bocal soup
  • Home
    • reviews
  • Spring 2023 Recital
  • cassandra
    • blog
  • media
  • lessons
  • happenings
  • links
  • bassoon quartets

reedy dreams

4/9/2009

0 Comments

 
I dreamt I received a long, flat wooden box in the mail. Inside the box were...

Read More
0 Comments

shock and awe

8/30/2007

0 Comments

 
Cut the tips on my brand new contra reeds that I made over the weekend and they worked!! They’re a little wonky in the pitch, but so much better than what I expected that I still feel like strutting. Go, me. 

Former declaration of loyalty to the 8 year old reed is hereby rescinded. Albion reed for muchos smackeroos turned out to be much nicer than the old one once I cut the tip. Old reed on recording sounds like one big raspberry. New Albion actually has tone.

Bought Susan Nigro’s Bass Nightingale off of iTunes. She is incredible. Contra playing like I’ve never heard. Average person could go to her concert and not spend the whole time snickering about a big flappy farty instrument blurting around on the stage. Disappointed to see that there are no liner notes attached.

0 Comments

reed geekery - skinner diagram

8/28/2007

0 Comments

 
I’m told my reeds are quite narrow, but they seem to fit in pretty well with Lou Skinner’s reed design. If you haven’t already checked out The Bassoon Reed Manual: Lou Skinner’s Theories and Techniques by James McKay, do so. It’s been invaluable, especially for contra. It turns out I’ve been using his Five Tests for years now and never knew it because they’d been shown to me by another bassoonist. My instrument before this was a Schreiber and I remember thinking that my Moosmann 200 felt very similar in key structure and sound. I think Fox Bassoons tend to respond better to a wider reed design, which may be part of why I didn’t appreciate the sound of those I tried. Anyway, here’s his diagram straight from the book:
Picture
0 Comments

    cassandra

    Freelance bassoonist and carpenter of the reedy persuasion in Tucson, AZ.

    RSS Feed

    other blogs

    Habits of Musicians
    Bulletproof Musician
    Bassoon Blog
    Christin Schillinger
    Have Bassoon Will Cook
    The Pedantic Bassoonist
    Music Matters-Bassoon
    Double Reed Ltd.

    Archives

    July 2021
    August 2017
    February 2015
    December 2014
    October 2014
    June 2014
    May 2014
    June 2013
    December 2012
    November 2012
    March 2012
    December 2011
    December 2010
    November 2010
    September 2010
    April 2010
    March 2010
    December 2009
    November 2009
    October 2009
    April 2009
    March 2009
    January 2009
    July 2008
    June 2008
    May 2008
    April 2008
    March 2008
    January 2008
    December 2007
    October 2007
    September 2007
    August 2007

    Categories

    All
    Artistry
    Auditions
    Bassoon
    Bnl
    Bocal Anxiety
    Busyness
    Contrabassoon
    Dreams
    Injuries
    Johnny Depp
    Music
    Musing
    Other People's Children
    Performance
    Reeds
    Studenting
    Time
    Tucson Chamber Orchestra
    Unrepentance

    RSS Feed

Powered by Create your own unique website with customizable templates.
  • Home
    • reviews
  • Spring 2023 Recital
  • cassandra
    • blog
  • media
  • lessons
  • happenings
  • links
  • bassoon quartets