I haven`t been playing it very long, and the bassoon I`m trying to play seems like it`s is a half step low. I`ve tried tightening the wire on the reed, but when I`m about to the pitch, it jumps the octave. Am I doing something wrong? it`s a #1 bocal and a medium jones reed. I was fine in pitch on other bassoons, but not this one.

Are you sure you`re flat? Check with a piano, or you can get tuning notes off the web (I forget the site but if you need it I can probably find it again). If you determine you really are flat,is it the same with other reeds? If it`s the reed, you can cut off the reed to make it shorter, just a cinemmeter (use a sharp knife). Is your bocal as far in as you can put it and still meet your whisper key? Are all your bassoon parts smack up against each other? If you have to tighten up on your embouchure to make it in key, that isn`t right. I`d try cutting off the reed a little. If this is the bassoon you will have to play on, then you may have to make the adjustments on the reed.

On my last post I suggested you cut the reed off a bit to make it play sharper. I should have said "cut off one millimeter" not one centimeter. The ideal reed should be about 56 millimeters long.

You could also try reaming out the bore of your reed so it will go on the bocal a little farther. You might find this easier to do and it will have a similar effect.

Try supporting with your diaphram... like you are singing. Or sometimes I file my reeds so that they are not as wide, as well as all the options listed above.

Lots of new reeds play flat to begin with and they just need `playing in`. I fing the e below middle c is often especially unreliable and to help until it`s okay i use the RH 4th finger g key to keep it in tune. Always give the reed lots of support, particularly from your lower jaw and the edges of your mouth - `smiling` usually makes a note less flat for me. if you can, experiment with different bocals too, they really make a difference and also the height you have your bassoon on the strap. It`s all about experimenting for yourself.