To continue the Moosmann discussion from the Pickert thread.

I am on my second Moosmann basson in 24 years & have not encountered any major tuning problems. My new one is particularly good.

Drew's low E flat - is the key opening the correct amount? About 3/16 inch between pad & tone hole edge at the widest point should give a good result. Usually the problem is that the cork bumper has been knocked off & it opens far too wide.

MM - I find that a No1 crook works well for me with a relaxed embouchure & plenty of breath support. But every player is different. Also, as my suggestion to Drew, maybe the pad openings aren't correct - a good starting point on all those larger pads on the boot & bass joints is that they should open about 3/16 inch. Frequently the pads that close when depressing the G & F keys open way too much. On the bassoon pad openings at the lower end can affect the tuning of notes all over the instrument & don't necessarily have the same effect in different octaves.

As you have a university instrument maybe it hasn't been maintained properly. Have a word with your bassoon tutor about it & see if it can be checked out by a specialist bassoon technician if there is one near you. Unfortunately many woodwind techs don't know a lot about bassoons & even if they can get them sealing efficiently the regulation leaves a lot to be desired.

Good luck.

Ian

I also find my low Eb is sharp... I just try to lip it down and use the low Bb key. On the note of the key height, it may be something that my technician may have not looked at, because it was only maintained at a music store (although the repairman is a bassoonist).
It may be something to look into, but considering I'll most likely need a new bassoon, I'll just leave it

Interesting observation about the pad/hole opening. I just got back into town and will check the opening tonight when I get to orchestra rehearsal. It would be great if that would solve the whole issue. I, too, try to lip down but don't always remember in the heat of the moment and then end up sounding pretty sharp. I also find that my upper G in the staff depends a lot on the reed I'm using - some reeds actually sound better when I don't use the LH pinky key, so unfortunately I can't get into a sound habit.

I have only ever used the basic fingering for the upper G on any bassoon I've played. I have tried but don't like the sound - it doesn't blend in with other players (many of whom do add the little finger) or other notes on my own bassoon.

Ian

As an experiment - play a low D & slowly open the E flat key & see what happens. You should find a point where the pitch is better & the tone is good. Too close & it will be flat & muffled; too wide & it's likely to be sharp.

Ian

Great idea. I'll try that. I tried to measure my opening last night at orchestra rehearsal but didn't have the right tools (I'm guessing I'd need a caliper and only had my steel tape - totally unsatisfactory plus the players immediately adjacent to me wondered what in the heck I was doing - answer: nothing productive!!)

Had a good listen at a rehearsal yesterday & the low E flat on my Moos 200 was spot on.

Ian

Well, to continue this discussion, I've not done anything about fixing the low Eb tuning but the horn is about to go in for its annual this month so I'll probably mention it then and see what happens.

So hard to find a time to take instruments in these days, with things going on all year long. Now it's "Summer in the Park" and things like that..........

I wish I could own a new moosmann 222a, they look sooooo much better than any fox or heckel I have ever seen,