hey peoples

now, for some reason when i play i hear clicking noises in my bocal as if spit is blocked up, which is ok, except now, it happens even if i haven't been playing very long. i didn't think the clicking would happen until you're pretty well into your practice.

also, my e flat on the staff sounds very airy, and even more airy when i use the resonance key (which i thought you were supposed to use anyway whenever you have to hold the note). What could be wrong with it?

-aj

Well, people vary as to how much moisture collects in the bocal. I can't go very long without blowing out the bocal - I mean nearly every piece, if it is a complicated piece, and just not oom-pah for the whole piece. I take the bocal completely off and blow it out - I do it lots. Some people don't have to as often.

As to the Eb note, my horn is so dicky that I have to use a different fingering for that note almost with every different reed I put in. There are several, as you've probably noted, and just try the different ones with each reed you use and figure out which one sounds best that day. Sometimes just 1 and 3 on the left hand work great, sometimes I have to add thumb (Bb) and 2nd finger on the right hand, sometimes 1 and 2 on the left hand plus C# key - just play around with it and be flexible. Try all sorts of different things, because every bassoon plays that note differently. That's the great thing about bassoons - it's a moving target!

Yep, what Drew said. Occasionally you might want to wash out your crook completely. Get a proper crook cleaner. In the mean time just get some warm water and shake it though.

Also like Drew said, Eb is always a dodgy note on bassoons. I personally put 1 and 3 down on my left hand, 1 on my right hand and the Bb key. But there are billions of ways - I'm about to get a new bassoon for music college and i'm gonna have to sit down and mess for ages, and re-train myself to use other fingerings for all the dodgy notes.