Bassoon Reeds For Beginners? The 119 New Answer

bassoon reed

The Légère bassoon reed responds instantly out of the box. Its unique material never requires wetting, allowing the player to focus on their music and not the reed. It projects easily and clearly while producing clean and focused sound. It is available in medium and medium-hard strengths to complement different playing styles and setups.

The reeds are cut in half using precision 3-axis computer controlled cutting machines and are never shaped or stamped. The halves are then rejoined using a digitally controlled system, resulting in a reed that is balanced in both reeds and has the right combination of tip strength, heart and flexibility.

The combination of head strength, heart and unique material makes it easy to slide from the low register to the high register of the instrument. While some of the best bassoon players in the world play this reed, it is also used by players of all skill levels.

The most important factor when choosing a blade is the blade thickness.

Reed thickness is most often expressed as a number. The normal range for reeds is from 2 to 5: the lower the number, the thinner the reed, and the higher the number, the thicker the reed. The thickness of the reed affects the tone and how easy or difficult the instrument is to play. Generally, a thinner sheet, say 2 or 2.5, will have a lighter tone. Thinner reeds vibrate more easily, making them good for beginners. Pop music or jazz players often prefer this lighter tone and therefore use thinner reeds. Reeds with a gauge of 4 or 5 are harder and therefore require more skill to play, but the tone is fatter, larger and warmer.

Incidentally, the reed is a consumable item and must be replaced frequently. This is sometimes a problem, so practical resin sheets that are easy to care for and last a long time have recently appeared.

An important point when choosing a reed is compatibility with the mouthpiece.

The distance between the tip of the mouthpiece and the tip of the attached reed is an important factor affecting the performance of a reed instrument. This space determines the “channel” that the player’s breath follows. The opening at the mouthpiece is called the “tip opening”. For example, what would result from a mouthpiece with a narrow mouthpiece opening and a thin reed? The vibration of a thin reed has a higher amplitude, so the vibrating reed completely covers the mouthpiece, blocking the air passage and potentially suddenly disrupting the instrument’s sound. Important features of the mouthpiece besides the mouthpiece opening are the table that the reed attaches to and the path, the angle of curvature near the mouthpiece tip. There are special blades designed to meet these needs. It is necessary to choose a reed that fits the specific shape of the mouthpiece.

The names of the mouthpiece parts

The thickness of a reed is usually given as a number. Beginner hands are usually of a lower strength, such as B. Sizes 1.5 and 2 (soft and medium soft). When deciding what hand strength to use, a player must decide whether they need a beginner or a more advanced hand.

So what size do you choose? The thickness of a reed is the most important factor when choosing one. Just like thickness, sheet thickness is expressed as a number. The lower the number, the thinner the reed, and the higher the number, the thicker the reed. Reeds typically range from 2 to 4. The tone and responsiveness of an instrument depends on the thickness of the reed. Thinner reeds (between 2 and 2.5) are good for beginners as they vibrate more easily and have a brighter tone; preferred among jazz players! On the other hand, thicker reeds of size 4 to 5 are harder and require more skill to play, but the tone is much richer.

The strength of your reed indicates its density and flexibility. In general, single reeds range from 1.5 to 4, while double reeds range from soft, medium, medium, medium, and hard. Sheet thickness also varies between different brands. So a 3.5 in Rico Royal might play more like a 3.0 in Vandoren.

Since the tone and sound of a reed varies depending on the brand and size used, how do you know which is the best reed? It is only by exploring different hands that you can determine which one suits you, your experience and your style best. Some musicians prefer Rico reeds because they are more economical; a popular hand among younger players. Vandoren reeds are also preferred because the higher quality reed, although slightly more expensive, produces a darker, more subtle tone.

Reeds are just like the mouthpieces on brass or strings on a guitar, it’s all down to personal preference when choosing between different gauges. If you are a beginner, you can start with a softer, less expensive hand. Once you gain some experience, venture out into different brands and strengths to find your perfect match. Ultimately, your perfect reed, brand, and gauge will be the one that is most comfortable and compatible with your reed instrument.

How to get the most out of your Reed!

Reeds are made from wood cane and, like most organic materials, can be very sensitive to changes in temperature and humidity. So that your reeds play well and last a long time, we would like to give you some tips on reed care.

All sheets are soaked in WATER before playing. For oboe reeds, only soak the reed section of the reed. For bassoon reeds, the entire reed must be soaked. A good rule of thumb is to soak the reed while you are assembling your instrument. A reed can become waterlogged. 2-3 minutes for bassoon reeds or 1 minute for oboe reeds should be enough. Reeds should not be soaked in the mouth or under a water fountain. Sheets should NOT need to be soaked after playing and should be allowed to dry before being put away.

Reeds should be stored in a well-ventilated reed box. The tubes that the reeds are shipped in are designed to protect the reeds during shipping, but are not ideal for storage. The reeds should be allowed to dry completely after use, otherwise bacteria and mold will start to grow on the blades.

Depending on the temperature and humidity difference between Dallas and your location, the reed opening may change. Opening the reed can drastically affect the pitch and response of a reed. If the reed is too closed, submerge the reed in WARM water. If the leaf is too open, you can gently massage the BACK of the leaf to make it close a little. AVOID TOUCHING THE TIP OF THE REEDS!

By following these basic tips, you can extend the life of your leaves. Remember that even with careful maintenance, your leaves will not last forever! The typical lifespan of a reed (ON AVERAGE) is about 1 month, although each reed is different. Your leaves may last shorter or longer depending on many factors including proper care, the environment, playtime, and the structure of the leaf itself (remember that leaves, being composed of organic material, have an infinite potential for structural variation).

