Bassoon

What it means

The bassoon is the low double-reed instrument of the orchestra. Its conical tube is over two metres long and is folded by a U-shaped bend in the lower part so that the instrument remains manageable. The double reed sits on a curved metal tube, the bocal. It is notated at sounding pitch, predominantly in the bass clef, for high registers in the tenor clef. The range extends from contra B♭ upward over more than three octaves. Two types of construction stand side by side: the system developed in Germany and the French one, which differ in fingering and sound.

Musical use

The sound is grainy and sustaining in the low register, warm and close to the human voice in the middle register, slim and tense in the high register. From this follows a double role: the bassoon supplies the foundation of the woodwind group and at the same time takes on expressive solo passages. It blends well in sound with horns, cellos, and clarinets. In the music of the Baroque it belongs to the continuo, in the Viennese Classical period it becomes a fixed part of the orchestra, and since the nineteenth century composers also use its ability for grotesque and light characters. The contrabassoon sounds an octave lower.

Performance practice

The reed decides almost everything: response, intonation, tone colour, and endurance. Learn early to check reeds, to adjust them, and to change them in time, and always keep several broken-in ones ready. Wet the reed briefly before playing. The fingering technique demands both thumbs for numerous keys; practise the thumb paths separately and slowly. Watch for a posture in which the neck strap or seat strap carries the weight and the hands stay free. Keep the embouchure round and loose so that low notes do not crack and high ones do not squeeze. Check pads and airtightness regularly, because leaks first make the low register unusable.

Bear in mind that the two types of construction have different fingerings and sound conceptions: whoever switches between them needs time, and parts are not easily transferable. In the wind group the bassoon is often a link between woodwind and brass; listen therefore as much to the horns as to the clarinets. For continuo playing, knowledge of figuring is worthwhile, because the bass part there is shaped and not merely played. Check the bocal regularly, since deformations change the intonation.