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From: Ranchu242@aol.com
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 20:09:35 EDT
Subject: fingering
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comHi, this is Roger. I got the bassoon from my band director so I can start
learning and am doing fine. I can get all the notes from the lowest to the C
5 spaces above the bass staff. I produce the high notes ok, I just can't
read them accurately off of music. The G and G# three lines above the staff
I cannot play at all. These are the fingerings I am using, please notify me
of better ones, or if there is something I am doing wrong. they are sounding
like low C and B but really out of tune. Help!!!G:
| x |
| x |
__w_| x_ Eb|
| x |
| o |
| o |
| F |G#/Ab:
| x |
| x |
__w_| x_ Eb|
| o |
| o |
| x |
Thanks for any help!
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 18:01:43 -0700 (PDT)
From: Adam Kent-Isaac <lokibassoon@yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: fingering
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com-Adam
lokibassoon@yahoo.com
Dear Roger:
Your fingerings are fine, but I do have a little advice for you. If
you just started playing the bassoon, DO NOT rush ahead and try to play
in the Altissimo. Those notes are VERY high and it's a bad idea to try
to play them so soon.
Do some embochure excercises to try and get your lips in shape,
especially if you've switched over from the clarionet or another
single-reed instrument.
Also, don't try to play these notes one at a time. Work your way up to
it, like, for example, play a scale going up to that note instead of
playing it by itself.
You may need to use your lips more than you'd expect. The bassoon is
somewhat similar to the trumpet in the sense that the lips affect the
tone far more than on a single-reed instrument.
For high notes, make a tighter embochure. For lower notes, loosen the
lips a bit. When trying to play low notes like the A or Ab below the
staff, puff out the lips rather than keeping them tight.
There are usually many different fingerings for the altissimo notes,
as any saxophonist will tell you. This also goes for chords (yes you
can play chords on the bassoon) and all tones below BB. You may need to
consult fingering charts, such as the Rubank one.
Make sure to use the half-hole keys, and don't use the whisper key
when playing high notes. In fact, if you are playing a song that is
fast-paced and often alternates between notes on and above the staff,
don't use the whisper key. If you are playing a song where the notes
are mostly all on the staff, then use the whisper key. It's not all
that important but some people forget to use it.
Your bassoon may not be well-suited to playing the high notes; in
fact, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what kind of bassoon it is and
what material it is made of.
There isn't much else I can do for you, just remember to do the
aforementioned procedures and you should be fine. Good luck with the
bassoon and please, tell me how everything is going and reply to this
mail on the List.-Adam
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From: Ranchu242@aol.com
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 21:19:03 EDT
Subject: Re: fingering
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 5/9/99 7:57:22 PM Central Daylight Time,=20
lokibassoon@yahoo.com writes:<< Your bassoon may not be well-suited to playing the high notes; in
fact, I'd appreciate it if you'd tell me what kind of bassoon it is and
what material it is made of. >>Well, it has the following (is is scratchy) on the bell: Schreiber & Söhne Nauheim b. Gr*ss Gerau, made in western germany. it is wood, i don't know what kind. It is stained red, though, and the ring on the bell is the UGLIEST orange. doesn't have hi D or E, doesn't have top trill key for left index. other than that it looks normal. Of course it is Heckel system. the bocal has: F 2, also Schreiber & Söhne.
It think it is so much fun to play the bassoon! I play Bass Clarinet regularly and became curious about the Bassoon, so I asked my assistant director for one. I noticed that when i pressed the low E key it didn't press the whisper key all the way down, but some paper fixed that really quick! I also noticed that I don't need the whisper key when playing the upper clef notes. Thanks for the advice!
Roger
---------------------------------------------------------Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 19:32:30 -0700 (PDT)
From: Adam Kent-Isaac <lokibassoon@yahoo.com>
Subject: BASSOONS (to roger)
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comDear Roger:
WOW! I can't believe that the school gave you a bassoon that good!!
Schreiber and Sohne is a very reputable company and their bassoons are
priced in the 20,000 dollar range! That school instrument you're
playing is fantastic. When I started playing bassoon the school gave me
an old plastic Fox. Fox is the best bassoon company second only to
Heckel, so I was lucky. Most don't fare so well. But you got one made
of wood!