If your reed has been damaged in transit, we will be happy to replace it. You have 24 hours from the date of receipt of your shipment to let us know that you have received a damaged blade or if there was some other issue with your order. Damaged sheets must be returned to Bocal Majority at the address listed on your receipt. If there is a problem with the reeds upon arrival, please email [email protected].

Returns of non-reed/non-cane goods are accepted within 30 days of purchase. To initiate a return, please contact us for RMA instructions.

Frequently asked questions and important information about Reeds

How long does a reed last? how many do i need

Each reed is different, but with adjustments, most oboe reeds will last around 10-15 hours of playing time for students. Generally my first year oboe users use about 1 per month. English horn leaves are thicker and can therefore last up to several weeks. Bassoon reeds that are even thicker can last up to 2-3 months for students.

It is recommended to always have a few sheets on hand so you have a choice. Reeds They change daily based on usage and weather, and can be accidentally damaged. Changing leaves also increases their lifespan.

When a new blade becomes stiff, heavy and sharp, some slight adjustments are needed. As a blade ages it becomes unstable and flat and should be replaced to avoid stressing the player.

How long should I soak my reeds?

It is recommended to soak your oboe reed in a small plastic cup of water (rather than in your mouth) for 1-2 minutes. This extends the life of the reed as bacteria in your mouth can break down the reed faster.

Do not soak reeds too much. Soaking for too long will cause the cane fibers to swell, inhibiting vibration and stressing the player. Overwetted fibers also shorten the life of the reed.

Thicker reeds, such as cor anglais reeds, may need to be soaked longer than oboe reeds. If you soak a reed in water longer, the tip will open and help it seal. However, it is not recommended to let your reeds soak for long periods of time. Leaves that are leaking or too closed should be examined by an instructor.

Bassoon reeds should be fully immersed in water for about 3-5 minutes.

Why do I need a reed case?

Always keep your reeds in a suitable reed case. Individual plastic containers do not provide adequate ventilation and should therefore not be used for long-term storage of reeds. Also, the tip of a reed is very thin and less likely to be damaged if stored safely.

Brand new reeds that are a bit stiff and need breaking in. They can be played for 5-15 intervals at a time and should be left outside the case to dry.

What is a handmade reed and why is it different from the local store reed?

A handcrafted reed means that a professional double-reed player has made the reed from cane to ensure a proper balance of the elements. When a reed maker creates a handmade reed, they have complete control over the quality of the reed. This means they can control the hardness of the cane and the size of the opening to ensure the sides are tight and that the reed is playing with the right pitch, tone and air. These blades are also play tested, with final adjustments made to ensure the blade is stable when it arrives.

Store-bought reeds (or machine-made reeds) are plucked from any available cane source and scraped with a machine that simply cuts off a specified amount. While some adjustments can be made, problems that arise such as poor quality caning, leaking sides, small openings, and too much caning being extracted from the back and sides will be difficult if not impossible to fix. When trying to build a strong foundation it can be quite frustrating for the player as these types of problems can lead to pitch issues, stability issues and fatigue.

Click here for a list of recommended handmade reeds.

What does “handmade” mean?

A handmade oboe reed means that the reed maker selected the reed, tied it themselves, and used a profiling machine to take off the first layer of reed. You will be hand scraping the final adjustments for quality. This method saves a bit of time when making reeds for student reeds. These blades are great for beginners or intermediate players, but intermediate students and pros may want a blade that can be adjusted a bit more.

How are reeds different at high altitude?

When you go higher, you have to consider two factors, altitude and humidity. Both at high altitude and in dry climates, the reed will vibrate less. A reed that vibrates less is stiff, sharp, sounds bright, heavy, and lacks flexibility.

To compensate for this, more reeds must be scrapped for the reeds. Often the mixing area needs to be smoother to allow for more vibration. Reeds made at low altitudes can be adapted for higher altitudes, but when the extra tube is removed, the reeds can become unstable, close up and leak. Read my article on high altitude reeds to learn more about making high altitude reeds.

My reed looks slightly pink, why?

I use a woodwind sanitizing solution called Sterisol on all the reeds during class. The solution is slightly pink in hue and safe for both the hand and the player.

My blade has a crack at the base near the thread, is it broken?

No! Very strong pieces of tubing occasionally break easily during the tying process. Unless the tubing is cracked in the back, heart, or tip, a crack at the base indicates a hard piece of tubing that often offers desirable properties.

How long does it take to make oboe reeds and when should I start?

Making and customizing reeds takes some dedication and time. It takes controlled knife stroke, consistent knife sharpening, and a little trial and error to understand what’s needed for each individual blade. With a few hours of reed making per week and the guidance of a teacher, students can start seeing consistency in as little as 3-6 months. Often, students hone their pipemaking skills in college and become efficient in graduate school.

I recommend that students start making reeds in high school, especially if they are considering playing in college. I don’t usually recommend making reeds in middle school due to the concentration required and the cost of the tools.

If your budget allows for a full reed kit, I recommend starting learning about reed fitting and reed making at the same time. This way the student can practice scraping on new leaves instead of the expensively bought leaves.

The clown of the orchestra takes his revenge

Enlarge image Toggle caption Kate Lemmon Kate Lemmon

You might think you’ve never heard the bassoon outside of a concert hall, but you have: the woodwind features prominently in the theme music to Leave It To Beaver, represents the grandfather character in Peter and the Wolf, and co-stars in Mickey Mouse’s misadventures the dancing broomsticks in Fantasia. Do you notice a trend there?

