Contrabass Digest

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1999-04-27

 
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 17:53:51 -0700 (PDT)
From: Adam Kent-Isaac <lokibassoon@yahoo.com>
Subject: To roger, about used bassoons!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

Dear Roger:

About bassoons...

 First off, a used bassoon is very hard to find. You should ask a local
music store if they have a rental, or a school, to see if they might
let you use one. When I started playing bassoon, I got mine from a
local middle school which has one that they didn't need.Of course, I'm
getting a new one because most school bassoons are terrible.
 The bassoon's fingerings are usually similar or the same as the
contrabassoons'. The contras come in many different shapes and
configurations; try to find one with a German system.
 A beginner should always know that reeds for the bassoon are quite
expensive, ranging from 12 to 20 dollars. You shouldn't make your own
reeds till you're really good; until then, buy reeds.
 Be warned; the bassoon is a difficult beast to play. Its fingerings
are quite complicated. The clarinet has only the octave key for the
thumb. But the bassoon has holes for the fingers, and a bunch of keys
for the thumbs. Many bassoon have multiple octave keys; and it's
difficult to develop an embochure.
 The bassoon's range is from high G (you can get it higher but it's
very hard) to the low Bb below the bass clef, but many bassoons have
extra fingerings or extensions allowing the player to reach low Ab,
sometimes lower. The contrabassoon has the same range but an octave
lower.The bassoon has a pitch roughly between the bass clarinet and the
contralto clarinet.The bassoon's lowest note typically sounds the Bb
below the bass clarinet's lowest Db.
 The best bassoons are Red German maple. Others are sugar maple or
brown maple. Other bassoons are plastic. PLastic bassoons are bad.
Polyurethane, polypropelene, ABS, resin, those are all fancy names for
plastic. DON"T BE FOOLED! Plastic bassoons SUCK.
 Good luck with bassoon!!

If you need any more information about bassoon, or have any questions
of any kind, email me at lokibassoon@yahoo.com. That's
**LOKIBASSOON@YAHOO.COM!!!
Don't forget!
 

-Adam K

________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com

---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 23:09:21 -0400
From: Jack Silver <jsilver@cpcug.org>
Subject: Re: 1897 Evette-Schaeffer contrabass (was Re. gagging)
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

I am extremely curious about why you are interested in the 1897 price of a new
gold-plated E-S contrabass sax.  By any chance do you have such a thing or do you
have a lead on one?
Anyhow, I have an interest in price indexes and I may be able to conjure up a
price although there isn't much historical data for that sort of item; but it
would be interesting to come up with a proxy price using other musical instrument
prices from 1897 and 1999.

Good luck on your novel.  Jack Silver

LeliaLoban@aol.com wrote:

> I wrote,
> >and gag me with a Vandoren bass sax reed instead.>
>
> Richard Fenno wrote,
> >>This sounds like a good plot for a story, Lelia!>>
>
> Double-drat you, Fenno, my article on "The Curse of the Werewolf" was due
> last Saturday and guess what I started writing instead, even though there's
> probably no market out there for a story about a guy choking on . . . . well,
> he doesn't gag on the reed, exactly, and I made the sax a little bigger.
> Hence this message: Does anyone know what a gold-plated Evette-Schaeffer
> contrabass saxophone would have cost new in 1897?
>
> Lelia

---------------------------------------------------------

From: Ranchu242@aol.com
Date: Mon, 26 Apr 1999 22:00:50 EDT
Subject: Re: To roger, about used bassoons!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

Thanks, Adam.
Ok, high G is... which one (how many leger lines, or compared to middle C)  I
noticed similarities between the natural notes on the bassoon and the
chalameau register on the clarinets.  The accidentals are often weird (on
bassoon), but sensible.  About plastic... Thanks, I was going to see if I
could find one on e-bay!  But now I changed my mind.  My high school and
middle school are the only ones in our school district, so directors work at
both schools.  I'll see if my stubborn mule of a band director lets me borrow
a school horn.  Hopefully, I'll catch him in a good mood and he'll say yes
and find one for me.  I bought a CD of Mozart's Bassoon Concerto in Bb Major
and said to myself "That is beautiful.  I want to play Bassoon"  Well, I
always get what I want one way or the other, so I'll try hard to learn well.
Thanks Again!
Roger
low clarinets/wannabe bassoon
---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 11:01:12 -0700
From: Grant Green <gdgreen@contrabass.com>
Subject: Re: To roger, about used bassoons!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

> First off, a used bassoon is very hard to find. You should ask a local
>music store if they have a rental, or a school, to see if they might
>let you use one. When I started playing bassoon, I got mine from a
>local middle school which has one that they didn't need.Of course, I'm
>getting a new one because most school bassoons are terrible.

