Second Bassoon

For a bassoon to work properly, especially to control quiet, low notes, the instrument must be as air-tight as possible. It should be tested joint by joint every month or so or if things don't feel 'quite right'. Players often spend ages struggling to get a reed to work when the problem is actually a leaky instrument.

1) The crook (bocal): test this by putting a finger or thumb over the wide end and also (with a clean finger) closing the 'pin hole'. Then suck out some air and close it off with your tongue. This vacuum should hold for several minutes. There's not usually a problem, but occasionally, a crook can develop a split along the seam that is made in the construction process. If this happens, seal it up with some sellotape until you can get it to a good repairman (this is not a job for a cowboy).

2) The tenor joint: put a finger over the narrow end of the tenor joint, close the finger holes and suck air out from the wider end. If you can hold a vacuum for 90 seconds, that is extremely good and we should be aiming for this (you might even need to wet your fingers to hold the vacuum this long). 20 - 30 seconds is still good while most instruments only manage about 10 seconds. If it is much less than 10 seconds it must be improved.

3) The butt joint: close all the holes by fingering a low E and seal up the wide end with your cheek and suck air out from the narrow end. If you have a beard, you'll have to remove the U-bend and test each half separately (or shave your beard off!). A 30 second vacuum is excellent and anything less than 10 seconds should be sorted out.

4) The long joint: roll up your trouser leg press the low B key down and close the wide end with your calf and suck through the narrow end. 15 seconds is fine and anything less than 10 seconds, again, should be sorted out.

5) The bell joint: as above or use the palm of your hand to close the end.

With all except the tenor joint, the length of time for holding a vacuum is measured by taking off the fingers that hold down keys that are normally open and waiting for them to pop open.

6) The cork connections between the joints and the linkages between the joints: to test these put the whole instrument together and get a friend to cover the end of the bell joint with the palm of his or her hand.

This little web site was started by me as an opportunity to pass on information, news, gossip etc about the world of bassoon playing, being a 'second' woodwind player and music in general. I have used it to suggest certain other web sites that are relevant to bassoonists and to pass on my personal thoughts on various aspects of bassoon playing. My name is Andrew Stowell and I play Second Bassoon in the Orchestra of the Royal Opera House, Covent Garden in London and although this web site is rather UK based, I hope there is something in it for people from elsewhere who come across it. Please feel free to leave comments on any of the entries - they can be anonymous if you want.

If you wish to contact me directly, please use the 'Contact' page on my new web site: www.andrewstowell.com .

I know some woodwind shops provide a knife sharpening service, but I've often thought that they could give lessons in this technique to woodwind students at music colleges. So, in the meantime, for reed players who don't use knives with replaceable blades, I would like to steer them towards the following web sites that I have found:

http://www.nielsen-woodwinds.com/pc-5043-134-book-reed-knife-sharpening-book-by-daryl-caswell.aspx who sell a book by Daryl Caswell of Landwell Knives for $9.25 (plus p&p).

https://jonesdoublereed.com/wiz_bevel_sharpening.aspx  . A good description of how to use a stone on hollow ground knives.

http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/DR/DR3.3/knife.html . As to be expected from the idrs this lengthy article is packed with theory and explains the function of the 'burr' on the edge.

http://idrs.colorado.edu/Publications/DR/DR9.1/DR9.1.Mitch.html . Another idrs article with some good ideas.

http://www.makingoboereeds.com/knifesharpening.htm . Good clear advice here.

http://www.people.vcu.edu/~bhammel/main/bassoon/sharpen.htm . A couple of short video clips to watch here.

http://reedmaster.com/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=2 . More good clear instructions here.

In recent weeks, there have very strict regulations in force regarding cabin luggage on aeroplanes in and out of Britain. The Musicians Union in the UK has recently reached an agreement with the Department for Transport which took effect on 22 September 2006. The changes mean that:

Passengers will still be allowed just one item of hand baggage. However, the size of the bag is being increased to 56cm by 45cm by 25cm.

If your instrument can be carried in a bag with these dimensions it should be.

In addition, each passenger is allowed to carry through the airport security search piont ONE musical instrument in its case, if it cannot be carried within a bag with the dimensions above.

Note that:

no items other than the instrument and its accessories may be carried in this case;

no liquids, such as valve oil and slide ceam, can be placed in cabin luggage;

and musical instruments will need to be screened, as usual.

So, well done to the MU!

But, don't forget: no knives, blades, pliers, screwdrivers, spare reed wire etc. Also, if you keep a small bottle or 35mm film cannister for water for reeds, empty it and put in your hold luggage

At the beginning of the second movement of the Brahms Violin Concerto, there is an important part for the second bassoon. I have been asked for some help with this by someone who e-mailed me as she is having to play it for an audition.