With some electronic assistance, bassoonist Paul Hanson demonstrates the instrument’s jazz fusion capabilities. youtube

“‘Oh oh – things are going weirdly wrong!’ That’s what I think is the most common use of it in TV and movies,” says Eileen Reynolds, who has played the bassoon since elementary school. “When I started playing it, I got these really weird comments from people. My dad said it looked like a plumber got drunk because there are all those hoses and wrenches.”

The bassoon is one of the most difficult instruments to play in an orchestra, but people just don’t take it seriously. That’s not surprising when you take a look at the thing: It’s a double-reed instrument that looks like someone turned a bong into a saxophone. The reeds are connected to the instrument by a metal mouthpiece.

“And then it’s attached to almost 8-foot-long wooden tube that has a bend at the bottom so it folds in the middle and the top sticks up,” says Mark Eubanks. “It looks like a bedpost.”

Eubanks teaches bassoon at Lewis & Clark College. He says that to understand how the instrument became the butt of jokes, you have to go back to its birth in the 17th century.

“Back then, bassoon playing was very bad because they had bad instruments,” he says. “The wood has warped. … There probably weren’t that many good bassoon players out there, so it probably took on the role of this quirky, evil-sounding thing.”

toggle caption Courtesy of the artist

The muted, dark-sounding bassoon of the Baroque era was so difficult to tune that composers did not write solos for it. But a century later, with better reeds and more keys, they were beginning to notice its comic potential. Reynolds says that Haydn’s Symphony No. 93 and Beethoven’s Sixth were some of the earliest in which the bassoon appeared as a clown.

In this century, we’ve heard the bassoon in dopey pet food commercials, on movie soundtracks, and on sitcoms like Curb Your Enthusiasm — where music supervisors often pick out the weirdest bassoon sounds to make weird moments seem even more embarrassing. Eubanks says he’s tired of the bassoon being referred to as the Rodney Dangerfield of instruments.

“Why can’t a bassoon play Irish music?” he asks. “Why can’t a bassoon play an ensemble – jazz, rock, whatever?”

So Eubanks jams with a group of other “oonists” — that’s bassoonists, contrabassoonists, tenaronists, and so on — who call themselves the Bassoon Brothers. (One of them is a sister.) The Oregon-based group has released three albums of some less traditional bassoon songs—including Jimi Hendrix’s “Purple Haze,” which features a pickup-amplified bassoon.

The Breaking Winds perform “Lady Gaga Saga,” a bassoon-based medley of the pop star’s hits. youtube

Ben Wendel is another musician bringing a new face to the bassoon. When he’s not playing the saxophone, he spices it up on the bassoon.

“There are very few bassoonists out there who are into the world of jazz or improvisation. We’re the Illuminati of the jazz world or something like that,” says Wendel, laughing. “There is something beautiful about the limitations of this instrument: the fact that I can’t actually do everything I can do on the saxophone. I can’t drive 150 miles an hour.”

The bassoon has also broken into the world of pop. Last year, a quartet of classically trained bassoonists calling themselves The Breaking Winds wore wigs and costumes to perform a Lady Gaga medley – video of which quickly went viral. Hip-hop isn’t immune either: In January, Kanye West bragged on Twitter about putting bassoon on a track.

Modern bassoonists do not attempt to alter the instrument’s sound. They just want you to know that while the bassoon can be feisty and goofy, it can also be jazzy, romantic, and overall serious.

The 7 Most Difficult Instruments to Learn, Play & Master

The hardest instrument to learn is, to some extent, not necessarily the hardest instrument to master, and that leads to some tough decisions.

What we mean by that is that an instrument can be one of the easiest chords or songs to learn, but at the same time one of the most difficult to truly master.

When creating our list, we took into account each instrument’s learning curve, as well as the technical and physical demands of playing it.

Here are the instruments we feel are the hardest to learn, play, and master. Don’t ask which instruments are the hardest to learn and don’t let that put you off, be inspired for the challenge.

1. oboe

Even if you don’t think you know what an oboe sounds like, you’ve heard it more times than you realize. The oboe is often the sound that carries beautiful, stirring melodies in an orchestra or many television/film scores.

Before you even start playing, you should know that an oboe requires more maintenance than most instruments. That means more time and money is spent without playing. The downside is that oboists are among the highest paid orchestral musicians.

The first thing that can cause problems is the reeds, which produce a gorgeous tone. Unlike other reed instruments, the oboe leaves even less room for error. The sheet must be in perfect condition and perfectly positioned at all times.

You’ll sound terrible for a long time after you’ve picked up the oboe; you can’t escape that. Unless you have a rare amazing talent, it takes a lot of patience to learn.

The design of the oboe has changed a lot over time; originally it could only be played in certain keys. Now it can be played in any key, but a side effect of the modern oboe is that it’s a lot heavier than it looks.

There are also some tuning issues where not every scale will be perfectly in tune. The player has to compensate for this with approach and skillful fingers.

If you move beyond these issues, you’ll find that it’s one of the most counterintuitive instruments to play. Often you need to lower your hand position to play a higher pitch or raise your hand to play a lower pitch.

Seemingly invented as a cruel joke at times, the oboe is perhaps the most difficult wind instrument to learn. But learn it well and you will be in great demand.

