First of all frog i was talking about underlying bass notes in marching stuff. how often have you had the melody in a john phillip sousa piece. never because he dont give a sh1t about bassoon. second of all i know bassoon has some good sh1t. I`ve played 6 vivaldi concertos 3 weber concertos and at least 11 sonatas at my school. and if ur instructor was crying because you played some solo really well then he`s a b1tch.

http://www.marchingbandplanet.com/index.php?showuser=2703


This is my profile on the Marching Band Planet forum. All you all are talking about marching bassoon being impossible. Well, if a jersey kid can march bassoon, anyone can, you just gotta learn the ropes.

Pictures to prove it too.

thank you timothy! I knew it was possible-- Ive done it now we have pics of others to prove it

hrmm that would be tricky, i wouldnt be able to // my bassoon is almost as tall as me// ide probly be dragging it too hrmm... unless your tall, maybe that wouldbe easier lol

Whether or not you can do it is not the question. of course its possible. the question is whats the point. The bassoon is not loud enough to even make a difference. you wouldn`t be able to tell the difference with or without one. so whats the point of even bothering with the hastle of trying to carry a $5,000+ instrument through the dirt and mud when it wont make a difference. not to mention any marching competition you ever compete in you will only be laughed at for trying to incorporate the bassoon into it.

Personally, I would ask the band teacher to let me use the baritone saxophone. It`s a whole lot easier. To play bassoon music on bari sax you change the clef from treble to bass clef and add three sharps. Bari sax is bigger, but has less of a range, and it get the job done

It would be very difficult. Make sure you don`t do yourself or it any damage though.

I must say, this is a very interesting topic, and I`m sorry that I stumbled onto it so late.
I believe that marching bassoonists are great to have, as they enforce the low brass line with a very unique, double-reed timbre. I have marched on several occasions with a bassoon (I`m a doubler, so I`m not allowed all the time [sadness]), and I would say, to improve projection, to use a Runyon Bassoon mouthpiece. They use clarinet reeds (cheaper, yes...), but kill your tone on some days. I would also recommend a resonite or composite bassoon, as wood warps very easily, especially when playing in extreme conditions or heavy weather (i.e.: rain, a very hot day...).
Well, I hope I`ve helped you...
And good luck!

There are like 20 things wrong with the phrase "Marching Bassoon" . I play the Bassoon, there is no way I would ever march with one. First, a Bassoon is far too delicate and far too expensive to march with. If you fall or run into something your Bassoon is done, finished, especially the bocal. Second, there are so many ways to hurt yourself or someone else if you march. If you hit something/someone that bocal could go straight back into your throat. You could chip a tooth, or hurt someone else. ****Plus, you could never obtain a decent and steady tone while marching, because you are moving your mouth which moves the reed which ruins the sound. Keep the Bassoon seated.

Anyone of those things about hurting yourself or others could happen with any instrument while marching-- yes the bassoon is a bit more fragile but still if you drop a saxophone on the ground its gonna dent and it`ll need to be fixed. If you drop a bassoon, it can be fixed usually (unless of course you like break it in 2 or set it on fire). I dropped my school`s bassoon on the ground once, what a sad sad day-- but it survived perfectly unscratched. As for the tone thing-- it is possible if you practise enough and try hard enough to make the tone sound normal and not actually cause weird things to happen. Its all about how dedicated you are in trying this whether or not you can pull it off. It is possible-- it is hard-- and no most people do not recommend it-- your choice though.

finally, some sense, well sed mitchell

DON`T DO IT!! I`m only saying that because you could choke on the reed and/bocal and death is not very pretty especially death by a bassoon!!

About the Sarrousaphone thing, I`m not sure if this has been said (I didn`t read 2+3 pgs) but it looks just like a bari sax with a SLIGHTLY longer bell.

hey same problem here...i wanna march the bassoon too. i tried once with a sax neckstrap and i injureed my neck so theres no way to convince my band directer. there are neckstraps that harness around your shoulders and chest that might work. they wouldnt pull ur neck to much.

If you would still like to do something else within the Marching Band, you could be in the Pit (Xylophone, vibraphone, Marimba,etc), or you could be a Drum Major. I play the Bassoon, and this coming year I'll be in the Pit for the Marching Band. Last year I was on the Drum line (on Bass drum of course) and hated it. I can't wait to be in the Pit! lol.