Bassoon
Recommended Brands
- Fox
- Fox Renard
- Puchner
- Moosman
- Heckel (Heckels are fancy and expensive, for when you are an advanced bassoonist)
Daily Required Supplies
- at least two good, working reeds (at all times) from Forrest Double Reeds, your bassoon teacher or another professional reed maker; cheaper reeds from music or internet stores that do not specialize in double reeds are not acceptable
- protective container for the two reeds (not the plastic tubule or packing that it comes in)
- silk swab
- cork grease
Bassoon Embouchure Instructions and Pictures
These two links are for use by Miller Middle School students and teachers only. Those from other schools who wish to use them should purchase the Embouchure Project from Teachers Pay Teachers.
Bassoon Embouchure Instructions
Forming the Embouchure
The bassoon embouchure is a natural, relaxed position of the lips. You might use a slight overbite, but it is not necessary.
Look into a small mirror placed on your music stand while you learn and practice playing.
Soak the reed for one to two minutes.
Open your mouth slightly, but keep it natural and relaxed.
Gently place the tip of the reed onto your lower lip, up to the line where the inside skin of your mouth meets the outside skin. The tip of the reed should line up with the line.
Bring your upper lip to the wire of the reed and keep your lower lip relaxed, slightly over the bottom teeth.
Except for a possible slight overbite, the lips should stay relaxed and natural. Think of the lips as providing a gentle cushion between the teeth and the reed.
Producing Correct Pitch with Correct Embouchure
Use just the soaked reed, not the bocal or bassoon yet.
While using the correct embouchure as described above, you should be able to produce a sound from just your reed on concert G or A, or a combination of different notes at the same time. The combination of notes played at the same time is called a crow. If you can produce a crow on your reed only, your embouchure is correct.
If you are not getting the correct pitch, check the following:
- Make sure the reed is good quality, not too soft or hard, and free from chips or other damage.
- If it is difficult to keep the reed open, it might be too soft or old.
- Make sure you have soaked the reed long enough.
- You might be biting the reed closed. Keep the lips gently cushioning the reed.
- Use faster air. Breathe more deeply and blow from your stomach.
- The reed might be too hard. Save it for a later day.
Tuning Instructions for the Bassoon
Assemble your bassoon, except for the reed, which should be soaking. Be sure to apply cork grease to the corks on the bocal and reed. When you insert the bocal, grasp it carefully at the top curve, and move the bassoon gently back and forth when you insert the bocal into the opening. Do not turn the bocal back and forth, as it is delicate and easily bent.
Finally, attach the reed, with the greased cork, all the way onto the bocal.
Play a Bb tuning note towards the tuner.
The goal is to get the needle to stay in the middle. If the needle stays more to the right, the pitch is too high, or sharp. Loosen your lips to lower the pitch. If the needle stays more to the left, the pitch is too low, or flat. Tighten the lips to raise the pitch.
The reed should always be pushed in all the way. Unlike other instrumentalists, who push in and pull out, double reed players use their embouchure to tune their pitches.
See how long you can hold the note in tune. Play "freeze the needle" - hold the note steady and in tune for longer and longer periods of time.
If the note is very flat and you cannot get it to play in tune, your reed is probably too soft or too old. Get a better, harder reed and try again.
Keep in mind that even though you will first use these notes to tune, other notes on your instrument may not be in tune. It is the nature of instruments. The longer you play your instrument, and the better, more characteristic tone you can produce, the easier you will be able to play all notes in tune on your instrument.
More Resources
Bassoon Basics from the U. S. Army Master Classes (PDF)
Tips for Better Bassoon Playing from the U. S. Army Master Classes (PDF)