2nd violin

The violin produces one of the most beautiful sounds you will ever hear when played correctly. However, there are a few reasons why it is called the devil’s instrument; mainly from folklore but also because it is one of the most difficult instruments to learn.

The violin does not offer the easiest time to begin with as it is a fretless instrument. Without frets as a safety net, you have to be incredibly precise to hit the right note.

If you take the lowest note a violin can produce, it’s G3 on the open G string. If you play every note/interval on this string, you can travel just under two and a half octaves on a very short neck. That’s a lot of ways to find the wrong parking space in a small space!

The typical range without getting into overtones or longer fretboards is from G3 to A7.

As with all stringed instruments, it is possible to learn patterns that are interchangeable from one key to the next. However, because the violin is tuned in perfect fifths, you only get seven pitches before they repeat on other strings (51 different notes in total).

Repetitive pitches make fingering more challenging and creative choices, since same pitch doesn’t mean same timbre.

Despite its slender appearance, the violin is a fairly physically demanding instrument. As with the guitar, it takes both hands to produce a note, but bowing is a little more challenging than using a pick.

Not to mention that your bowing has to be as precise as your fingering. The posture for holding and playing the violin can also be tiring.

3. French horn

If you ask people what the coolest instrument they can play, it’s unlikely anyone will say french horn. But the French horn is one of the most versatile brass instruments.

As with the trumpet, you must force air through the French horn while pressing the correct valve key to produce a tone.

It differs from the French horn in that you must maintain a steady flow of air through tubes from 12 feet to 30 feet, making it one of the most difficult instruments to play.

If you’re wondering why so long, this is what gives the horn its versatility; The longer the tube, the lower the note. The sheer physicality of this instrument is why it has such a steep learning curve.

Once you are able to make a tone, you can focus on making the right tone, which is also not an easy task.

The first step to producing the correct pitch is to learn the valve key combinations and perfect your embouchure (mouth position). Different pitches can already be produced with the same valve key combinations, especially in the high-end range. So hitting the right note depends on your approach and airflow. Otherwise you will be upset.

Many players like to put their hand in the bell to muffle/mute the sound a bit. It produces a nice buzz/ring, but it can also shift pitch if done wrong.

Due to the French horn’s shape/design, the sound is not projected onto the audience; it goes backwards. It causes a very small timing issue and sometimes the player has to account for a small delay.

You can begin to understand how difficult it is to just hit the right notes. But if you learn, it’s worth it; You will be an influential member of any horn section.

4. piano

The piano is an excellent example of an instrument whose basics are easy to learn but one of the most difficult instruments to master.

Many music educators prefer to teach theory on the piano. This is because each note is arranged in pitch order from lowest (left) to highest (right). Unlike stringed instruments, there are no repeated pitches.

The piano keyboard layout makes it easy to understand the basic theory and makes it easy to get started playing simple chords and melodies. It doesn’t take long to start playing songs and if you can sing it’s even better.

A piano has 88 keys; Each key triggers a mechanism that causes a hammer to strike the corresponding string. Hammers are larger and heavier at the bottom but get lighter as you go up.

Although the basic theory is easier to understand, the black and white key pattern means the fingering is more complicated. You can’t repeat the same fingering pattern for each scale/key like you can to some extent on a guitar for example.

The amazing thing about the piano is that it can do so many things. You can play percussive, rhythmic, melodic and create the most complex harmonies.

Its versatility is also one of the things that makes it so difficult to master. Sometimes you encounter different rhythms or voicings in each hand that are physically difficult to achieve because there is no pitch repetition. You have to develop feeling and expression not only in your hands, but also in using the foot pedals.

Read our article on the best ways to learn to play the piano.

5. Hammond organ

Different types of organs are difficult to learn, but we will focus on the Hammond organ. The Hammond organ is an integral part of some of the most popular rock, blues, funk and soul songs ever recorded.

This iconic sound isn’t easy to replicate, even if you’re already a keyboardist. You may be able to play chords and melodies, but there’s a lot more to the Hammond sound than just playing the right notes.

A Hammond organ has two 61-key keyboards, also known as manuals. The keys are known as waterfall style and are very light. This makes them easy to play, but they aren’t velocity sensitive, so any change in velocity doesn’t affect volume.

A Hammond organ also doesn’t have a sustain pedal, unlike a piano. You must physically hold down a note for as long as you want it to sound.

They change the sound of a tonewheel organ like this via preset buttons, drawbars, a rotary speed switch, and an expression pedal. To the left of each manual is an octave of preset keys (reverse colored).

Drawbars slide in and out and work like a blender. Each Drawbar controls a component of the overall sound. When a pull rod is fully extended, the volume of that component is at maximum; when it’s all the way in, it’s at zero.

Vibrato and chorus effects are built into a Hammond organ and are controlled by switches with selectable rotation speeds. There are also switches for harmonic percussion; When selected, it produces a decaying harmonic overtone when a key is pressed.

If that’s not enough, a Hammond typically has 25 bass pedals ranging from low C to middle C. Basslines with feet, rhythm, harmony and melody with both hands while continuously adjusting drawbars and switches.

The Hammond is one of the most difficult instruments to play physically. Some people compare playing a Hammond organ to driving a car, driving is easier but worth it.

6. Drums

Drums are on the same scale as piano or guitar in the sense that it’s not the hardest to start with. Once you start going beyond the basics, you’ll realize how difficult it is to master the drums.

When you start playing drums, the idea that you don’t have to think about pitch, scales, and harmonies like other musicians do will seem like a blessing. But drummers have other responsibilities, like keeping time and tempo for the whole band.

