keep in the foreground of all of my practice. Developing control just adding a layer of note changes to our long tone. The and refinement over these will lead to drastic improvements in all fundamental aspect of what we are doing does not change, nor bassoonists, across everything they play on the instrument. The should the addition of articulation. following exercises are the medium in which I practice those four elements. I organize these around a “key of the day,” however, Work with a drone to hear all notes in the context of a key, creating younger musicians may benefit from spending longer in a single a phrase up to scale degree five and back down to scale degree one. tonal area, perhaps using a “key of the week.” I typically repeat this exercise at three tempos, beginning very slowly ~40 beats per minute, then a medium tempo, and a fast tempo. 1 The Long Tone Repeat in all octaves. This is the most fundamental act of playing a wind instrument. Changing notes, using vibrato, adding articulation, etc. are all layers that are added to this basic long tone. The goal is to develop control of the air stream and support systems 4 Nine-note Scale while engaging the abs and releasing tension in other parts of the This builds on the concept of the five-note scale. Show clear body. Begin by establishing the habit of giving a full measure to phrasing to the top of the scale and back down, making sure that the prepare the sound, taking two beats to slowly exhale and release articulated version is as smooth as the slurred version. tension, one beat to inhale a full breath, and finally a beat to set the embouchure, abdominals, and air stream with the tongue resting on Work with a drone to hear all notes in the context of a key, creating the reed. Gently release the tongue on beat one to begin the sound. a phrase up to the top of the scale and back down to scale degree one. Repeat in all octaves. Try to make the crescendo and diminuendo perfectly even for the entire note. It is helpful to mentally count 1 to 9 then back down to Continue expanding to two octave scales, full range scales, 1 while playing the note. In addition to tracking the beats, this also scales in thirds, and arpeggios. tracks overall volume, with 1 being the softest dynamic and 9 being the loudest. Strive to make each number in the crescendo match its As has been stated, the primary goal of the daily routine is to partner in the diminuendo. develop independence of airstream and support from the fingers, tongue, and vibrato. Of these exercises the first is the most vital. If Work with a visual tuner to hold the note in tune at all dynamics. you only have five minutes to play the bassoon in a day, spend them Repeat in all octaves. here. 2 The 1-2-3-4-5-1 Drill Listening to Develop Musicality Building on the skills developed in the first exercise, this drill adds a Learning to phrase musically can be approached in a number of layer of slow note changes. Try to keep the airstream and support ways, but here I’ll focus on two: listening to recordings of great exactly as they were during the long tone: moving your fingers does artists and incorporating singing into individual practice. not affect them. Crescendo evenly to scale degree 5, then diminuendo over four beats as softly as possible to still make the slur One of the greatest advantages music students have today is the back to scale degree 1. incredible catalog of recordings that they have easy access to. Between Spotify and YouTube, recordings can be accessed of the Work with a visual tuner to hold all notes in tune at all dynamics and entire classical repertoire by world-class performers—even for such work for a steady rate of crescendo and diminuendo. Alternatively, a niche instruments as the bassoon! drone is helpful to reinforce aural tuning and the placement of each note in the context of a key. Repeat in all octaves. With attentive listening, students can learn how to shape phrases with gestures both subtle and extreme. While listening to bassoonists, they also are developing their own internal concept of what a bassoon can and should sound like, a sound concept that they can then imitate. 3 Five-note Scale Most pieces that are in the public domain can be accessed for free on imslp.org. An excellent exercise for students is to print off Here we begin scale work, beginning with five and nine note scales several copies of the first page of a concerto or sonata, then to listen before attempting the full-range scale. This gives us the opportunity to a variety of recordings and try to notate in as much detail as to improve the final version in manageable chunks. Yet again, we are possible the dynamics, articulations, phrasing, and rubato that each ala breve 51
performer takes. Wrangling the Reed- Basic Reed Finally, note that it is often helpful to open a Adjustment reed from one wire and close it from the As a starting place, some of my favorite other, because they primarily affect different bassoon recording artists whose CDs are Because the bassoon lacks the ability to parts of the reed this can change the way the available on Spotify or YouTube are William adjust pitch by lengthening or shortening the reed responds in more subtle ways. Ludwig, Bram van Sambeek, Klaus instrument, the player is entirely dependent Generally speaking, the first wire should be Thunemann, Martin Kuuskman, and on their own ability to interpret the correct roughly ovular in shape, the third wire Christopher Millard. To expand their own pitch and then contort their body into (under the wrap) is perfectly round, with the catalog of performers, students can begin by producing it—a well-vibrating reed is a vital second wire somewhere