Bassoon Resources on the Internet
The word bassoon comes from French basson and from Italian bassone (basso with the augmentative suffix -one). However, the Italian name for the same instrument is fagotto, in Spanish and Romanian it is fagot, and in German Fagott. Fagot is an Old French word meaning a bundle of sticks. The dulcian came to be known as fagotto in Italy. However, the usual etymology that equates fagotto with "bundle of sticks" is somewhat misleading, as the latter term did not come into general use until later. However an early English variation, "faget", was used as early as 1450 to refer to firewood, which is 100 years before the earliest recorded use of the dulcian (1550). Further citation is needed to prove the lack of relation between the meaning "bundle of sticks" and "fagotto" (Italian) or variants. Some think that it may resemble the Roman Fasces, a standard of bound sticks with an ax. A further discrepancy lies in the fact that the dulcian was carved out of a single block of wood—in other words, a single "stick" and not a bundle.
The range of the bassoon begins at B♭1 (the first one below the bass staff) and extends upward over three octaves, roughly to the G above the treble staff (G5). However, most writing for bassoon rarely calls for notes about C5 or D5; even Stravinsky's opening solo in The Rite of Spring only ascends to D5. Notes higher than this are entirely possible, but seldom written, as they are difficult to produce (often requiring specific reed design features to ensure reliability), and at any rate are quite homogeneous in timbre to the same pitches on cor anglais, which can produce them with relative ease. French bassoon has greater facility in the extreme high register, and so repertoire written for it is somewhat likelier to include very high notes, although repertoire for French system can be executed on German system without alterations and vice versa.
The extensive high register of the bassoon and its frequent role as a lyric tenor have meant that tenor clef is very commonly employed in its literature after the Baroque, partly to avoid excessive ledger lines, and, beginning in the 20th century, treble clef is also seen for similar reasons.
Although the primary tone hole pitches are a pitched perfect 5th lower than other non-transposing Western woodwinds (effectively an octave beneath English horn) the bassoon is non-transposing, meaning that notes sounded match the written pitch.
This article uses material from the Wikipedia article "Bassoon", which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share-Alike License 3.0
- A Band Director's Guide to Woodwind Pitch
PDF by Dr. Christin Schillinger, Ithaca College. - A Methodology for Reed Adjusting
PDF. - A More Effective Middle School Band Warm Up - Bassoon Book
PDF. - Bassoon Keys to Success (A Practical Guide for Students Who Want To Switch to Bassoon in Middle School or High School)
Legal PDF version by Shawn Roller, American Band College of Sam Houston State University. - Bassoon Bocals
PDF by Chip Owen of Fox Products Corporation. - The Bassoon-Family Fingering Companion
An Annotated Index of Fingerings for Instruments in the Bassoon Family Contained in English Wind Periodicals and Other Select Publications with Additional Material. - Bassoon Fingering Trainer
Interactive Bassoon Fingering Trainer. - Bassoon Fingerings Keyboard Visualization
©2006 by David L. Carroll - All Rights Reserved. - Bassoon Modifications for Small Hands
PDF by Chip Owen of Fox Products Corporation. - Bassoon Resources - Crook and Staple
Free bassoon resources written by the expert bassoonists at Crook and Staple. - Bassoon Resources - George Sakakeeny, Bassoonist
Downloadable Resources (PDFs) by George Sakakeeny - Professor of Bassoon at the Eastman School of Music. He formerly held the same position at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music for 28 years. He also holds the titles Visiting Professor for Graduate Studies at Simon Bolivar University in Caracas, Venezuela, and Guest Professor of the Central Conservatory of Music of Beijing, China. In late 2022 he was appointed to the faculty of the Aspen Music Festival and School. - British Double Reed Society
A charitable organisation established to further the interests of all involved with the oboe and bassoon. - Buffet-System (French) Bassoon Fingerings by Note Name
- Contrabassoon Fingering Chart
PDF. - Double Your Fun with Double Reeds (A Method for Switching to Bassoon)
By Alison Buckler. PDF. - Free Bassoon Sheet Music, Lessons & Resources
Free bassoon sheet music, free lessons, bassoon downloads, and resources from 8notes.com, run and owned by Red Balloon Technology Ltd, a music and technology company based in St Albans, England. Red Balloon Technology Ltd is run by composer David Bruce. David has a Masters degree in Composition from the Royal College of Music, London; a PhD in Composition from King's College, London, and now has a busy career as a composer, with commissions from Carnegie Hall and the Royal Opera House, London and residencies with groups like the San Diego Symphony. His music has been played by some of the world's leading musicians, from violinist Gil Shaham, to cellist Yo Yo Ma. - Free Resources from Building a Bassoonist
Blog posts and videos below to get help playing bassoon. - How to Adjust Bassoon Reeds
- International Double Reed Society
Established in December 1971, the International Double Reed Society (oboe and bassoon family), is a member-based organization made up of professional double reed players, amateurs, hobbyists, university/college instructors, music teachers, institutions, instrument manufacturers, double reed product retailers, reed makers, and enthusiasts. - Let’s Play Bassoon Book
Legal PDF version of Let’s Play Bassoon, by Hugo Fox. Contains a clear and easy-to-read fingering chart for the bassoon. - Music and the Bassoon
Includes over 360 tunes to play, including folk tunes, popular Songs, classical music, technical exercises, and "play by ear" assignments for beginners through professional players; audio clips so you can hear professional bassoon playing on the tunes you are studying, and get a good sound in your head for which you can strive; nstructional videos that will help you see and hear how to play bassoon well; over 50 duets or canons where you can play in harmony with the audio clip. - The Not-Quite-Harmonic Overblowing of the Bassoon
By James B. Kopp, James Kopp & Associates. - Odds and Ends About the Bassoon
PDF by Chip Owen of Fox Products Corporation. A rambling discussion of various bits of information about the bassoon. - The Orchestral Bassoon
By James B. Kopp, James Kopp & Associates. - Reed Adjusting
PDF by Dr. Christin Schillinger, Ithaca College. - Taking Care of Your Bassoon
PDF by Chip Owen of Fox Products Corporation. - teachbassoon.com
Resources for Bassoon Teachers & Students - Reviews of store-bought and handmade bassoon and contrabassoon reeds. Bassoon Teaching Ideas. - Woodwind Resources: Bassoon
Bassoon Scores and Methods Books in the Rita Benton Music Library at the University of Iowa. - Last updated: 4/20/2023