It's official, I am about to join the ranks of adult learners... on the bassoon. After much mulling over of various makes and ages of instrument I finally plumped for an eight year old Fox.

Now, for those of you who may be crying out "but you already play the oboe, where's the challenge", I will hasten to add that the only thing similar between an oboe and a bassoon is the double-reed. My thumbs have never been so busy or confused in their life!

Regrettably, we will not be 'together' for the Teddington ALC in February, because one key needs modifying, replacement of a ring with a plateau to accomodate my small hands. The earliest the work can be done is mid-January and with the silver plating work involved it will take 3 weeks to complete. in the meantime I'm stuck playing a rather limited number of notes.

On the plus side the bassoon itself can be heard being played on YouTube, HERE, not by me (of course!) but by the previous owner Susana Dias, just before her MMus graduation in 2006 from the RCM. She's agreed to give me lessons in the new year too!

EDIT: Appears to be a problem with the YouTube video

Enjoy your new instrument

Ooooo I have a new violin - isn't it wonderful having a new instrument

One day I'd like to have a cello but we don't have anywere to keep it just now unless it wants to live in the greenhouse.....

If and when you get bored with said bassoon I will offer to adopt it for you AmandaL.

I saw the video clip. She's quite a virtuoso. Lovely instrument. You're very lucky to have such a talented teacher too. Have fun

That's great, good luck, bassoon is a great, under-appreciated instrument.

Hope you have fun playing bassoon Amanda.

Thanks for all your good wishes.

Absolutely no chance of getting bored! (A bassoon is for life, not just for Christmas )

My mother, who has only recently discovered what a bassoon is, describes their sound as 'cuddly and warm' which, thinking about it, is quite a good analogy. I have to agree that they are rather maligned instruments but I'm glad to report that small-handed players are more common than I first thought - Howarth said keywork modifications are one of the most frequent jobs they do.

Well done Amanda for trying a new instrument. I saw the video clip too. Nice instrument. Enjoy it.

Good luck Amanda. I guess I'm biased but I think the bassoon is a good choice. I think it has got quite a steep learning curve. I learned to ignore the jibes that I sounded like a fog horn or a sick cow and I just stuck at it with the hope that I would eventually improve. The instrument demands fidelity. You have to practice regularly to keep up your embouchure strength and the higher you go the fitter your lips need to be. The left hand thumb has a ridiculous number of keys which it can press and especially in the top register the fingerings are compleletely non-intuitive. The search for the perfect reed is never ending but despite all these difficulties the rewards are there for those who persevere. The sound of the instrument is super.

My teacher promised me that the repertoire would get better the more accomplished I was and she's right. I'm now playing a lively Galliard sonata. I had to spend a while playing folk tunes but I've progressed beyond that. Got my grade 5 under my belt. I'm hoping that someone in the Cambridge area is looking for a bassoonist of my standard. After all I did pick the instrument because I thought it would be easier to find an ensemble position than on the flute, my original instrument.

Well done Amanada: it sounds very nice (Utube video seems OK now). What about a clip of you playing it?

Good luck!



When I get the money, I would definatly like a Bassoon. All the Oboe things have to be done first though....

Yes, I would agree that the learning curve is pretty steep. Once the key modification has been done I'll be able to play it properly, but until then, my notes are limited because I can't reach the higher LH thumb keys without my left 3rd finger sliding off the hole. However, on the bassoons I tried that already had a LH 3rd finger plateau key, I could manage from the bottom Bb up to the first F above the bass stave, probably helped by playing the oboe. Naturals are ok, it's the thumb keys for the flats and sharps are confusing at the moment It's quite frustrating actually, because I can read the notes perfectly well but my hands can't yet respond at the same speed.

given time, I might.

Is there a place in the guiness book of records for greatest number of grade one passes on different instruments? Perhaps Amanda might suggest it to them

It does sound wonderful!

Liz

Problem is, I've not actually taken Grade 1 on any instrument! When I was first learning woodwind as a child, Grade 3 was the primary grade and on the violin I started with Grade 2 anyway.

AmandaL, you said: "I can't reach the higher LH thumb keys without my left 3rd finger sliding off the hole. "

My teacher goes down on her knees to see if my third finger is letting air escape from the hole. It is a very errant digit but it is learning to behave.

You also said: "It's quite frustrating actually, because I can read the notes perfectly well but my hands can't yet respond at the same speed."

I think your frustrations will increase the more you learn. My current pet hates are knowing when to use which f sharp key - thumb or pinkie, when to use vent keys and learning the fingerings for all notes above the E above middle C. I was so elated the first time I played a B flat three octave chromatic scale. That top octave is a real pain but I can do it now pretty slowly. It is a hard intrument but the flip side of that is you will get such a kick when you master difficult technique. Non-bassoonists won't understand you but so what.

My LH 3rd finger problem is purely down to hand size, but the right hand doesn't have any problems even with the Bb trill key between the A and G.

For the dizzy heights of The Rite (perhaps one day in the future) there's a high E key, which the previous owner had fitted as an optional extra. She said it makes a real difference to the stability and quality of the E and F at the top of the treble stave.

I'm sure many more frustrations will rear their ugly head in the not too distant future , but I'm a sucker for punishment so I won't let them get the better of me!