Bassoon Accessories now Available

We have added a select range of bassoon accessories to our web site. These include a range of products from the respected German company Kölbl (or Koelbl in English) including a case, neck straps, a harness and other items. See them here: http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Bassoon_Accessories_For_Sale.htm

The case in particular is well worth considering - it is a high quality case which holds your bassoon securely, but with backstraps for ease of carrying. It is for sale for a very competitive price of £295.00.

We have also started selling reeds; have a look here:http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Bassoon_Reeds_For_Sale.htm

More on accessories and reeds to follow shortly, but if you would like any more information, please contact us.

Brand New Bassoons Now Available

To further improve our service to bassoonists in Wales, the UK and beyond, from October 2012 we have  started selling new bassoons to go alongside our secondhand ones.

We are starting with Oscar Adler and Gebrüder Mönnig bassoons and contrabassoons, but expect to add other makes over the coming months. We aim to have a full range of bassoons available, from ones suitable for beginners through to professionals.

Adler bassoons are suitable for everyone from beginners to serious amateurs and are priced at between £4,450 and £5,550 including VAT (see our site for prices excluding VAT) and include a short reach bassoon. Adlers are good, solid, well-performing instruments and have been one of the most popular brands over several decades.

Mönnig bassoons are aimed at the top end of the market - professionals and degree-level music students - with prices ranging from just under £11,000 to £21,000 (again including VAT). They are very well constructed and have a sound suitable for the most refined orchestral and solo performances.

We are also selling one contrabassoon from Adler and one from Mönnig - the Adler 1366 and the Mönnig Model 300.

Please see our web site for more details http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Bassoons_New_For_Sale.htm

Bassoon crooks - Puchner, Heckel, etc.

We're building up our stock of secondhand bassoon crooks for sale, and have just added 7 Puchner crooks and 4 Heckel crooks. More to come in the near future, so check our web site out and keep coming back to see if there's anything you would like to try.

http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Crooks_For_Sale.htm

Three Heckel Bassoons Now on Sale

We now have three Heckel bassoons for sale - two Heckel 4000s and one Heckel 6000. Both the 4000s are relatively late serial numbers, and one is very close to being a 5000 series. And the 6000 is close to being a 7000 series. One of the 4000s was restored by Guntram Wolf, and the 6000 was restored by Bernd Moosmann - both renowned bassoon makers.

The Heckel 6000 is the pick of the bunch with high D and high E (the high E was fitted by Moosmann) - although all three are outstanding Heckel bassoons in very good condition, and are suitable for keen amateurs, conservatoire students and professional bassoonists. If you would like to try them, just send us an email to oliverludlow@doublereed.co.uk

 Heckel 4000

 Heckel 4000

Heckel 6000

Bassoon practice - Less is Best! And Pick out the Naughty Bits

Am I practicing bassoon enough? How much bassoon practice do you do per day/week? According to this article, less is best:

http://www.creativitypost.com/arts/the_most_valuable_lesson_i_learned_from_playing_the_violin#.UBYgBmQX-Pc.facebook

 

'Keep practice sessions limited to a duration that allows you to stay focused. This may be as short as 10-20 minutes, and as long as 45-60+ minutes.'

Archie Camden, a famous British bassoonist, in his book Bassoon Technique (P.16, Oxford University Press 1962), writes rather wittily on the need to practice methodically:

There are many most earnest and conscientious students who blithely recount the hours they have spent at work each day, cheerfully believing that their progress will match the hands of the clock, speeding onwards. To listen to them practice is often to be very disappointed. Most of the time is virtually wasted effort. They will play through scales and studies many times, making the same mistakes each time. If they are aware of them and go back, they will play the whole thing again, instead of picking out the naughty bits and working at them with great concentration until they are correct. Other times they will pick out the bits they like to play and do these over and over again, while the tricky passage lurks round corner and trips them up almost unnoticed! Ten minutes hard work at a few little bits is worth hours of aimless 'playing'.

Let us know about your practising techniques. If you have any advice we'd love to hear it so do leave a comment.

New Heckel Bassoon Crooks / Bocals For Sale

We now stock a range of new Heckel bassoon crooks, including Heckel CC1, CC2, CD1 and CD2. These are the most sought after Heckel crooks and will improve the sound of almost any bassoon. If you'd like to know more take a look at them here on our website:

http://www.doublereed.co.uk/Crooks_Heckel_For_Sale.htm

Heckel CC2 new and in stock!

Tears of a Bassoon - Bassoons in Pop Music

Hearing the bassoon in unexpected places! 

Have you ever been surprised to hear the bassoon in a most unexpected place? I came across 'The Tears of a Clown' by Smokey Robinson and the Miracles (Motown, 1967) and was delighted by the opening riff which is played on the bassoon. It's quite a tricky part to play but sounds great. Who says the bassoon is restricted to the classical music genre?

Another Pop song with a prominent bassoon part is 'Puppet on a String' by Sandie Shaw. 

Have you heard any unexpected bassoon parts recently? Let us know either by leaving a comment or posting a link to the song.