Im getting to the point in bassoon playing where its time for me to learn chromatic scale so I was wondering if anyone has a beginner scale I can look at. To be more specific, Im going to be playing in the school band so if any of yall have a chromatic scale that is in the band bassoon range Ill be playing in that would be a good help. If not, thats fine!

I've always mostly played mostly music from post-1900, so the only Vivaldi concerto I've done is E Minor 484. I've got a new student who wants to plan ahead for a solo competition with his youth orchestra. He said he likes the Vivaldi E minor the most of the pieces we looked at, but I don't know him well enough yet to know how ambitious it will be for him.

Does anyone have any recommendations for Vivaldi concerti that lay a bit more easily in the fingers? Apart from just starting with the easiest key signatures I don't really know which one is which.

Dear bassoonists, I'm a professional flute player wanting to ✨️spice✨️ up my life a little with a new instrument to learn as a hobby. I've always been amazed with this instrument, but it's really not popular in my region so the chances to study it were very low.

While I'm trying to get in contact with some bassoonists, which model would you recommend for a starter who doesn't want to get bankrupt? (Europe based)

I'm still not sure how far do I want to go with this, it would be fun to play it in wind orchestras and maybe some small gigs just to clear my head from the crazy flute world!

Feel free to tell my your views about this and playing the bassoon in general as a hobby.

I’m planning a move and it is with great sadness that I’m going to have to leave my bassoon behind until I can ship it. I’m worried however about putting it in storage.

Will it be okay?

Storage is climate controlled and the bassoon is student model, not made of wood.

I have played bassoon for 20 years in a community group. I normally play second but if no other bassoon is playing, i play first. Last tome I covered a simple 8 measure solo and I was going to cover it for the concert, but the director called in the first bassoon to play it. I feel bad, Its a hit to my confidence like my playing is always not good enough for this group, and I’m not really enjoying myself anymore. Ive auditioned and made it into a new group that starts in fall, but Ive basically had it drilled into me that Im not good at solos and im worried that my thought patterns will keep me from playing my best. Besides this incident Ive really felt my playing has this year been the best Ive played in a long time. Just looking for some support ideas. Im a working mom and I practice when I can.

I'm very tangled about the mönnig 214D,Mossman five knots bassoon,and the newest Yamaha 812c

I’ve been very dedicated to the bassoon for about 11 years despite not pursuing performance professionally. About a year and a half ago a member of my family was diagnosed with a terminal illness so I had to step away from regular practice and ensembles. I’m now returning to the bassoon and feeling discouraged.

I’m not playing how I once did. I used to be a reliable and trustworthy player and I can see some of my directors and colleagues relying on me less. It’s like I’ve lost a key piece of my identity that I was proud of.

I’m finding it hard to stay motivated to practice, grieving how I used to perform and the ease I had while performing. I’ve lost some joy for the bassoon as a result and it really sucks.

Hello! I’m decently new to bassoon playing. I started last October. I got my bassoon second hand for a really good price, everything functions well.

Yesterday a piece of cork fell off the Ab key for the left hand. It was already hand made and stuck on previously. What do y’all use to stick cork back on and how far up or down the key should I stick it?

Believe it or not, this is my attempt at vibrato. Any feedback is appreciated!

https://drive.google.com/file/d/1jfxWam75sVYi_v8pG_Z1QZBLIpC8SniP/view?usp=drivesdk

I recently started to play with a violinist and a pianist but usually i play guitar with them. I would like to play something with the bassoon so any suggestions will be much appreciated.

What fingering do you use for the D#s in measure 161 (the measure that starts with B, A#, B)? My standard fingering is to add the resonance key, RH 2 and Bb but I’ve been excluding the resonance key to make it easier technically. I can keep it clean until about half note = 125. I’ve tried using just the left hand but the pitch is all over the place and is noticeable even at the fast tempo. Thanks!