in between. listening to a CD by one of these artists, first step in this endeavor. In fact, the reed then choosing their favorite piece, searching is the real instrument; the bassoon serves as The best student bassoon reeds are ones that for it, and listening to all the different a very expensive amplification device. If the are handmade by a professional. While versions of it that have been recorded. reed does not vibrate properly—either these are more expensive than machine because its old and worn out, new and too made (or machine finished) options, they are In the previous section I discussed how stiff, or simply too open or closed—the more reliable. There are many different “voicing” is one of the essential bassoon sounds available to the bassoonist are sources, either from the student’s private fundamentals and how to use singing to find extremely limited. teacher, or from an online bassoon-specific the correct position for each note. Singing retailer such as millermarketingco.com or can also be used as a way to practice shaping Really getting into adjusting reeds requires a mmimports.com. Once a student finds a phrase. I have found that young students lot of discussion, as well as specialized tools. reeds that they’re happy with, they should in particular—even the ones who insist that The good news is that the best tool for have several in use at any given time, rotating they cannot sing—instinctively sing more adjusting bassoon reeds can be commonly between them so that they wear evenly and musically than they play the bassoon. found in many homes, is inexpensive, and have time to recover in between rehearsals. Removing all of the challenges of playing best of all: if whatever adjustment you the instrument from the equation allows the undertake makes the reed worse, you can Final Thoughts musician a safe space in which to experiment easily put it right back the way it was. That and sing with nuance—even if they are tool is a pair of needle-nose pliers. While this is an incredibly challenging time never anywhere near the correct pitches! for everyone, including teachers and Bassoon reeds are typically constructed with musicians, it can also be an opportunity to After singing a melody, or segment of a three wires (although some daredevils use as concentrate on individual student melody a couple of different ways, and many as four wires or as few as two). The improvement. By using this time to focus finding the desired phrasing, it is time to try first two (with the first wire being the one on the skills that develop best in individual replicating it on the bassoon. At that point, closest to the blades) can be easily adjusted practice, music programs can eventually it becomes an exercise in deciding if all of by a pair of pliers to either open or close the return to rehearsals with ensembles the desired musical shapes come through to tip or the throat of the reed. The third wire comprised of more competent, well- a listener. To clarify that, the recorder is the is hidden under the wrapping and shouldn’t rounded musicians than before the student’s best friend. Often students find be adjusted. Adjusting the first wire pandemic. While a lot of these ideas dig that what they thought was a well-shaped primarily affects the tip opening of the reed down into the nitty-gritty details of playing phrase falls flat when they listen back to it. (although it also affects the throat) and the bassoon, but when they all come Here, the analogy of stage actors is helpful. adjusting the second wire primarily affects together the effort is worth it. In the words Just as an actor in a play uses makeup to the throat (although it also affects the tip). of David McGill, “music’s effects are help exaggerate their facial expressions (and The openness of the tip strongly affects the magical, but it is not magic to create those make them visible to those in the back of ease and quality of entrances. Meanwhile, effects.” the theater), the musician must exaggerate the openness of the throat strongly affects their dynamics and phrase gestures to make how much air is required to sustain sound. Conor Bell is the bassoon professor at Auburn them audible to audience members. This University where he teaches music theory and takes practice, and a recorder should Opening the reed increases resistance and conducts the double reed ensemble in addition to frequently be employed to listen back and lowers the pitch, this can be achieved by teaching applied bassoon lessons. Conor is currently evaluate. While separate high quality audio squeezing the first wire from the sides, or ABD with a doctorate in bassoon performance from recorders are excellent devices, ease of use is the second wire from the top and bottom. Indiana University and plans to present his lecture an important factor in how frequently a These adjustments should only be made on a reed recital on David student will use it in practice. With that in that has been soaked in water for at least a minute. Maslanka’s works for the mind, many metronome/tuner apps, bassoon this fall. He is including Tonal Energy and Tunable, include Closing the reed decreases resistance and principal bassoon of the recorders that can capture a short section, raises the pitch, this can be achieved by Owensboro Symphony and play it back, and then delete the recording, squeezing the first wire from the top and also performs with the all without leaving the app. bottom, or the second wire from the sides. Elicio Trio and the Aether Reed Quintet. Conor is available to teach digital lessons as well as masterclasses or sectionals in this time. 52 October/November 2020
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