Yes, definitely start with the school.  If the band director is like most
band directors, they're thrilled at the thought of actually having someone
play the bassoon.  School bassoons *are* often out of repair, but they
aren't universally bad.  In fact, there was a school back east somewhere
that was just discovered to have William Waterhouse's Heckel bassoon...

If you really want a 2nd hand bassoon of your own, WW&BW has a Bundy listed
for $1,295, and a Heckel for $18K.  Charles Fail has a plastic Linton
listed for $895.  Or, you can buy a new Renard from WW&BW for $2345.

> Be warned; the bassoon is a difficult beast to play. Its fingerings
>are quite complicated. The clarinet has only the octave key for the
>thumb. But the bassoon has holes for the fingers, and a bunch of keys
>for the thumbs. Many bassoon have multiple octave keys; and it's
>difficult to develop an embochure.

Aw, that's half the fun.  Typical bassoon has about 3 keys for the fingers
of the left hand (plus three holes), and 6 keys for the fingers of the
right hand (plus two holes), then 4 or more keys for the right thumb and
9-11 (or more) keys for the left thumb.  Yes, nearly half the keys on the
horn are operated with the *left thumb*.  Most of the fingering is as
rational as the oboe or clarinet - its just that one often doesn't consider
that the high registers are the bassoon's altissimo, where odd fingerings
are "normal."  The "fundamental" register of the bassoon is just like a
bass clarinet (although in a different key).  By fundamental, I mean the
scale down to the lowest F (LH123-RH1234) - same on bassoon and bass
clarinet.  The ascending bore on the bassoon (where a lot of the thumb keys
come into play) can be thought of as basically a low Bb extension on a horn
nominally ranging to low F.  That's a lot of extension, and the keys have
to go somewhere.  Low E is the big key for RT, with low D, C, B, and Bb all
done with LT.  Low Eb and Db use the two LH4 keys to raise low D and C a
half step.  Taking the scale up, the fingering is much like clarinet
(except that LH123-RH1 is B natural instead of Bb, more like the oboe),
ending with open F (analogous to the clarinet's throat G).  Go up to the D
above that (the D above middle C), and then you start the altissimo
register.  Theoretically you could play D-F above middle C as regular 2nd
octave notes, but the altissimo timbre sounds much better (and speaks much
more easily).  Consider how irregular altissimo fingerings are on clarinet,
oboe, or flute: the bassoon fingerings really aren't any stranger.  You're
just expected to learn them much sooner.  From that D above middle C, the
*common* range of the bassoon is to the D an octave higher (4th line D,
treble clef), with more difficult (but playable) range up to the G above
that (and even higher in contemporary music).

> The best bassoons are Red German maple. Others are sugar maple or
>brown maple. Other bassoons are plastic. PLastic bassoons are bad.
>Polyurethane, polypropelene, ABS, resin, those are all fancy names for
>plastic. DON"T BE FOOLED! Plastic bassoons SUCK.

Nothing wrong with plastic per se.  The best bassoons are wood, typically
some variety of maple, but there *are* wooden bassoons that are inferior to
Fox's newer resin instruments.  Frankly, if someone wanted to trade me one
of the better resin Fox Renard bassoons for my old wooden Schreiber &
Sohne, I would consider it an upgrade for me.

Enjoy!

Grant

+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Grant Green            gdgreen@contrabass.com
                    http://www.contrabass.com
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
---------------------------------------------------------

Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 15:09:36 -0400 (EDT)
From: merlinw@netcom.ca
Subject: Re: To roger, about used bassoons!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

On 04/27/99 11:01:12 you wrote:
>If you really want a 2nd hand bassoon of your own, WW&BW has a Bundy listed
>for $1,295, and a Heckel for $18K.  Charles Fail has a plastic Linton
>listed for $895.  Or, you can buy a new Renard from WW&BW for $2345.

FWIW, I have a Linton for sale that was overhauled recently by clarinet maker Steve Fox.  I'm only asking 500 US for it.

Merlin Williams
merlinw@netcom.ca
http://www.netcom.ca/~merlinw
A member of the Saxring and the Duke Ellington Ring.
---------------------------------------------------------

From: Ranchu242@aol.com
Date: Tue, 27 Apr 1999 16:51:16 EDT
Subject: Re: To roger, about used bassoons!
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com

In a message dated 4/27/99 2:12:48 PM Central Daylight Time,
merlinw@netcom.ca writes:

<< FWIW, I have a Linton for sale that was overhauled recently by clarinet
maker Steve Fox.  I'm only asking 500 US for it. >>

Wow, I wish I had the money.  I would purchase it immedeately if I knew it
was in good condition.  I just don't have the money at this moment.   :`(.
Oh well.  I have to get a job.  At least until college.  =(.

Roger


 
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