well, i just got my bassoon to make a sound today, it sounds so cool... ppl are saying how cool it looks when i play it.. i`m glad i switched over from the clarinet... regardless of how freakishly skinny and weak i am... just some questions though...

to start off, i thnk it`s a shame htat this forum isn`t very active, it`s such a beautiful instrument... well, i gues i can wait a month or so for someone to answer my quesitons...

when i take the bass/long joint out of the boot joint, can i keep the bell on it or do i have to take the bell off first, b/c it seems the only way i can get enough grip to efficiently take my bassoon apart is by grasping both the bass joint and the bell together as i twist it away from the boot joint... if i take the bell off first and then take off the bass joint, it takes forever... is this the proper way? or is there a better way?

second question... do i need the hand rest on my bassoon? b/c although my fingers can reach across, i like it off better... i`m thinking it won`t change the sound right? *just checking*

next, although the reed is secured to the bocal for the most part when i`m playing, it feels like it`s going to fall off easily, and itcame off the bocal once already... how secure is the reed supposed to be inside the bocal? i`m afraid i might jam it... reeds cost quite a bit compared to the ol` clarinet ones...

hmm, any more questions... ah! how do i clean the inside of the boot joint? the cloths that i found don`t look like they`ll go all the way around the boot joint and make a `U`.. haha... the stuff i have look like it`s made for the clarinet, the cloth with the rope n weight just slips down all the joints, and i`m not even gonna try the boot joint...

err.. another question... is there any way to save a bocal that has a cork that just fell off? can i like, use glue to fasten it back onto the bocal? heh... or will i have to get it professionally done if i want decent results? b/c i only have 1 good bocal that i salvaged from the 2 bassoons in our school... and 1 other that seems ok to use... the other bassoon is beat up like mad.. pretty much everything on it is broken.. haha...

i tihnk that`s all, except i wanna know how to take proper care of my bocal and reeed, but i tihnk i can figure that out on the internet... thanks! =)

I can answer some.

You can take the long joint off before you take the bell off. Just be careful about putting a strain on keys that might bend them.

You do not need to use a hand rest. Some instruments do not have one.

On the boot joint you do need to swab it out. Use a drop cloth. Put the weight in the larger hole when it gets to the bottom, turn put the but section on it`s side with the smaller tube on the bottom side. Shake and start tilting the open end towards the floor. Once you get the hang of it you will get the weight to fall through after a half a dozen shakes. Then pull it through.

Yes the bocal can be fixed. Take it to a local instrument shop. The companies that make bassoons charge $10 to replace them.

Good luck.

Tom

PS. I am a bassoon player`s dad. Also I played in high school and still play some but I am no pro.

wow thanks! that was a pretty fast response for the bassoon section... =P you answered all the questions i really wanted answered! i`ll try putting the drop cloth into the boot joint. =)

when i learned how to play the bassoon the schools instrument didn`t have a hand rest so when i took lessons i learned without it. I`ve been playing bout 6 years now and i`ve never used one.

cool! well, now i`ve figured out that my hand feels soo tired when i don`t use the hand rest... just to give you guys an update, i love playing the bassoon now, it`s such an awesome instrument... kinda disappointing that i will always play the same notes as the trombones... but that`s ok.. haha. i bet my band teacher didn`t expect for there to be a bassoon anyways. i`m learning ok, only thing is i can`t get the low notes to come out without starting at the G at the bottom on the staff and working my way down. i`ll work it out though. i tihnk lowering my jaw helps, is that the proper way to get the sounds out for lower notes? or is there a better way?

a lot of times it can be due to a problematic reed.

I would love to have had a hand rest.. like other people.. the school bassoon I had was not fortunate enough to have a hand rest and I never got to have one until I was in gr.11 and we had to borrow another schools bassoon. The gr.9s got into the bassoon case and broke it

Tip to the Wise: Never leave your bassoon at school, and if you do.. make sure no curious gr.9s can get into it

aaw i`m a niner... haha... yea, i can see y you`d think that. the only other basson in our school is completely demolished... holy crap... it`s disgusting... some keys fell off, all the pads are loose there`s no neck or seat strap, only 1 hand rest for both bassoons (mine and that one) and the corks are so weird it`s so hard to put together.. =S

Heh...i also started the bassoon like...a month ago and started playing it in concert band last week. the bad thing is >_< i am kinda playin hard songs and it makes me have a hard time playing can anyone suggest good ways to remember Bass Clef? cause heh...i cant do it well with notes that go real high...also what are some good tips for bassoon? cause i enjoy it a lot and i want to know what things i should look out for while i am playing it

If you wan`t to get better at bass clef, just practice it a lot, and you will automatically know the notes in the high register...It`s also a good idea to learn tenor clef, since the high register is often written in this. If anyone has any other questions id be happy to help out, I`m pretty good at bassoon and I`ve had solo, orchestral, and chamber experience.

Well, see i make a really weird sound...mainly cause i am still kinda used to Tenor Sax cause that is what i played before but, i do know that like sometimes when i want to play low notes it kinda makes a weird higher sound and it takes me another blow to get it back to its regular sound is there a reason why this happens?

It could be because of your lip placement on the reed.. or it could be that your reed just sucks, which is very likely. If you have a teacher, buy reeds from him for a while, then find someone to teach you how to make reeds if you are serious about playing bassoon.

lol, i bought a new medium soft reed a few days ago, b/c i din`t like my teacher`s medium that he gave me, and then when i blew into it it cracked down the side... =( =( =( what a waste of $10... =/ oh well... any tips for playing a new reed for the first time?

heh thanks i just opened a new reed today and it works great! anyways i have a question can someone use bassoon for jazz AT ALL cause see i played in jazz band with my tenor sax...and umm...well i really dont wanna mess up my embrochure for my bassoon`s doubl
e reed any suggestions?