hi, im new here so please forgive me if this has already been raised, all i want to know is: has anyone tried Playing in a marching band with a bassoon, if so, is it any harder than marching with a trombone etc.. thanx

Seems like we discussed this at length in some previous forum but I tried to find it and couldn't, so here goes: in my opinion, your band director shouldn't let you march with your bassoon. They're too fragile, you will probably bash up your reed when you trip on something or turn, or somebody will bash into you, or worse, you might hurt yourself on your bocal, or EVEN WORSE, you will bend your bocal. Bassoons don't have a good place to put a lyre for your music. So I feel a bassoon is definitely not a marching instrument, although I do know that some - very few - people march with them.

You're lucky to have the chance though. I've never even seen a damn marching band.

From what I've read I wouldn't attempt to play it. It also goes that I use a seatstrap and not a neckstrap cos I've found neck ones put too much presure on your upper body - not cool for playing.

This is especially not good if you plan on marching a wooden bassoon. It could rain and then your wood would swell and that wouldn't be good at all. If you have a plastic bassoon and are content wiht marching it I say go for it...but you'll have to pay for broken reeds and other repairs.