Ok, I'm not able to play notes from a at the top of the bass clef to d above that anymore. notice i said anymore. For some reason, these notes slip down one octave. Even if i flick, they stay for a while, then slip. My embouchure is very tight, but they just won't stay! could it be my bocal, my reed, or the bassoon in general?

Is your whisper key lock on? Is the whisper key hole in the bocal clogged? (clean this with a broom straw - DO NOT use a wire or anything hard enough to enlarge the hole) The linkage to the whisper key mechanism may be bent. I would say that this is definitely a problem somehow related to the whisper key. If you can't diagnose it, take to a repairman.

This bassoon doesn't have a whisper lock, although I've never checked the hole in the bocal. i'll try it. this isn't even my bassoon, it's my school's. not only that, it's the last good one. if there's something wrong with this one, i just don't have one. one needs fixing and another one still hasn't come in yet.