Every musician has to think about tempo, but when a drummer doesn’t have perfect timing and a consistent tempo, the consequences are far more severe. Musicians in a band rely on a good drummer to be their metronome.

Now let’s think about the rhythmic independence a drummer needs to have. Playing a simple beat and keeping a steady four beat with the hi-hat is easy, but what about polyrhythms?

Even in common measure (4/4), a drummer can have a different count in each limb. A typical polyrhythm is 3:4, meaning that a three-counter fits into a four-counter, with the one-counter always falling at the same time for both. A complex pattern might see this 3:4 polyrhythm with your feet and a 7:8 rhythm in your hands.

Drummers don’t try to count that while playing, their heads would explode. It’s a feeling that has developed over time and very hard work.

Dynamics play a big part in being a great drummer, and it’s a common misconception among newbies that drummers don’t have to play softly. Playing softly can be difficult on many instruments, but imagine you have a fast tempo and are controlling a strong kick pedal speed; it is not easy.

If you can overcome the rhythmic overload that comes with being a competent drummer, you’re doing well. However, you still have to deal with how physically demanding it is on your body. Go to a gig and watch a drummer play for two hours with very little intermission; It’s like a workout at the gym.

When fatigue sets in, timing, pace and momentum suffer. Persevere, build stamina and technique, and you’ll be the backbone of a great rhythm section.

7. Accordion

The accordion might not be on everyone’s list as one of the most difficult instruments to learn, but we can think of a few reasons to include it.

First, let’s look at the physical aspect of playing the accordion. It is unique in the way you have to hold it and move the bellows in and out.

The bellows supplies air, which allows the accordion to produce sounds. There are also air valves to release air silently. Airflow/pressure plays a big part in the sound you shape.

There are two types of accordions, button accordions and key accordions. Button accordions use only buttons to select notes, while key accordions use right-hand buttons and left-hand buttons. Whether keys or knobs, the right hand is for melodies.

In a way, keyboard accordions are easier to play, especially if you have some keyboard experience. On the left, the first two rows of keys are for bass notes and all others for creating harmonies. The keys are positioned chromatically, which means some guitar chord shapes translate well.

On some accordions, not all, the keys can produce different pitches depending on how you press them. There are some register switches which are basically presets that change the sound of the accordion.

Not only do you have to deal with the concept of each hand playing something that feels completely different, you also have to have perfect timing. The timing of the keys, knobs, and bellows must be in sync to produce the intended sound. The accordion is one of the most difficult instruments to learn.

Despite what you’ve just read, mastering these tools is worth the agony of learning, so don’t be put off.

The reality is that it takes a lot of hard work to become a professional musician no matter what you play. Even with an above-average natural talent, you still need to put in your time and dedication.

The beauty of studying music is that it’s more than education; It’s a lifestyle. Your instrument will become an extension of your personality and creativity, so learn it.

You might think that playing a musical instrument is easy, but it’s actually not as easy as you might think. There are over 100 different instruments in the world and each has its own difficulties to learn. If you are looking for a challenge and want to see how difficult some musical instruments can be, then this list might be for you!

This blog post will show you 15 of the most difficult musical instruments to learn and why they are so difficult.

1. Pipe organ

Perhaps the most difficult instrument to learn is the pipe organ. There are a few reasons for this, but the main reason is the number of keyboards that need to be played at any given time.

With a regular piano, the musician only needs to focus on one keyboard. However, an organist has several keyboards stacked on top of each other.

Each can produce a different tone or octave, meaning one hand can play one keyboard while another hand can play another.

The craziest thing is that organists have to play with their feet too. But this isn’t just pressing normal piano pedals, there is a real keyboard under the feet of the organ player. This means that an organist can play on three different keyboards at the same time!

2nd bassoon

Another very difficult instrument to play is the bassoon, which is often cited as the most difficult orchestral wind instrument to learn.

Its difficulty lies mainly in the fact that it is a type of double-reed instrument that is notoriously spirited.

The bassoon generally produces a loud sound that cuts through other instruments. However, when a piece of music calls for a soft bassoon line, it can become very difficult for the player. Due to the way the musician blows on the double reed, lowering the volume requires a lot of skill.

The bassoon also requires the musician to use all ten fingers when playing. The combination of wind techniques and finger placement makes learning the bassoon incredibly difficult.

3. Cello

Next on our list of difficult instruments we have the cello, one of the most popular stringed instruments that people want to learn. However, learning and mastering the cello can be incredibly difficult.

When playing the cello, the instrument stands on a thin stand and the musician has to use his own muscular strength to keep it upright.

This can get tiring, especially when you’re holding the bow with one hand and moving around the fretless neck with the other.

The fact that the notes on the cello are far apart means that the fingers have to be stretched, which can cause significant difficulties for those with smaller hands.

4. oboe

The oboe is a reed instrument that requires a very precise mouth position. It is said that mastering the controlled breathing required to learn to play the oboe can be one of the most challenging aspects of any wind instrument.

Like the bassoon, it also uses a double reed to produce a sound, so it comes with all the difficulties associated not only with playing but with the construction and maintenance of the reed.

Another thing that makes it difficult is that the air being blown through the instrument has to be constant and at the same pressure, otherwise things will be thrown off.

In addition to the complicated breathing techniques, the oboe also requires a new learner to memorize the position and combinations of 45 keys.

5. Nyckelharpa

Next we have something very different, the Swedish and Norwegian instrument, the nyckelharpa is a lesser known instrument but perhaps one of the most difficult stringed instruments to play.

