BASSOON
Embouchure
The key components to playing in tune on the bassoon are a great embouchure and a good reed. To form a great embouchure, follow these steps!
1) Practice whistling. This forms a perfect bassoon embouchure. It brings the corners of the mouth forward and rounds out the lips. 2) Another great analogy is to imagine a drawstring purse or a hooded sweatshirt with the strings on the hood pulled tight. Pull the corners of the mouth towards the center of the face, making the opening as round or oval as possible. The jaw will be slightly dropped. 3) The goal of the bassoon embouchure is to gently hold the reed from all sides of the mouth, not just from the top and the bottom. Equal pressure from all sides of the mouth allows the reed’s opening to be at its maximum which is ideal for the majority of bassoon playing. |
Reed Crow/ Reed and Bocal
The reed is just as important as the embouchure when it comes to tone production and intonation. Check the quality of a reed by its "crow."
Before assembling the instrument, dip the entire reed into water, then walk away for one to two minutes. Reeds are like vegetables, and it will only absorb as much water as it needs. |
Once soaked, remove it from the water. Take in enough reed that the red part of your lips almost touches the bark or the first wire. It is ideal to have as much of the reed vibrating mechanism inside your mouth as possible. Place the tip of the tongue on the tip of the reed, and then release the tongue to let air into the reed. The resulting sound is called the crow. A good bassoon crow will actually have three different pitch frequencies that can be isolated by first blowing a slow air stream and then slowly increasing the speed of air. It should start with air, then high sounds, and finally lower sounds. A good crow will end with lots of high AND low sounds in it.
Then, attach the reed to the bocal, and use your embouchure to blow through the reed. The sound that should result should be somewhere around a B or C. Try to move the bocal back and forth in your mouth while playing. If you cannot do this, the embouchure is too tight, and the lips need to relax a little bit.
Then, attach the reed to the bocal, and use your embouchure to blow through the reed. The sound that should result should be somewhere around a B or C. Try to move the bocal back and forth in your mouth while playing. If you cannot do this, the embouchure is too tight, and the lips need to relax a little bit.
Tuning Procedure
Temperature affects intonation dramatically so it is important warm up your bassoon before tuning it. When the instrument is about room temperature (72 degrees Fahrenheit), it is time to tune the bassoon.
1) Play the following exercises at a mezzo forte dynamic. Playing any louder or quieter may distort the pitch. 2) Play Tuning Exercise #1 several times. Sustain the final B-flat, and check your pitch with a tuner. It should be in tune. 3) Play Tuning Exercise #2. Sustain the final F, and check your pitch with a tuner. It should be in tune. 4) Play Tuning Exercise #3. Sustain the final B-flat, and check your pitch with a tuner. It should be in tune. |
5) If you do not see these results on the tuner, it is most likely an embouchure or voicing issue. Raise the pitch by forming an "EEE" shape inside your mouth, and lower the pitch by forming an "AHH" shape inside your mouth.
Another potential solution is to change the bocal that you are using. Most students use a #2 size bocal. But the higher the number on the bocal, the lower the pitch will be.
Another potential solution is to change the bocal that you are using. Most students use a #2 size bocal. But the higher the number on the bocal, the lower the pitch will be.
Stable Tuning Note
Factors Affecting Pitch
To see the specific pitch tendencies and solutions for the bassoon, click here: