News & Events
Bassoon NewsThis page is for odd bits and pieces of information that you might find useful. Feel free to send me bits that you think should feature here. Leitzinger Bassoons and Crooks I am very pleased to have found Leitzinger crooks. Stephan Leitzinger makes the most stable yet flexible bassoon "bocals" I have ever tried. These have been popular in Europe and the US and Canada for some time but few have heard of them in the UK. Stephan makes a vast range of styles so that you can match the crook to your bassoon and reeds and performance requirements. The main feature most people notice immediately is that with the right crook the bottom is not too sharp, the tenor not too flat and the high B and C not too sharp, with the octaves more balanced and in tune on a variety of reeds. Though the first blowing of them is not always impressive in the way that an old Heckel crook can be, once in the orchestra it is the ability to creep around pianissimo and create a real fortissimo that makes these such a hit with pro players around the world. I was pleased to see and hear Meyrick Alexander using his platinum plated MDV2 for his final concert with the Philharmonia Orchestra at the BBC Proms 2010 which sounded splendid in the Ravel Left Hand Piano concerto solo! I currently have an S2V (thin walled, great for creeping around fag2 and very responsive) an MDV1 (Ravel piano concerto, Saint Saens top E's no problem but still lovely down the bottom so not a one trick high note crook) and the best crook I have ever tried, M1F Platinum, which seems to have been made from metal mined by dwarfs and hammered into shape with the assistance of elves and is perhaps made of "Mithril"? More information on "Leitzinger Bocals" can be found here (as well as information on his bassoons) www.leitzinger.de/en/ins_nav_02a.html On my Mollenhauer contra I play a very early pre war Heckel contra crook which has projection qualities I haven't found in modern ones and have a Puchner B2 which is fabulous for sorting out the flat tenor register on these contras. I am looking forward to Stephan Leitzinger's plans to make a contra bassoon crook coming to fruition. Julian Partridge from the Ulster Orchestra is now also playing on a Leitzinger so we have a matched section when I play there: "I've been playing Fox bassoons for over 20 years and have always used Heckel crooks with them; finding the factory Fox crooks lacking flexibility, especially for grovelling around when playing 2nd bassoon. When I was working in Hong Kong I bought a Heckel C1 which was wonderful at grovelling. But I always thought it was weak in the tenor register. Fast forward ten years and Tom showed me a Leitzinger crook, which at first I didn't warm to, but then a few months ago he leant me an M1N and I thought "wow". It has more resistance than my Heckel but is great in the tenor register and is supremely flexible in all registers. There are rumours of a contra crook.. can't wait." Why music "If a composer could say what he had to say in words he would not believe in trying to say it in music." Nocturne for Bassoon and Piano With the intention to create more lyrical and tuneful contemporary repertoire for the bassoon, this is a short piece I wrote for bassoon and piano that you can hear here:
myspace.com/tomhardybassoon It is reviewed here -
www.idrs.org/publications/cont ... sic_Reviews.pdf And is available from here - www.spartanpress.co.uk/spweb/details.php?catno=CM165 Alexander Technique I have been doing Alexander Technique since the beginning of 2009 and was recently asked for some feedback on my results. Having read what I wrote I decided it needed a slot on my site too! Last year I was experiencing a great deal of discomfort playing the bassoon and contra bassoon. I ended up going for some physio to help correct this but it only made matters worse. I met another bassoonist, Fiona Bryan, on a gig and commented on her great posture and said "ah Alexander Technique". When she told me she taught it I immediately asked for a lesson. Somewhere in the back of my mind I knew I should return to Alexander Technique as I had seen it work on others and had a brief attempt to get lessons whilst I was studying at the Guildhall! (In those days it was only the string players who got this as part of their course.. times have changed). After the initial frustration of wanting instant results and Fiona pointing out that years of habit are not undone in five minutes I settled down into a routine of using AT to make changes. I found that keeping regular lessons and sessions made a huge difference as big gaps in between just led to old habits slipping in. However, a year down the line I can see a big difference in my general posture and more importantly I don't HURT all the time! If my back or muscles become painful I know I can control this and take the time to use the techniques to get me back on track. I had wanted something where I could do all the work and not go to someone to "treat" or "adjust me" and most of the work in Alexander Technique is indeed on your own. However, my concept of being able to do it all myself was only partially correct as the hands on work from someone trained is essential and makes all the difference between success or failure and has yielded much faster results. As there are immediate benefits and long term improvements to be had I continue to work on using more and more of what I have been learning. And this of course is starting to pay dividends with my breathing and posture when playing. And nobody seems to mind me lying on the floor with a book under my head before a gig as long as I don't clutter up the corridor too much... I can't stress enough just how vital learning this technique is for any performer as we all put our bodies through twists and contortions to play/sing/dance or whatever. But of course it applies just as much for anyone in any walk of life as good posture and freedom from back pain makes life a lot more fun! For those in London Fiona Bryan teaches from home and can be found at her new site. www.mindbodyfreedom.co.uk There is also a great book by Carolyn Nicholls that you can get called "Body Breath and Being" which covers the fundamentals really well. Reed Rage at Burgh House Hampstead Reed Rage - the bassoon quartet with a difference - gave their debut at Burgh House in Hampstead on 12th October 2009. Burgh House was packed with friends and bassoonists and a fantastic time was had by all. There was also a fabulous review in the Double Reed News magazine. 2011 is promising to be a busy year for Rage. www.reedrage.co.uk/ Blaze Ensemble One group that I have had the privilege to play with for the last four years is The Blaze Ensemble. A lively and friendly bunch with great programmes. Check the dates on the website and come along to one of our concerts! This season started with a Poulenc bonanza and a packed Stravinsky concert at St. Martins in the Fields Check the website for the next concert! Globe Wind Quintet The Globe Wind Quintet held their debut recital on 10th June 2009 at St. Olave's Hart Street in London. This concert featured works by Gershwin, Ravel, Arrieu, Bizet and "Westerly Winds" by Paul Patterson. To everyone's surprise the composer of "Westerly Winds" arrived during our rehearsal unexpectedly and stayed for the concert. This certainly kept the players on their toes! In February 2010 Globe embarked on a series of educational concerts in London schools to enlighten the next generation on the joys of blowing down tubes of different sizes and lengths. Online books - Art of Bassoon Playing, Spencer The Internet is becoming more and more of a resource for bassoon players. The text of William Spencer's "The Art of Bassoon Playing" is now on line with google books. Tools Tray Another ebay find. When I was out playing with the Trondheim Symphony Orchestra - www.tso.no - I was very impressed that every wind player had a tray for reeds and tools on their music stand. They were metal and heavy so not exactly something to put in your bag. The one I found here www.dougbrill.com/trays.html |
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