Firstly, you should look at an orchestral score (see if you can get one from a library or browse in a book shop with a big music section). Also listen to a recording. You will see that the tune is on the first oboe (it crops up in their auditions also). The second bassoon part should underpin this tune and also provide a secure 'cushion' for the harmonies of the rest of the wind section. The dynamic marking at the beginning is p not pp and what an audition panel (or a conductor) will be looking for is a rock solid control in this register of the instrument and a completely smooth legato (if they want it quieter, they can always ask). Work out where you will take a breath and be quite deliberate about it i.e. don't be apologetic about it but use it as an opportunity to help with the phrasing. See where the oboist would need to breathe and match that. Don't start off with a bigger breath than you need. Being a quiet passage, you'll not be pumping a lot of air through the instrument so you'll be more likely to get a build up of carbon dioxide than to run out of breath as such (i.e. with no air left in your lungs). If you can do 'circular breathing', this would be a perfect place to show it off, but only if you are absolutely 100% sure you can consistently maintain complete control of the legato and the dynamics.

With regard to the technical side of this passage:

Make sure that your instrument is air-tight.

Do not use a reed that is too hard. But it should still make a warm 'Germanic' sound'. Having said that, however, I don't think it is a good idea to keep swapping reeds during an audition (or a concert).

Do not take too much reed into the mouth so that you can control the reed without pinching it. This should help you to get the passage smooth and even with no 'sticky-out' notes.

Check the intonation over and over again. Listen extremely carefully and use your tuning machine. Do not be sharp. I repeat, do not be sharp. If you can, play it through with a good oboist. Get him/her to use a tuning machine and you then fit in with him/her.

Check that your fingers are co-ordinating properly and that all legatos are free of lumps and bumps.

Play the first note (low F) deliberately but with no hint of an accent. Try placing your tongue a little higher or lower on the tip of the reed. This sometimes helps.

Put the crook (whisper) key lock on but don't forget to unlock it later. Then, for example, in bars ten and fourteen, when you're playing the G, your thumb can be covering the Low C key in preparation.

 

When I was looking for internet stuff about the new second bassoon in the LSO, I came across this useful list of bassoonists in European Orchestras (also oboists) http://www.oboeinsight.com/stories/storyReader$1983 . It is just part of the website  of Patricia Mitchell http://www.oboeinsight.com/ . She is principal oboe in the San Jose Opera and her extensive web site covers lots of stuff that is relevant to bassoonists. For example, their is a link to a good bassoon fingering chart ( http://www.wfg.woodwind.org/bassoon/ ) which I have added to my 'On Line Fingering Charts' entry of 26th Sept.

Joost Bosdijk has just been appointed sub-principle bassoon in the London Symphony Orchestra. He is leaving the Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra who have this photo of him on their website http://www.rpho.nl/2006-2007/secties/nieuws/voor_de_pers.html . Many congratulations to him. I wish him good luck in this important position in one of the world's great orchestras.

The next stages in finishing off your reed are traditionally done by holding the reed up to a light (an 'anglepoise' is ideal) but I rely heavily on my dial indicator. This is a device which very accurately (i.e. to within 1 or 2  hundredths of a millimetre) measures thickness of the blade at different places. John Schroder ( http://www.johnschroder.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/index.html ) made mine many years back. I have 2 (one on a brass stand and another to be hand held which can be carried around in a bassoon case which I prefer to use all the time). I don't know if he still produces them but there are many other sources (e.g. Howarths, Myatts, Reiger, Reeds'n'stuff etc.).  The 'tongue' that is inserted between the blades will have notches on it (probably every tenth of an inch) but they can be difficult to see so what I've done is to paint the whole tongue with light grey metal primer and then paint coloured nail varnish in each alternate space. Make sure when you use a dial indicator that the reed is thoroughly wet or you might damage the tip. Once a reed has been broken in, I try not to use the dial indicator again because the smooth coating on the inside gets disturbed and you can get that frying bacon sound in ppp's.

After a long gap let's get back to reed making.

Having made your reed blank and left it for several weeks or longer on your drying board, wet the blade in warm water and cut the tip off. Decide what length the blades on your best reeds are (the blades on mine are 27.5mm) and cut the end off. The traditional way of doing this is to put it on a cutting block (you can find one via Google prices from £3.99 to £6.95) and cut it straight across with a sharp knife or single edged razor blade (http://www.personna-uk.co.uk/single_edge_razor.asp if you want to buy them by the 100 or £1.70 will buy you ten at http://www.brunelmicroscopes.co.uk/acatalog/Dissecting_Equipment___Apparatus.html ). If you try this, you will nearly always end up with a lop-sided reed. The next best way is to use a pair of jewellers 'end-cutters'. Hold the reed in the jaws of it then turn it round and see if it still looks square. If it does, squeeze the jaws closed. But the best way is to use a purpose-made tip cutter like those made by Reiger (http://www.georgrieger.com/html-en/home/index.html 120 Euros) or Reeds'n'Stuff (http://www.reedsnstuff.de/bassoon/bassoon.htm 150 Euros). They are very quick to use, accurate and completely square. Well worth the extra expense if if you make more than a dozen reeds a year.