How to Tune Your Out-of-Tune Bassoons by Brian Kershner

Are you one of the many band or orchestra directors who keeps bassoons in your ensemble because they look good, or because you feel compelled to have a complete instrumentation for the pieces you want to do? Further, do you spend too much time trying to find new ways to hide them, aurally speaking, because the intonation is such a problem?

If you fall into this category, you are certainly not alone. The bassoon is a difficult and challenging instrument, even for advanced and professional players, and so it is not surprising that a high school student with an inferior or defective instrument, and one who has had little training dealing with the particular issues involved with playing the bassoon, would have trouble playing it anywhere close to acceptably in tune. The good news is: there is hope!

When any ensemble tunes, the bassoonist will obediently play his or her own “A”, but he or she is simply checking the “temperature of the water” on that particular day. In other words, the set-up must already be “in tune”, since no pushing or pulling of the bocal will produce significant results. Incidentally, the middle Bb is a horrid note on the bassoon, and while the band must tune to it, due to issues involving the brass instruments, it is of no help to the tuning bassoonist. The top-line A is the best tuning note.

There are several factors, which affect intonation on the bassoon, and I will address these in the order in which they should be checked, and if necessary, corrected. The Instrument and Bocal

Bassoons are expensive, and the cost runs anywhere between about $2,000 and $35,000. The reason for a fraction of this disparity is the difficulty in making a fine instrument. That having been said, one can find a good new bassoon for a reasonable sum. For example, the Fox polypropylene long-bore instruments, models with a Roman Numeral number, tend to be very good instruments for high school use. They are sturdy, stable, and not susceptible to warping and changing of the tone holes. The Fox Renard bassoons are also good, as are some Schreibers, Kohlerts, and some others.

The instrument must seal completely, pads and joints, and should be matched with the best possible bocal. The bocal is the single biggest factor in how a bassoon will play. An inexpensive bassoon matched with a fine bocal can be improved as much as 60-75%. This is no exaggeration.

The bassoon should be tested by a repairman whose specialty is bassoon or double reeds. There are numerous bassoonists in the New Jersey area who have connections with repairmen or even do repair themselves.

The Reed

The reed is such a variable issue, that it is hard to discuss in this forum, but it may be sufficient to say that reeds should be wood, not synthetic, should come from a bassoonist who sells reeds or from one of many reputable mail-order suppliers, and finally must be in reasonable playing condition. If the reeds leak around the bocal for example, it cannot be trusted to play in tune. A reed that is too light, and/or has too flat a throat (the area between the wires) will play flat, specifically in certain registers. A reed that is too hard or resistant, and or has an overly rounded or opened throat will tend to be sharp in pitch.

In short, buy good commercially available reeds from double reed suppliers, and, if possible, have the student work even occasionally with a bassoon specialist, who can evaluate and adjust the reeds being used.

One simple piece of advice is to soak a wooden reed in warm tap water, its entire length including the wrapping, and then look at the tip opening. It should be open, but not excessively. A dry reed not played for some time will often gape open after soaking. Before playing, and after soaking, hold the tip closed for about 10 seconds to help reform the tip.

Air and Embouchure

Assuming that all the equipment is working properly, one then looks to the fundamentals of playing the instrument. A tight embouchure, improperly formed, will lead to sharpness and a tight, uncharacteristic tone.

The correct bassoon embouchure is a slight over-bite, with both lips drawn over the teeth and a round opening similar to whistling or blowing out a candle. The pressure, if one calls it that, is equal on all sides, and there should be no evidence of a “smile.” In the fundamental octave, that is up to the open F, it is helpful, even imperative, to say the syllable “oaw.” This produces the round lip position and pulls the jaw down and open.

In the flat tenor register, just on top of the bass clef staff, from middle C up to about F#, one needs to raise the back of the tongue, shifting the syllable to “oee”, lift slightly up on the reed without biting and use faster air. This will produce the proper pitch and remain open and resonant.

All of these elements need good abdominal support and a focused airstream. One should expand around the waist like a doughnut during inhalation and remain naturally distended as one begins to blow through the bassoon. All students with whom I work need to be constantly reminded to increase air flow. For any teacher this is an ongoing process, regardless of level. It is helpful with students learning to play in the initial stages, during the first six months or more, to play always with a healthy, robust sound, avoiding attempts at playing at “piano” dynamics. This can be done later, once the air is moving in the right direction.

Fingerings

It is impossible in this article to deal with the complexity of bassoon fingerings, but suffice it to say that students must learn a correct, fundamental set of fingerings. They must not use so-called “cheat” fingerings, even though they will be useful later on in many situations. Even fingering charts in certain popular methods may contain errors. This is an area where a professional bassoonist will be happy to help by suggesting a good fingering chart or even providing one they have personally devised.

Final Thoughts

The bassoon can be played properly, even by younger, beginning level bassoonists. It can sound the way a bassoon should sound, lacking only various levels of refinement. The most destructive way to begin a bassoon student is to hand them a broken-down instrument, a bad fingering chart, and send them off with good wishes. Many fine bassoonists are looking for students. Seek these people out, and get your young students off to a healthy start, so that they will be positive contributors to your ensemble.