There are many variations, but most nyckelharpas have 3 or 4 strings that are played with a bow and up to 12 strings that are not played, called sympathetic strings.

The musician then bows the strings and changes their pitch using a series of different keys. The valves are located on the underside of the nyckelharpa’s neck, making them difficult to see.

Learning the nyckelharpa is like putting a violin, guitar and piano together in one instrument.

6. Harp

Another difficult instrument to learn is the harp. A harpist needs a great deal of dexterity in their fingers to ensure each string is plucked at the right time, making it a technically difficult instrument to play.

Not only do you have to remember what note each string is, which is difficult enough, but a modern concert harp typically has 47 strings and 7 pedals which, when depressed, change the pitch of the notes depending on the combinations of pedals depressed.

And don’t forget that this is all happening on a very large instrument that’s difficult to move between lessons, concerts, and practice rooms.

7. Bagpipes

Certainly one of the contenders for the most annoying of instruments, the bagpipes require skill, patience and dedication to learn.

The musician must have strong lungs and master the breathing technique that allows the bagpipes to produce continuous tones.

In addition, there is also a balance between the amount of air that is blown into the bag and the amount of air that is exhausted from the bag that also needs to be learned.

All of this has to happen before anyone can start playing notes on the bagpipes, making it a very difficult instrument, let alone mastering it.

8. French horn

Any musician learning the French horn must first master the correct embouchure or mouth position in order to even begin playing the instrument.

French horn players hum their lips perfectly to get just the right sound, but this is where it gets tricky. The French horn’s valve positions differ from other wind instruments.

There are also many different combinations of valves that can be pressed to create notes. This means that the learner must not only remember where each valve is located, but also what note they produced when pressed together.

In addition, the horn player can also change the pitch of notes by placing their hand in the horn’s bell. Put all of this together and you have a recipe for a difficult-to-learn instrument.

9. Drums

For those of you who aren’t that good at multitasking, the drum kit will be a very challenging instrument to play. This is mainly because you have to use all four limbs to play it.

Your feet control two pedals that play the bass drum and hi-hat symbol, and then your two hands play the various drums and cymbals set out in front of you. No other instrument requires musicians to use both feet and both arms at the same time to the extent that drums do.

Learning to play the drums requires someone to have good coordination and peripheral vision as the drums and cymbals are placed all around the musician.

In addition, there is the necessary perseverance. There’s no getting away from the fact that drums are an incredibly physical instrument, which can mean it’s a very tiring instrument to play, especially at higher tempos.

10. Accordion

There are many different types of accordions, but they are all extremely difficult to learn. As with many instruments on this list, it takes a lot of different multitakes to play anything decent sounding.

First of all, you played the keyboard with your right hand. This is like a typical keyboard instrument, so it requires all the skill of playing the piano. Couple that with the fact that you can’t actually see it and you have something pretty difficult.

Then add the left hand playing different keys for the chords. Again, you can’t see the notes, so again everything is done by feel, increasing the difficulty.

But the accordion only produces sound by opening and closing the bellows to force air through the reeds that produce the sound.

This means you have to have your arms constantly moving and it’s incredibly difficult to move the bellows and keep everything in sync. It is not so easy just to open and close the instrument.

11. Trumpet

Another brass instrument that can be difficult is the trumpet.

As with the French horn, the musician must have the correct mouth position and press the correct valves for the desired note. Someone learning the trumpet must spend hours practicing humming their lips properly.

Additionally, finding the correct positioning of the lips on the mouthpiece — known as the lug — can take years to master. Then the musician must master the grip of the valves and put everything together, making the trumpet a particularly difficult musical instrument to learn.

12. Piano

The piano is perhaps one of the most common first instruments to learn, but getting good at it can be very difficult.

Most instruments have music written on only one staff, meaning they can only play one note at a time.

However, piano music is written using a double staff, meaning the learner must keep track of two sets of notes at once.

They also have to play multiple notes with each hand, and as a result reading piano music can be incredibly difficult!

This makes the piano one of the most difficult instruments to master.

13. Violin

Another popular instrument, but one that can be difficult, is the violin. There are a number of different things that make it difficult, like the fact that there are no frets to know what note has what meaning. You need to remember where each note is on the fretboard.

But that also means that if you’re even slightly off, you’re playing the wrong note, since the notes aren’t very far apart. This means that playing the violin requires hours of practice.

But there are other problems with learning to play the violin, such as holding the instrument correctly. It must be tucked under the chin and held there while using both hands to produce notes.

In addition, the violin will squeak if the bow is not pressed open with the correct force. For a new player, it can be frustrating to keep track of finger placement, bow pressure, and instrument position at the same time.

14. Double bass

From experience, the double bass is a very large instrument. This means that learning at a young age can be challenging.

Unfortunately, the best time to learn an instrument is during childhood, when the brain is developing. That’s not to say you can’t learn a new instrument at any point in your life – it’s just more difficult.

Unlike the violin, where the notes are very close together, the upright bass has a very long neck, which means the notes are much further apart, which can make it difficult to play the correct note. This is especially true because its neck, like other orchestral stringed instruments, has no frets to guide it.

It also doesn’t help that the thick strings of the double bass put a strain on the fingers, meaning this is not only a difficult instrument to learn, but a painful one!

15. Piccolo

Finally, the piccolo, one of the smallest musical instruments, is much smaller than the double bass but has very different difficulties.

