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A Month of Extremes
The repertoire I'm performing this month dwells in the extremes of bassoon playing. 90% of what bassoonists do consists of starting and stopping notes predictably at the proper dynamic, etc. Very...
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A Month of Extremes, Part 2 -- Miguel's colorful music
After finishing our run of performances of Debussy's Pelleas et Melisande on Saturday night, the very next day I played a concert with the MOSA String Quartet. On the program were two pieces I...
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A Month of Extremes, Pt.3 -- Ligeti's Piano Concerto
Bassoonists reading this may want to print the above image. This is the opening of the second movement of Ligeti's Piano Concerto. A close look reveals writing for the bassoon in the extreme. Very soft...
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Malambo at IDRS
Last Tuesday I performed Miguel del Aguila'sMalambo with orchestra at the International Double Reed Society Conference in Appleton, Wisconsin. The concert was on the Lawrence University Campus in...
View ArticleThe Best Perspective
Last week at the International Double Reed Society Conference I had a memorable experience. The Conference was held on the campus of Lawrence University. On the bottom level of its Warsh Center was a...
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K. David Van Hoesen - Teaching, Part 1
This is the first in a series of posts about the teaching of K. David Van Hoesen (1926-2015). He was the bassoon teacher at the Eastman School of Music from the mid-1950's through the 1980's. Former...
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Van Hoesen Teaching, Part 2, Scales and Arpeggios
Below is David Van Hoesen's Scale and Arpeggio routine. The goal is to become familiar with the different scale patterns and chords in a particular key during a week's worth of practicing (one key per...
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Van Hoesen Teaching, Part 3 -- Reading and Listening
David Van Hoesen was interested in the overall education of his students. He encouraged his students to seek out recordings of the best violinists, pianists, singers and orchestras. He believed that a...
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Reed Morgue again
In a previous post, I discussed the benefits of taking apart used reeds and measuring the blades. You can read about it here What I didn't describe in the old post, was how to measure the blade. You...
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Reed blade measurements
1st WIRE UPLeft RailLeft ChannelCenterRight ChannelRight RailTIP .004" .004" .008" .008" .005"1/8" .0065" .009" .016" .012" .006"1/4" .008" .015" .0205" .016" .009"3/8" .0095" .0185" .024" .0185"...
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A little help
Last week was quite busy. On Wednesday, I performed the Villa-Lobos Duo and Willard Elliot's Six French Songs from the 15th Century with Frank Rosenwein and Jerry Wong, piano. The day of the...
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Sestak 5 Inventions
I've just uploaded my performance of Zdenek Sestak's 5 Virtuoso Inventions for Bassoon to YouTube This live performance is part of a recital I gave at the University of Arkansas on April 12th of this...
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Alborada del Gracioso
We're performing Ravel's Alborada del Gracioso this weekend. Originally composed as a piece for piano solo, Ravel himself orchestrated it. In doing so, he gave the four short solo lines about a third...
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Bozza Recit, Sicilienne et Rondo
Recit, Sicilienne et Rondo by Eugene Bozza is one of the best Paris Conservatory pieces out there. I have just posted my live performance at the University of Arkansas from this past April on YouTube ....
View ArticleMalambo, Nostalgica and Wilder videos
I've just uploaded some videos to YouTube. Malambo, Op.115 by Miguel del Aguila. This is my live performance from May of this year with the MOSA quartet. Nostalgica for Bassoon and String Quartet, also...
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Phyllis McGinley Song Cycle
It's been a year since the bassoon world lost one of its leading figures; K. David Van Hoesen. I thought it would be fitting to upload the wonderful recording he made with Jan DeGaetani and his...
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Cane microscopy
I recently received a wonderful email from researcher, Jean-Marie Heinrich. He is the one who wrote the article, "The Bassoon Reed", published in the Journal of the International Double Reed Society....
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Heinrich Density corrections and "Christmas Star"
I've updated my previous post about cane density, thanks to some helpful corrections from Jean-Marie Heinrich. Some of the terminology I used was incorrect or inaccurate and he also provided more...
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Inside of a Reed
Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend. Inside of a dog it's too dark to read. - Groucho Marx - Instead of the inside of a dog, I'd like to discuss the inside of a reed in this post! The taper...
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Over the Break
While many of us are enjoying a Christmas or winter break, I'd like to talk about a different break. A reader who is an adult beginner requested advice on successfully navigating slurs that bridge the...
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The Only Reed Test
THE ONLY REED TEST YOU MAY EVER NEED! There are as many ways to test a new reed as there are bassoonists, but so many of them don't tell you much. I'm always looking for ways to save time in reed...
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Guided Imagery at the Olympics
The New York Times has a wonderful video series detailing the use of Guided Imagery by Olympic Athletes. I use techniques like these for my self and recommend them for my students to help them perform...
View Article13-yr old Phenom!
Like this video of a performance of the Weber Concerto 1st movement by 13-year old Kevin Zephyrin. He is competing in a competition and can win if enough of you “like” his video. Kevin plans to use any...
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Dial indicator
The new Steesbassoon Dial Indicator. I'm making this dial indicator now and have it available for sale on my website. Go here to learn why this is the best, most accurate dial available. I've also...
View ArticleCare and Maintenance Seminar
Get your bassoon quiet and clean for the Fall!I will be conducting a 3-day Bassoon Care and Maintenance Seminar over Zoom.Dates: July 26th-28thTimes: 7:00-9:00pm (Eastern Time, United States)Fee: $100...
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