Students Guide on Beginning the Bassoon

Reed Case

A reed case helps ensure that your bassoon reeds last as long as possible which saves you money in the long run! The reed case chosen should allow air to circulate freely so that the reeds can dry fully when put in the case. We suggest that a beginner has a case which holds 4 - 6 bassoon reeds. This means that if one gets broken you have a 2 - 3 more ready to play so you never end up without a reed!

Swabs / Cleaning Cloths

There are two types of bassoon swabs; bassoon mops and drop swabs. Bassoon mops are fluffy and have to be pushed into the joints of the instrument. These tend to not clean out the curved parts of the joints fully and can leave bits of fluff in the instrument so we do not advise using bassoon mops. We would instead recommend using bassoon drop swabs which are a piece of microfibre fabric with a weight on one end to 'drop' down the bassoon joint and another piece of string on the other end to help remove the swab if it gets stuck. This type of swab cleans every area inside the bassoon with no possibility of leaving fluff behind.

Seat Strap / Sling

When playing you need some form of support for the instrument as it is too heavy to hold in your hands alone. This leaves you with lots of options including, neck straps, shoulder straps, body harnesses & seat straps. At Crook and Staple, we suggest that you consider either a neck strap or seat strap. When you are a bassoonist you are usually sitting down and so the support system you usually use should best suit this position.

Hand Rest

Hand rests / 'birds' will come with your instrument. Each make of instrument has a different variation on the design of hand rest but the main aim of the hand rest is for it to provide support and grip to your right hand. If you lose your hand rest you can pop us an email and we'll try to find the best solution for your bassoon, however, I would advise against losing it as they are not cheap! (I know this from personal experience)

Water Pot

Soaking reeds for 30 seconds before playing your bassoon means that the reed will be nearly ready to play well once it is taken out the pot and will help the reed to last as long as possible. Here you can find water pots that magnetically attach to your music stand to avoid water spillages.

Cork Grease

When parts of your instrument become stiff/hard to remove you need to apply cork grease to the cork (don't put too much though as you don't want the instrument to slide apart!)

Pencil

A pencil is vital to write down points in your lesson or to mark items into your music during an orchestral / band rehearsal. There should always be one in your case! We sell perfectly sized pencils with rubbers that easily fit in oboe cases here: Small Music Pencil with Rubber

Tutor Book

Abracadabra Bassoon by Jane Sebba begins at the basics and progressively build on previously learnt technique. Interspersed throughout are short pieces and fun duets to play with your teacher.

Metronome

This is not vital for the beginner bassoonist however for the intermediate bassoonist it is essential. Practising with a metronome can be tedious but it pays off, it helps to build up your sense of rhythm and increases the accuracy of your fingers. We recommend that you practice scales with a metronome.

Tuner

When you are more advanced a tuner will be useful for your long note practice (which is very important for building stamina and tone quality) as it allows you to ensure your tuning is correct at different dynamics/air pressures. The use of a tuner will build any instrumentalists sense of pitch which is vital when playing.

Reed Adjusting Tools

As you become more advanced you are likely to gain an interest in how bassoon reeds are made. The first step is to learn how to make adjustments to your bassoon reeds. For more information about this and the tools, you need have a look at our guide on how to make adjustments to bassoon reeds.

Bassoon Stand

A bassoon stand it useful for the intermediate bassoonist. When playing in a concert you may have a lot of rests and it is often beneficial to put the bassoon down for a few minutes. Another reason to get a bassoon stand is that it will encourage younger bassoonists to practice more often as they won't have to put the instrument away between playings, although I would suggest cleaning the instrument with a swab to remove the moisture from the instrument.

Matthew Petrie

Bassoonist at Crook and Staple