I'm in Grade 9 right now and have been playing the Tenor band for several years. I've always been dissatisfied with the Saxiphone as it is primarily a Jazz instrument and I hate Jazz with a fiery passion. But one of my friends and fellow Tenor Saxophonists in my school concert band switched to the Bassoon this year, and I simply <b>love</b> the sound of his instrument. Now I've been thinking about learning the Bassoon too. Problem is, I've heard the instrument and its reed is VERY hard to play. How difficult would you say the transition between my instrument and the Bassoon is? Should I just wait 'till I'm out of school and band and earning enough money to buy/rent a Bassoon? Input please (:

START NOW! It is arguably the hardest woodwind instrument, and sax is easily one of the easiest (at least for fingerings), but that doesn't make it impossible. Having the experience you do, your challenges will be learning Bass Clef (It's not that hard really), a new embouchure (also not terrible), new fingerings (good luck ;] ), and the hardest will be finding a private instructor which you need no matter what instrument you play.

Now what you may have that other bassoonist your age don't is, experience playing faster, more rhythmically challenging parts. You've got the tongue and fingers for the parts whereas most bassoonist are still used to their middle school bass line parts consisting of quarters and halves.

<Added>

Also, Welcome to 8 Notes! Great profile name : )

I'm 100% with AK42 - Go for it.

Well I guess its something to consider then. I'm in the middle of the year for Concert Band, and I can't very well learn the Bassoon over the weekend then come back to class and play all my old pieces, so I guess my best option would to see if I can get something going for Grade 10. Until then, maybe I can see if I can try playing the Bassoon to see what its like.

Also, why doesn't this forum support HTML? And where is the edit button?

This doesn't, of course, mean that the topic is resolved. If you have anything to add, please do.

I'm not sure why it doesn't support HTML, but it's a shame. None the less, it is a great forum with very knowledgeable people.

The owner edit is right below your profile picture on your post. You can add stuff in, but not change what you already posted as I had shown.

I understand not starting immediately, but try learning it now. If you are in a lower band, you may be able to start second semester. Like I said, all you need to learn are fingerings and Bass Clef (yeah I left out the embouchure, but how long does it take to learn? Perfecting it is what's hard).

You really don't have to learn bass clef right away as long as you accociate fingerings with the notes rather than fingerings with letters and letters with notes. For example, if you see a note on the second line from the top and think all I press is the whisper key (rather than- it's an F. I finger an F with just the whisper key), you won't have to worry to much about reading Bass Clef at first.

That's how I learned the saxophone. The keys corresponded to the notes on the staff, not to letters. Heck, sometimes I can't name a more obscure note on the staff but still know how to play it.

*Apologies for the double post. It is justified*

That edit button just isn't there. Oh well, at least most of my typos don't affect the post meaning.

<Added>

It's there now O_o

....
I dunno AK42, the embrochure sure is tricky...or problematic at least. Be careful, I got a teacher when I started that was not a PROFESSIONAL bassoonist, but rather an all-woodwinds teacher. This teacher was good, but I now have to completely relearn my embrochure because I was not properly taught how to do it. It's an easy embrochure, but there are alot of variables...which wouldnt be a problem, except on bassoon its one of those things where if your lips are curled into much, then the sound is drastically different, etc. It's not like a sax or...A FLUTE...where you can get away with creating your own little embrochure variation.
As for fingerings....ugh. They make no sense, especially compared to sax. The most important thing is that you really get to know your bassoon, and what fingerings work for it. I learned the basic band book fingerings, but now I have to learn an ENTIRELY new set of fingerings for a simple B flat scale because those band book fingerings were not very compatible with my bassoon as far as intonation goes...some make certain notes 20 cents sharp, while others change my sound to be 20 cents flat. I'll tell you, it's hard to break a habit.
Lessons learned: don't settle for a cheap band book and an amateur teacher. Bassoon is not something you should skimp on.

On the other hand...GOOD LUCK! Bassoon is a great instrument, I'm sure you'll love it.

You should do it. I came into college playing saxophone (I played for 8 years), and then a professor suggested to me that I switch to bassoon. I was kind of hesitant, but I tried it out and liked it, so I made it a permanent switch. Before this, I knew absolutely nothing about the bassoon. I had no interest in it what so ever, but I'm glad I made the switch. The fingerings on the bassoon are obnoxious compared to saxophone, but its something you get used to. It really is a pretty easy switch. A lot of great bassoon players played saxophone first, and as I've learned more about the bassoon, I've learned that it is actually quite a common thing to do. After only playing a month or so, I was able to audition and get into an auditioned ensemble at my university. And part of the reason I switched is because jazz also isn't my favorite! And it is very very rare that a sax plays in orchestra, so bassoon is great! You can also get some pretty good college scholarships on bassoon since there aren't very many of us out there

go for it! i played the sax and the clarinet before starting the bassoon. and it can't hurt to try!

I guess you're right. It can never hurt to try.

That owner edit link keeps disappearing. It's just not there!

Well, I just had another question. Are there any Bassoons you guys would recommend (Not super expensive professional ones) or ones you would steer away from?

personally, I think older (WELL CARED FOR) schreibers are fantastic. Some things to look for:
brass in the boot joint (doesn't make a difference, but usually suggests a schrieber of a good quality make, not to old, not new either)
a dent free ring (at the bottom of the bassoon there is a removable cap, take it off, and you can see the condition of the brass ring in the bottom)
Oh, and dont reject a bassoon because the finish is beat up, or there are lots of scratches, sometimes those play the best, and have the best character. As a bassoon ages, as long as its a good bassoon and is well cared for, it generally gets better.
Also, many people like the newer Fox bassoons.
Whatever bassoon you get however, make sure you leave some money to go bocal shopping, a good bocal can really change the sound of the instrument.

I feel that you should switch to bassoon. Besides it being better than sax, I was also very successful at the transition. Being a sigle reeded player for many years, I am already best on bassoon after only about a year into it. I do disagree on one thing though. After recently doing some oboing for the fun of it, I would have to say that the oboe is more challenging than the bassoon. It is a lot more picky.
Good Luck

I learned bassoon from a teacher who was originally a saxophonist and am still taking lessons from a different teacher who made that same transition and is now a member of our local symphony. I was a originally a clarinet player, buut have now been playing for 3 1/2 years. I have made numerous honor bands and any All-State festivals I tried out for. But best of all, I love bassoon way more than I ever loved the clarinet. Switching to bassoon is a really good idea.