If you're interested in bassoon, you might want a list of good
bassoons for decent prices!The Woodwind and Brasswind in Elkhart, IN, sells some great bassoons
and contrabassoons for decent prices:
In case you don't know what a contrabassoon is, it's a bassoon which
- Fox Black Maple bassoon, $4745.
- Fox Sugar Maple bassoon, $2875
- Fox Sugar Maple W/High D, $3095
- Adler Red Maple, F#G# trill, High A and D keys, all kinds of other stuff, $3295
- Amati Yugoslavian Maple, High C and D keys, $2749
- Amati Maple Contrabassoon, $4045
plays one octave lower than a regular bassoon. It is the lowest
instrument regularly used in the orchestra. It is sixteen feet long and
doubled back four times, with a very rich dark low register.All these bassoons are good prices and fine student models. I'd advise
starting out on something like that.Good luck,
Adam
_________________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Get your free @yahoo.com address at http://mail.yahoo.com---------------------------------------------------------
From: Ranchu242@aol.com
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 22:37:35 EDT
Subject: Re: BASSOONS (to roger)
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comIn a message dated 5/9/99 9:30:32 PM Central Daylight Time,
lokibassoon@yahoo.com writes:<< That school instrument you're
playing is fantastic. When I started playing bassoon the school gave me
an old plastic Fox. Fox is the best bassoon company second only to
Heckel, so I was lucky. Most don't fare so well. But you got one made
of wood! >>That reminds me, I once saw a band (The Colony Band, from Texas) with three
bassoon players, two of them had plastic bassoons. The third also had a
plastic bassoon, but also a new contrabassoon (yes the NEW, at least it
looked new) The same band had a BBb rosewood Selmer Contrabass Clarinet, and
I thought to myself "why dont' they have better bassoons?" It just struck me
as curious as to why they couldn't buy their students wooden bassoons. Maybe
I was seeing things. I was their escort for SouthCoast Music Festival, it
was SOOO AWESOME!Roger
---------------------------------------------------------From: RBobo123@aol.com
Date: Sun, 9 May 1999 22:59:45 EDT
Subject: Re: BASSOONS (to roger)
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comWell, i am lucky enough to have a wooden one. But, thats the only thing it
has going for it. The Whisper Key Pad is off (I have a piece of tissue paper
glued to it), the Eb Pinky Key Cork is Off (I was a wad of Tape glued to
that) and almost all of my cork is off. I was just recently luck enough to
get a new bocal. The last one looked like somehad shot it with a BB gun
(Numerous times). But, it plays remarkably well, even with all of those
adjustments. Oh, it's a four-hundered year old Conn is anyone cares. I
would like to get a new one of my own, but if i had enough money for a
Bassoon, I would save some more and get a contrabassoon (Man, don't ever play
one of those things unless you have enough money to but one, otherwise you'll
just sit up and think about it [Or maybe its just me :-) ] ) Man, if only i
had $4000. Well, anyway, good luck Roger, you'll have fun. You already have
a better start than i did, i started out on Trombone. (None of the Clarinets
or Flutes cared about band, none of the Saxophones wanted to switch, and i
really wanted more of a challenge)
---------------------------------------------------------From: CoolStu67@aol.com
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 16:59:41 EDT
Subject: Selmer Contralto on eBay
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comA Selmer Contralto found it's way on to the auction block at:
I can't believe Grant missed this <g>http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=100824208
$2551 so far, not meeting the reserve
Stuart
-Sax/Clarinet
---------------------------------------------------------From: CoolStu67@aol.com
Date: Mon, 10 May 1999 17:26:39 EDT
Subject: another Selmer Contralto (this time USA), plus a Bb contra
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comHere's another one I missed:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=100808175
$560 so far, not meeting the reserveHere's a busted up Vito Bb contra:
http://cgi.ebay.com/aw-cgi/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=99646494
$204.50 so far, NO RESERVE... could be somebody's dream horn...Stuart
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