It can be one of the loudest instruments in an orchestra, meaning mistakes are often obvious.

Another aspect that makes this instrument so difficult to learn is the breathing technique. Because of its size, a piccolo’s mouthpiece requires air to be blown more quickly to produce sound than other wind instruments.

This means lung capacity comes into play and a musician has to work hard to blow air while simultaneously moving their fingers across the tiny keys.

Rounding up our list of hard-to-learn musical instruments

Just because an instrument is difficult to learn doesn’t mean it can’t be done.

The instruments on this list take time and practice to master, but with enough dedication, it’s doable.

Best positive rating

5.0 out of 5 stars Annoying, but worth the money!

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The Singin’ Dog bassoon double reeds and accessories

Bassoon reeds are made from a common species of grass called arundo donax, or giant cane. This strong, lightweight fibrous plant has been used in a variety of applications including furniture, bicycle frames, fishing poles and scaffolding. Giant Cane can grow more than 30 feet tall! For bassoon reeds, the reed is harvested from plants that are at least 60 years old and about an inch in outside diameter. The bassoon reed consists of a five inch long piece of reed tubing that is divided into four sections. One of these pieces is then gouged down the center, shaped, profiled (or scraped) to remove bark and thin the reed, and folded end-to-end onto itself. The two ends of the folded cane are joined together to form a small tube using pliers and a bassoon reed mandrel. The tube section of the reed is held together with three brass wires and is usually covered with a decorative and airtight coating of thread or plastic. A conical reamer is used to ensure the tube is firmly seated on an arch and the fold at the end of the profiled section is trimmed to create two opposing tabs. These double leaves are then scraped even further with a leaf knife until very thin, so that they hit each other slightly when air is blown between them. The humming reeds vibrate the air column in the bassoon to produce a tone. The highest quality bassoon reeds are handcrafted by skilled bassoonists using tools and practices passed down through hundreds of years.

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Woodwind musical instrument

The cor anglais ( , [1][2] or original French: [kɔʁ ɑ̃ɡlɛ]; [3] plural: cor anglais ) or cor anglais in North America is a double-reed woodwind instrument in the oboe family. It is about one and a half times the length of an oboe, making it essentially an F alto boe.

The cor anglais is a transposing instrument in F, a perfect fifth lower than the oboe (a C instrument). This means that cor anglais music is written a perfect fifth higher than the instrument sounds. The fingering and playing technique used for the cor anglais is essentially the same as that of the oboe, and oboists usually double the cor anglais when necessary. The cor anglais typically lacks the lowest B♭ key found on most oboes, and so its tonal range extends from E 3 (written B♮) below middle C to C 6 two octaves above middle C.

Description and timbre[ edit ]

The English horn’s pear-shaped bell (called love foot) gives it a more overcast timbre than the oboe, closer to the tonal quality of the oboe d’amore. While the oboe is the soprano instrument of the oboe family, the cor anglais is generally considered the alto member of the family and the oboe d’amore – tuned in the key of A between the two – the mezzo-soprano member. [4] The cor anglais has a softer and plaintive tone than the oboe. The difference in sound comes mainly from a wider reed and a conical bore that extends over a greater distance than the oboe; Although darker in tone and lower in pitch than the oboe, its sound differs from the sound of the bassoon family (though of course it blends with it). Its appearance differs from the oboe in that the instrument is significantly longer, the reed is attached to a slightly curved metal tube called a bow, and the bell has a bulbous (“love foot”) shape.

The cor anglais is usually notated in treble clef, a perfect fifth higher than the note. Some composers notated it in bass clef when the lower register was in persistent use,[5] and historically several other options were used. Occasionally, an alto clef written in sonorous pitch is also used by a composer as late as Sergei Prokofiev. In Italy of the late 18th and early 19th centuries, where the instrument was often played by bassoonists instead of oboists, it was notated in bass clef an octave below the sounding pitch (as found in Rossini’s William Tell Overture). French opera composers up to Fromental Halévy notated the instrument in sounding pitch in mezzo-soprano clef, which allowed the player to read the part as in treble clef.[4]

Although the instrument usually descends only to the (written) low B♮, continental instruments with an extension down to the low B♭ (sounding E♭) have existed since the early 19th century. Examples of works that require this note (while acknowledging their exceptional character) are Arnold Schönberg’s Gurre-Lieder, Gustav Mahler’s Das Lied von der Erde, Heitor Villa-Lobos’ Chôros No. 6 and Karlheinz Stockhausen’s time measurements. Antonín Dvořák even writes for cor anglais down to low A in his Scherzo capriccioso, although it seems unlikely that such an extension ever existed.[7]

Reeds used to play the English horn are similar to those used on an oboe and are made from a piece of reed folded in two. While the cane of an oboe reed is attached to a partially cork-covered metal tube (the staple), there is no such cork on an English horn reed that fits directly onto the bow. The reed part of the reed is wider and longer than that of the oboe. Unlike American-style oboe reeds, cor anglais reeds typically have some wire at the base, approximately 5 mm (0.20 in) from the top of the string used to attach the cane to the clamp. This wire serves to hold the two reeds together and stabilize the tone and pitch.

Perhaps the best known manufacturers of modern English horns are the French firms F. Lorée, Marigaux and Rigoutat, the British firm T. W. Howarth and the American firm Fox Products. Instruments from smaller manufacturers such as A. Laubin are also in demand. Instruments are usually made from African blackwood (also known as grenadilla), although some manufacturers also offer instruments in a choice of alternative woods such as cocobolo (Howarth) or violetwood (Lorée), which are said to alter the English horn’s voice slightly , resulting in a softer sound. Fox have recently made some instruments out of resin and maple, the latter being the wood traditionally used for bassoons.

