-i80869.musicand they
|
|
|
Post by bluebassoon on Nov 12, 2005 22:50:48 GMT -5
I could never go back to paying too much for mass-manufactured reeds, especially when I can make my own for about $4/reed. I enjoy making my own and think it would be fun to make and sell reeds, but I don't have much of a market for it. There is a high schoool bassoonist in my hometown that I try to supply with handmade reeds, but I haven't actually sold reeds.
|
|
|
Post by alrec on Nov 13, 2005 10:37:20 GMT -5
(Insert jealousy) thats cool, like really cool. im not going to get into that until later tho T_T in the mean time i get to use lesher, considering the quality, and my alternatives, i think the leshers where well worth the price i paid for them.
I have heard that making your own reeds can take a lot of time, and lots of practice before you can perfect your reed making. Is that true?
|
|
|
Post by bluebassoon on Nov 13, 2005 11:12:30 GMT -5
Considering you should wait a week before even cutting the tip off a reed blank, I would say it takes a fair amount of time to make a reed. Other than that, I can make 3 blanks in about an hour, so the actual process of making the reed blank is not that time consuming.
I wouldn't say that it takes a Lot of practice, but some is definitely required. (For example, the first reed I made as a high school junior was not beveled well, it leaked horribly, and it had cracks that had been sealed going partway up the spine.) There is actually a lot of information out there on making and adjusting a good reed, which I became more aware of when I got to college and have reed studio about every other week where all the bassoon majors sit and make reeds.
|
|