Hi, I play bassoon in an army band in Korea. When I hear the sound of US miliraty band bassoons, i think they have silmilar tone and sound(maybe like thin and bright sound). Does they use same instrument or have kind of advice in tone and sound..?

Contemporary piece, Chinese idiom. The composer has marked a section “hum”. In comments by email, the composer writes: ‘"Hum" at G in Oboe and at E in Bassoon - I had in mind having a way for the performer to alter the tone color of the instrument... ideally, getting a distorted sound, even if only subtle’. I have no idea what they want, or how to execute it. Any comments or ideas appreciated.

I’m 17 and I’ve been playing in my high school band for about a year and a half now. My technique is just fine and my tone on low notes is pretty good, but my tone in the mid to high range of the instrument is still pretty thin. I would take private lessons but it’s difficult to find ones that are worthwhile at a decent enough price in my area. Any tips would be appreciated, even if they don’t apply to tone, that’s just my main focus. Thank you!

Does anybody know where to buy some good handmade bassoon reeds online? I've looked online and I don't know if the stuff that I'm finding is good quality.

Hello!

Just fulfilled a lifelong dream and finally afforded myself a bassoon, it’s a great condition Boosey and Hawkes Artia with all the accessories. I have a small background with the clarinet.

I’m surprised at the lack of resources available for the bassoon, though I suppose it makes sense due to the rarity.

In any case, if anybody has any pointers for starting out/care/good practices, anything you wish you were told starting out. I’m all ears! Thank you so much :)

Hello, so I'm pretty new to bassoon and wondered if anyone knew any bassoon tutors in Riverside County in California

I have been taught by my teacher to use this fingering: left hand whisper key and first, third hole and resonance key / right hand b flat key and second hole. This fingering makes my tone very clear and stable but it is too high at my instrument...

I’m a performance major, and a requirement for my degree is that I have to do two recitals. I have more than a year before I have to do one, but I’m already nervous. Part of the reason is because I play a wind instrument and I look like a fucking frog when I blow into it. I do not want to livestream my frog neck, or have it on any kind of video. I genuinely don’t like it when people take pics of me performing.

So I don't really have any experience playing as a street performer. Since the weather is nice and I'm close to the beach, I'm thinking about trying to busk with my bassoon. Any ideas about what to play, how long to play, what to bring, etc?

Just off the top of my head: if I bring a stool and a stand with my folder full of the solo pieces and whatnot, that could be a decent start if I played for like 90 minutes or something. I was thinking about maybe printing some pop culture songs to throw in the mix (movie soundtracks, video game music, Taylor Swift, etc). Besides that, maybe I could do some of the things that I do when I practice when I get bored, where I bust in and out of pentatonic scales and rhythmic variations of whatever I'm playing, y'know, improvy type stuff.

Just a thought that's been on my mind for a bit since I've been by the beach for a few years now. It gets really touristy in town during the Summer, especially during Sunday Markets. I saw a dude bust out an accordion once, and he just winged it.

Hello everyone!

I'm auditioning for a youth orchestra in my area at the end of the summer. The requirements are relaxed they're only asking for a video recording of the applicant playing a movement from a concerto, sonata, or other solo piece that best shows one's capabilities.

I have no idea what to pick. On the one hand, the great/standard concertos (Mozart, Weber, Hummel) are the obvious choices, but I don't feel especially passionate about them.

On the other hand, the Schickele and Williams concertos are very unique and have a lot of opportunities for interpretation and expression.

At the same time, there are some fantastic arias that (I think) would fit the Bassoon incredibly well. I was thinking 'Comfort Ye' and 'Why Do The Nations So Furiously' from Handel's Messiah would do a great job at showing off the instrument's low and high registers.

Sorry for the wall of text, but I'm completely lost. Is it even worth trying to play something outside the box, or am I overthinking it.

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Edited to fix spelling.

I will keep playing the oboe but with bassoon as my second. How hard is it to learn the bassoon if I can already play the oboe?