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. 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." 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 There is also a great book by Carolyn Nicholls that you can get called "Body Breath and Being" which covers the fundamentals really well. Bassoon Crook Search Having recently changed to a Heckel post war instrument I am no longer actively searching for pre war crooks to match my previous ancient fag. I have settled down on a post war Heckel CC1 and a Leitzinger S2 to cover most situations. However, I am still fascinated by the open tenor and great high notes on my pre war crooks even on a modern instrument and the development of a more "stable and in tune" bassoon that manufacturers have worked on over the years may have indeed led to a more even scale but in my opinion a less "vocal" and characterful sound. My pre war CC2 crook is unfortunately a little wild on the newer instrument so am willing to part with this if it suits someone's older bassoon. I have a pre war CC0 which although sharp is so fabulous that I am keeping for any trips to Europe where I need to be a lot sharper! 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. Whilst I look for other suitable Heckel crooks for the 13000 series I am still stunned and amazed by the S2V that I got for my previous instrument from Stephan Leitzinger at the IDRS convention in Birmingham this year. Although less "impressive" in sound when you first pick it up compared to a nice CC1 Heckel, once you actually get in the orchestra or chamber group I find it has a much wider dynamic range than other crooks I have tried and is VERY flexible. One test Stephan Leitzinger had me do when I chose this crook at the IDRS in Birmingham last year was to play all four octaves of Bb without compensating too much - the different ranges of the bassoon are much more stable and in tune on his crooks.(i.e. not sharp down the bottom or at the very top and not flat in the tenor F area). I had heard of these through players in Europe who use them on Heckel instruments as well as players like Chris Millard in Canada. Fantastic! I am interested to try more of these as the one I chose was for my previous instrument. I am told the M range with thicker metal might be closer to what I am after but Stephan is now so popular there is a backlog waiting for new crooks to try! www.leitzinger.de/ Blaze Ensemble One group that I have had the privilege to play with for the last three and a half 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! South West Double Reed Day Pete Harrison and Liz Fyfe are the bassoon and oboe teachers at Wells Cathedral School. On 13th February they are holding their very own Double Reed Day with masterclasses, teaching seminar and Howarths stand! Check the details here and spread the news to teachers and pupils: www.southwestdoublereedday.co.uk/ Globe Wind Quintet The Globe Wind Quintet held their debut recital on 10th June 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 Globe enbark 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. 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 at 8.05pm. Burgh House was packed with friends and bassoonists and a fantastic time was had by all. Watch out for the review in the latest British Double Reed Society magazine! www.reedrage.co.uk/ Vivaldi "La Notte" at St. Paul's Covent Garden The performance of Vivaldi's Bb concerto "La Notte" which I gave with the Blaze Ensemble at St. Paul's Covent Garden on July 2nd 2009 has appeared on Youtube - 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: It is reviewed here - And is available from here - www.spartanpress.co.uk/spweb/details.php?catno=CM165 |