History and etymology[edit]

The term English horn is French for English horn, but the instrument is not native to England, nor is it related to the various conical-bore brass instruments called “horns”, such as the French horn, natural horn, post horn, or tenor horn. The instrument originated around 1720 in Silesia, when the Weigel family from Breslau attached a spherical bell to a curved oboe da caccia-type body. The straight tenor oboe with two keys and open bell (French taille de hautbois, “tenor oboe”), and particularly the flared bell oboe da caccia, resembled the horns played by angels in religious imagery of the Middle Ages. This gave rise to the Middle High German name Engelisches Horn in German-speaking Central Europe. Because English also meant English in the vernacular of the time, the “Engelshorn” became the “English horn”. For lack of a better alternative, the curved, bell-shaped tenor oboe retained its name even after the oboe da caccia fell into disuse around 1760.[8] From 1741 the name appeared regularly in Italian, German and Austrian scores for the first time, mostly in the Italian form Corno inglese.[9]

The earliest known orchestral part written specifically for this instrument is found in the 1749 Viennese version of Niccolò Jommelli’s opera Ezio,[10] where it was given the Italian name corno inglese.[11] Gluck and Haydn followed in the 1750s[12] and the first cor anglais concertos were written in the 1770s. The Schwarzenberg Wind Harmony of 1771 used 2 cor anglais as well as 2 oboes, 2 bassoons and 2 horns. Prince Joseph I of Schwarzenberg (1680–1732) was a keen boar hunter and therefore most likely employed oboe da caccia players, which explains the preference for the new English horn over the clarinet. English and Ignaz Teimer (father of the Teimer brothers) was second English horn. The first oboe trios were composed by Johan Went for the Teimer brothers. [clarification needed] The oboe and cor anglais writing in these original Bohemian/Viennese trios by Johan Went and Joseph Triebensee comprises the first music written by oboists for oboists and contains the first examples of the magnificent virtuoso compositions for cor anglais that paved the way for pave the way for the florid compositions of Bellini, Donizetti, Pasculi and Liszt. In 1796 Johann and Franz Teimer died. The first recorded performance of an oboentrio was in 1793 (which Beethoven attended). Over the short period of five years in which the Teimer brothers performed in Vienna and the other various Schwarzenberg castles, more than 20 oboe trios were written. Phillip Teimer continued to play cor anglais at Schiknaeder’s opera house in Vienna until his death in 1812. Because of his sonorous bass voice, he also sang a few roles with the company. Many cor anglais parts were written especially for him by Stengel, Süssmayr, Paer, Winter, Weigl, Eberl, Eybler, Salieri, Hummel, Schacht and Fisher.[13]

Given the name “English horn”, it is ironic that the instrument was not in regular use in France before about 1800 or in England before the 1830s.[12] It is mentioned in the 1838 Penny Cyclopedia as “The English Horn, or Corno Inglese, is a deeper-toned oboe […]” while the first identified printed use of the term English horn was in 1870. 14] In the UK the instrument is colloquially referred to generically as “cor”.[4] The local equivalent for “English horn” is used in most other European languages, while some languages ​​use their equivalent for “altoboe”.

Because of the earlier curved or angular forms it took, the suggestion has been made that Anglais might be a corruption of Middle French Anglé (angular or obliquely curved, in modern French Angulaire),[15] but this has been rejected on the grounds that there is not Evidence for the term Cor Anglé exists before it was offered as a possible origin of English in the late 19th century.

repertoire [edit]

Concertos and concertantes[ edit ]

Until the 20th century, there were few solo pieces for the instrument with a large ensemble (such as an orchestra or wind band). Important examples of such concerts and concertante works are:

† Although concertante in nature, these are orchestral works only, with extended solos, with the player seated within the orchestra

Chamber music[edit]

Better known chamber music for cor anglais includes:

Soli in orchestral works[ edit ]

The timbre of the English horn lends itself well to the performance of expressive, melancholy solos in orchestral works (including film scores) and operas. Famous examples are:

Unaccompanied [ edit ]

Bassoon family

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bassoon

The oboe is a woodwind instrument that belongs to the double-reed subfamily. It is played through a reed made by double folding and winding a cane. The body is usually maple; while the keys are made of nickel silver or metal.

The bassoon player produces the sound by blowing into the reed. It is tuned in the key of C and notated in bass clef, although tenor clef is used for the highest registers. Its playing range extends from B 1 to F 5 . In the low register, the tones are rich, compact and unobtrusive, while the middle register is rich, clear and stately. The upper tones are often perceived as depressed.

contrabassoon

The contrabassoon is the largest instrument in the woodwind family. The only difference is that it is twice the size of a bassoon. It is played like the bassoon and is made of the same materials.

family

woodwind

description

The three branches of the woodwind family have different sound sources. Vibrations begin when air is blown over the top of an instrument, over a single reed, or over two reeds. Reeds are small pieces of reeds. A single reed is clamped to a mouthpiece at the top of the instrument and vibrates against the mouthpiece when air is blown between the reed and the mouthpiece. Two reeds tied together are commonly referred to as double reeds. This double reed fits into a tube at the top of the instrument and vibrates when air is forced between the two reeds.

The piccolo is just like the flute except it is much smaller and is usually made of silver or wood. The pitch of the piccolo is higher than that of a flute.