Hello, I am a university student studying music. I am a vocal major and also play the euphonium. It has been my wish for sometime to take up the bassoon as I absoloutly love the sound of it and my eventual goal is to play an instrument from each family.

I just wanted to ask some established bassoonists what brands and models of bassoon do you recomend for beginners and where would be the best place to buy one.

Thanks in advance for any help you can give me on the subject.

Aaron Bartholomew

The problem with taking up the bassoon is that you can get in way over your head, money-wise, by taking the advice of serious bassoonists - if you are just doing this as an "extra" thing to fill out your musical repertoire. Many people will tell you the only thing to buy is a new Fox or to go first class and try for a Puchner, Heckel, etc. Time enough for these bassoons when you decide to join the London Philharmonic as a bassoonist.

I am a great believer in talking first to the music shop repairpeople in your town. They will either tell you they don't work on bassoons (lots don't because they're more complicated) or they will have some ideas of what's available locally and what they've worked on before. This is important because as you know, you will need their services from time to time. You should look for a good, reliable, student-grade bassoon to start with, which has been overhauled recently (notice I'm not recommending a new horn) and one which your local shop can guarantee will perform for you. A German bassoon would be an excellent choice, but a Selmer or plastic Fox could also fill the bill. In your price range (I'm assuming you want to stay below $5,000) you can find Kohlerts, Schreibers, Adlers, or Moennigs which will perform well providing they are up to snuff mechanically. If your local shop is willing to take on a project, you might find something cheap, take a gamble, and let the shop do the overhaul.

Good luck!

It's always possible to hire a bassoon. Your local music shop is a good place to start, and if they can't help you can try the 'net (it's full of wonderful things..).