Instrument: Bassoon

In this film, Amy Harman introduces her instrument - the bassoon.

The Philharmonia is a world-class symphony orchestra, led by Principal Conductor Santtu-Matias Rouvali.

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The Principal Bassoon Chair is endowed by Penny and Nigel Turnbull.
The No. 2 Bassoon Chair is endowed by John Abramson.

[Phase]

I miss playing the bassoon. I started out as a child playing the clarinet, and then learned to play the saxophone at the request of my junior high school band director. Specifically, alto sax - all of his alto players were moving on to high school, and he had nobody to play alto sax in the jazz band. So since I was the 1st-chair clarinet player, he tagged me to be his new 1st alto player in the next year's jazz band. Being a pretty good clarinet player (as far as being a 13-year-old clarinet player), I learned to play the sax in about three days. (Dear God, can there be another instrument easier to play than the saxophone? I could have just bent my clarinet and called it a saxophone, the sax was so easy to learn!)

Then, one day, toward the end of my 8th-grade year, I was poking around in the school instrument room, and decided to open an odd-looking instrument case. That case was long and wide and flat. I popped it open, and found an odd assortment of instrument parts. Already being a woodwind player, it was plain to me that this was a woodwind instrument, but I had no idea what it was. So I called my band teacher over and asked, "Mr. Ager, what IS this?" Mr. Ager said, "That's a bassoon." I'd never heard of a bassoon before, but I said, "Can I learn to play this?"

Mr. Ager's eyes lit up like he was suddenly on fire! "Oh yes!" he said. "You take that home, and we'll get you signed up for summer band lessons!"

Of course, this being junior high school time, I still had to pretty much teach myself how to play the thing. Summer band teachers don't tend to know how to play every instrument. Mr. Ager was a clarinet/woodwind guy, but both of my high school band directors were brass players.

But I spent 9th grade playing bassoon in the junior high "concert band" and alto sax in the "stage band". I'd abandoned the clarinet by this point (though, thanks to my now-advanced age and the benefit of YouTube, I've seen enough of Benny Goodman to wish I had stuck with the clarinet)

Then I got to high school, now playing only alto  sax and bassoon. Under my first high school band teacher, I ended up quitting the bassoon for a year. That band director was obsessed with marches, and almost all of my bassoon parts consisted of either playing whole notes or playing I-IV "oom-pah " lines, basically doubling the tuba player. Boooorrrring! The only good bassoon part that band teacher ever gave me was John Philip Sousa's "Black Horse Troop" march. The bassoon part on that one rocked.

The summer before my senior year in HS, my family relocated to a new town. And the high school had the standard "wind ensemble" band (which was entirely separate from the marching band, thank God), where I ended up playing alto sax. And I ended up playing guitar in the jazz ensemble. And ... I started out as 2nd bassoon in the school orchestra! Yes, this was a high school orchestra that actually had TWO bassoon players! Second semester, the 1st bassoonist quit the orchestra to concentrate on academics (he ended up class valedictorian), which left me as 1st (and only) bassoonist.

Our conductor introduced a song, the name of which I can't remember (this was 30 years ago), but I remember that Copland was the composer. The song had an absolutely amazing bassoon part. I used that bassoon part to earn a music scholarship at Washington State University. Where I got hooked up with a bassoon professor with a massive beard (I've noticed that beards are  thing with male bassoonists. Curse my testosterone, I can't grow a beard worth !@#$).

And that's where all the trouble started. My bassoon professor wanted to spend all of our time teaching me to carve a reed, instead of teaching me how to play the damned instrument. I only lasted a single semester at university. I'd spent my entire bassoon-playing "career" playing school-owned instruments, so once I was out of school, I had no bassoon to play. Even in 1984, a good bassoon still cost $3000. which I clearly didn't have laying around.

I learned to play the bassoon at the same time that I was learning to play the guitar, and I think that's a  large part of the reason I ended up becoming a bass guitarist. I've always loved the low end.

[tobiortonotbe]

The bassoon, aka the most underrated instrument

[ZiPolishHammer]

So many wonderful bassoon sounds in both "Rhapsody in Blue" and the "Rite of Spring." Play on bassoonists, your instrument is awesome.

[yoyogamer]

I’m so hyped in about 4 days this instrument will be sitting in my lap

[ryliebomberger]

*me holding my bassoon*
*some other idiot comes up to me*
"thats a big flute"

[jamaloctavious]

The bassoon is one of the most beautiful woodwind instruments. Bach and Vivaldi's concerto's are its best exhibitions.

[mieljo]

insanely well-spoken and informative, rarely learn this much in 10 minutes

[SasukeUchiha-qzbs]

The struggle when u get a trombone/baritone/ euphonium part because the composers were to lazy to write a bassoon part

[HeelPower]

The Bassoon is an amazing instrument with great range and emotion and I love it to bits.Its such a shame that composers rarely write for the Bassoon as much as they do for other instruments.

If you want to see what the Bassoon is truly capable of listen to Vivaldi's Bassoon concerti.He wrote 40 of them with great variety.

People need to write more music for the solo bassoon.

[RHP-pwxt]

I played the bassoon 41 years ago... I'd love to start again. It's such a wonderful instrument with such pure and rich sounds. I recommend it to all.

[primate]

one day bassoons will rule the world...

[dowly]

Getting a bassoon for my birthday tomorrow, super excited and this video helped a lot 👍👍👍

[bluepowerade]

The bassoon is amazing. Out of all three instruments I've played (Trombone, Bassoon, Flute) Bassoon is 100% my favorite, and this video was very informative and helpful! I definitely learned tons that I didn't even know! Also, Amy is an amazing Bassoonist, in all my years, I've never heard a Bassoon who sounds as perfect as her! But she is principal Bassoon, so it makes sense that she is great! :>

[garymoore]

There is something sensual about the bassoon. I've always loved the double reed instruments; bassoon and oboe. I find them to be fascinating instruments of an orchestra.

[philharmonia_orchestra]

That's brilliant and it's great that you have such enthusiasm!
We are pleased that you liked the video and couldn't agree more. There is so much that people can take from classical music and what's wonderful is that it differs for everyone.

[chloe]

We have 2 bassoon players in my band and I searched this up because I can never hear them!! You sound so good and the bassoon is so beautiful 😍

[jencookie]

what a lovely instrument! close friend of mine plays and i am so in awe of her and this lady :’)

[KingGrio]

I didn't expect the bassoon to have a somewhat violin-like sound in the top range. The air going through the reed at this range produced a sound which was a little bit the sound of the bow rubbing on the string.
And the lower range is deep yet "soft" (I apologize for my lack of vocabulary), which is great for a beautiful low end without the abrasiveness of the brass section (which is wonderful too but in a different context).

[voxpax]

She was charming and helpful in her explanation. Thank you!

[peterkizer]

Being only a fan, and not a student, I love these pieces. Most appreciated. (And will be downloading the app.)