Bassoon FAQ

Here’s a few commonly asked questions about the bassoon:

Do you make your own reeds?

Yes, most double reed players today make their own reeds, which work as our mouthpieces.  However, this wasn’t always the case.  Musicians have always searched for “the perfect reed” and gone to great lengths to get it!  Even during Bach’s time around 1700, we have records of bassoon players asking their royal patrons to help them buy reeds from other countries.  These reeds had to be shipped, often from Paris, over several weeks by carriage.  Here in the US, most bassoon players bought their reeds from Germany until World War II.  Because of the war, getting reeds from Germany became impossible (not to mention illegal), so many players secretly bought German reeds through Switzerland.  This couldn’t last long, so these players became the first generation where most people learned to make reeds on their own.  My own teacher taught himself to make reeds–there was nobody who knew how to teach him.  During lessons, he always brought two good reeds, because his teacher would take one for himself!  Today, most bassoonists are taught to make reeds as part of their education, and most people spend an average of two to five hours a week just making reeds.  Still an international endeavor, many bassoonists use reed cane from French riverbeds.

How many keys does the bassoon have?

Most bassoons have about 25.  Mine happens to have 28, and bassoons that are about sixty or more years old often have 23 or 24.  The thumb of the left hand has command of nine keys.  This may seem like a lot, but bassoonists are glad to have them!  In Mozart’s time around 1776, bassoons had about three to six keys, depending on what maker made the bassoon.  All other notes had to be created by the player with some serious finger gymnastics!  Today, all those keys help us play notes more easily and accurately.

How long does a bassoon last?

Bassoons can be played longer than many of the other woodwind instruments because they are made with thicker walls out of durable Mongolian maple wood.  Most can be played for about 80 to 100 years, making it similar to a long human life span.  My instrument and I happen to be the same age; we’re both children of the 80s.  This long life also means that most bassoons have several owners.  Before me, my bassoon had a whole career performing in an opera pit.  Many bassoonists consider the German bassoons made by Heckel between the world wars to be the finest instruments, but each generation of bassoons reflects the orchestral values of the time it was made.  For example, large, sonorous orchestras were popular in the 1980s, so my bassoon plays a little bit darker and with more projection than an instrument 40 years younger.  The search to make the perfect bassoon continues today!