Hi there. Can anyone who uses a balance hanger help me with this one? I like to play standing and I need to use a balance hanger to keep the weight off my left hand and arm (ageing joints!). I use the Kim Walker hanger which I think is an excellent and affordable device (and you don't have to have any holes drilled!). However, this puts the whole weight of the bassoon on the neck-strap.
I'd rather be able to spread the weight, as you can with a harness; but no harness I've seen has a hook high enough to use with the hanger. I don't like a shoulder strap on my right shoulder, and if I use one on the left and have it going diagonally, it's very tight under my right armpit.
Surely someone must have come up with a solution to this?

I've tried most of the possibilities (but not the Kim Walker one) over the years & always go back to the sling over the left shoulder without the problems you encounter. None of the fixed hangers I have tried are long enough to enable the sling point to be at the balance point of the bassoon but there is nevertheless a useful reduction in the weight on the left hand.
Also crooks have different bends - those with the reed end very low will exacerbate the sling difficulty & also can make it tiring to play with the hands quite high. So maybe getting the crook altered is one solution. (An expert repairer will be able to do this but without any guarantee that the crook won't split even if all precautions are taken. Certainly this is more scary than drilling one hole for a fixed hanger!).

Ian

The Kim Walker strap looks interesting. I rarely play standing up so would not be keen to have the balance hangar installed, but this leather gadget might just be the ticket. Does anyone know of a U.S. stockist?

Thanks for the suggestions Ian. I suspect there isn't an easy answer to this one. I don't think I'd dare risk having a crook altered to the extent that would be necessary; and if I got one the required shape, and used the balance hanger with a standard harness, the bassoon would hang rather low. I'll keep working on it and if I find the answer I'll post it here.

Drew - I'm sure I've seen the Kim Walker hanger advertised on American suppliers' websites. One word of warning: there's a photo around that shows it passing over the two rods on the outside of the wing joint, which would put pressure on them. THIS IS WRONG! It goes under the rods and doesn't touch any keywork.

... a straight crook! Or it seems to be. Have been trying one of these (2nd hand Schreiber on approval) for a few days now and it makes for a much easier playing position - the bassoon's lower so my long arms fall into a much more natural position. Though at first I did feel like a rock guitarist with a low-slung instrument. Also the reed is at a much better angle. Maybe I'll try to get one of my curved crooks altered too. And I should now be able to use it with a harness.
Thanks Ian.