hey all,

following conversations with various friends - summed up by "classical? why not do something interesting?" - i've decided to broaden my horizons. there's not much of a calling for it but i thought "jazz bassoon, that'd be kinda cool" (and certainly more accessible than most popular stuff). so...

i've bought some jazz etudes, and a book on beginning improvisation. i've had a look through - they look pretty good, nothing too far out of my reach - but reading the foreword and other parts throughout the book, it's clear to be that this particular author assumed that anyone buying a bass clef version of these methods would be a trombonist.

for example, the author is a trombonist; there's lots of glissandi; the range fits with a trombone; there are frequent references to mouthpieces, slides etc. so it's clear that this book is meant for a trombone. but, unfortunately, it's the best i can use, as jazz bassoon books are thin on the ground to say the least.

is trying to learn based on trombone studies gonna be useful at all, or simply a waste of my time?

I'm not sure about the jazz etudes - it's possible that they'll help with phrasing, reading jazz rhythms etc or they could be a bit of a waste of time, I really don't know.

As for the beginning improvisation book - a lot of improvisation books (don't know which one you've got) have concert treble clef, concert bass clef, Bb and Eb parts. Most of the time the head (or the tune) is reasonably simple and not over too great a range so it should be fine and then improvising over the chords you can fit to your instrument. I play tenor and alto saxes and sometimes I find the head of a tune will fit much better in the range of one rather than the other, it's quite common to have to take tenor parts up an octave for bits or all of the tune, but that's not a problem and kind of expected.

Another thought - how about getting some stuff for sax? Since it's woodwind it might work better and I believe from a bass playing friend that you can read Eb treble clef parts by pretending they're in bass clef and adding 3 flats to the key signature - you'd need to transpose the chords though.

Finally, if you really want to play jazz then do some listening and work out what and why you want to play other than just that it's "kinda cool". There's no reason why you shouldn't play jazz bassoon, but there are probably more obstacles than for a sax player, so if it's not something you really want to do than you might find it difficult to progress.

No i can't really dig the concept of jazz and bassoon, ok if it works for you fine, their is a bizzare brigade out their so ok. Yeah i know i probably stereo type jazz to the established instruments but i'm long in the tooth so its my right if i so choose. Any way check out the ABRSM real books in Bass clef and any of the following
Hal Leonards Jazz Play-Alongs
Aebersold's volumes 1-to whatever they go up to now, i think i have up to 110.

Having said what i have said i'm not bolshy, any instrument can join my jazz orchestra if they can make a contribution, i've got a right old assortment of players- sousaphone, oboe, clarinet as well as standard big band instruments.

The trombone is the GOD of all instruments. Nothing comes even close.

If you need some inspiration, http://www.jazzbassoon.com/ this chap is supposed to be great

I've seen a jazz bassoonist on the internet, in a group called Bela Fleck and the Flecktones. The album we heard is called Hidden Lands (or it might have been The Hidden Land). I've got a link to the video clip, but will post it tomorrow, if you're interested.

And I'd also like to wish you good luck with it. Can't understand people trying to put you off playing jazz bassoon, seems a great idea to me. You play jazz, why on earth not! I play trombone, and my son played bassoon, we were able to share lots of music. You should be ok with the trombone stuff.

And, just for info, Rufus Harley plays jazz bagpipes (and is featured on Sonny Rollins' album The Cutting Edge) - so how's that for a non-traditional jazz instrument?!

I guess you have the basic technique in place, so why not! Be different, if you want to! You're learning jazz, so as long as you get a book that teaches jazz then you should get on fine. Go for it!

it's not just a case of i think it's cool (i do though ) - i've always admired jazz musicians and the music is probably the only thing i can quite happily sit there and listen to. and i've always wanted to learn to improvise - i think it's a shame that improvisation is totally neglected in classical training.

oh yeah - and jazz to me seems to be the only modern type of music where it's about the music, not attitude, money or ego. and i hadn't thought about the Eb music, i might have to steal some of my dad's old alto sax music


have you heard any jazz bassoon? there's no reason that it should be any stranger than any other instrument, it's just everyone's view of the bassoon is someone in a dinner jacket or evening dress (hopefully not at the same time ) playing vivaldi and getting dull orchestral parts. you're entitled to your opinion of course but i can't see why you don't 'dig' it, especially with your oboist - not exactly a standard, is it?

I've had a look at paul's website, it's pretty good, i might get his book once i've exhausted the two i have now - and i think i might've heard of the flecktones, but nothing by them...

and trombone music is good - except it's 'comfy' range is higher than the bassoon's, and there's the odd top D, and plenty of top Bb's - which is fine except when you get a load of notes up there, all swung and at minim = two million or something

Those are all really good reasons to give it a go. In your position I think I'd be tempted to skip the instrument specific stuff and work with the playalongs that have a concert pitch bass clef part.