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 performance I had a double rehearsal of Schumann Symphony #3 with the Orchestra.

The weekend contained two concerts with heavy programs. In addition to the Schumann program, the other concert had Mozart Piano Concerto in c minor, No. 24 and Rachmaninov's Symphony #2.

In the weeks leading up to the performances, I was beginning to feel some pain in my left hand and thumb. I should note that we rehearsed and played the Villa-Lobos standing up, partly due to the lack of good places to turn pages. This added to the weight on my left hand.

Using a balance hanger when standing up is helpful to redistribute the weight because it relocates the fulcrum of balance so that the left hand carries less of it.

However, I was also looking for a way to take some of the weight off the left hand when sitting down. Using a neck strap in concert with a seat strap can work. The neck strap is tied to the back of the chair and hooked in the ring on the boot.

I wanted to show you something even better.

Chicago Symphony bassoonist, Dennis Michel gave this to me when we meet on our tour this January.

It consists of a clamp (available at any hardware store) with two holes drilled in it for an elastic band. The two holes are in addition to the factory drilled hole, which is in an inconvenient spot.The clamp fastens to the back of a chair.

Below is the clamp with the band itself with S-hook with snaps and a small cord lock on the other end.

The length/tension on the band can be adjusted by opening the lock and pulling or pushing the band through.

This is available from REI.

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 little of orchestral repertoire consists of solo work and most of it is part of something else -- a bass line to a melody, a note in a chord, etc.

For this month, very little of what I'm playing contains the everyday, mundane job of playing the bassoon in an ensemble!  Here's a short list of the pieces I'm playing:

Debussy: Pelleas et Melisande, Bsn3
Miguel del Aguila: Nostalgica and Malambo -- both pieces I commissioned for bassoon and string quartet
Ligeti Piano Concerto
Bernstein: West Side Story soundtrack with film

The Cleveland Orchestra began May with 3 staged performances of Debussy's opera, Pelleas et Melisande. There are 3 bassoon parts, so I was assigned to play the 3rd bassoon part. The opera starts like this:

The first measure is Bassoon 3 alone with lower strings. Much of the opera is written at "pp" and "p". This is particularly true of the 2nd and 3rd bassoon parts. Oddly enough there are many passages in which the two bassoonists double a single soft low note. Not sure what Debussy was thinking when he wrote this kind of thing!

Anyway, in order to play the D (and other passages later in the opera) in tune and soft enough with a predictable start, I made some modifications to reeds and my bassoon.

Bassoon mods:

1. Play D with low Bb key down. This stabilizes the pitch of the D and keeps it from rising up, all the while muting the tone somewhat.

2. Here's another modification to Low D that just may change your life for this note.

3. I used a mute in the bell to further dampen the sound. I played with this mute in for much of the opera! This is a stronger mute than the cone shaped ones with holes cut in. Warning: it cannot be used for playing low Bb!

It's made from packing material foam. I put a rubber band through the center to give me something to grab onto when removing. About an inch thick. A set of instructions for making one can be found here.

4.Other general modifications I made to my bassoon to achieve a soft, mellow timbre: Remove all lefreQues, change bocals, place a few layers of tape on the top band of the boot joint under the low E to whisper bridge key. This lowers the E pad and takes some of the brilliance out of the sound.

Reed mods:

1. Cut back collar. My reeds have a 1/8" collar normally. I reduced the collars on a couple of my reeds for this opera to 1/16". Cane can also be removed from the area of the blade just in front of the collar.

2. Carefully slide 1st wire with fingernails back towards 2nd wire one wire's width (about .025"). This has the affect of lengthening the vibrating surface of the reed. It eases the response and weakens the reed. Do not expect easy high notes or even an E2 that doesn't sag! I like this adjustment because you can always slide the wire up back into its original position if you like.

3. Thin the last millimeter of the tip. Putting a micro bevel on the tip of the reed improves response. The tips of the reeds modified for the opera measured about .005" at the very tip. Usual for me is .008-.010".

 All of these modifications helped lower my blood pressure when playing this exposed, low part over a 3 hour time span each night!

Scoring Tool

I've developed a scoring tool that's accurate and inexpensive. It makes all the scores in one stroke, accurately distributing the scores across the width of the tube.

The blade points are staggered to fit the slight curve of a piece of cane. Scoring with this tool is best done on an easel. Just buy a 1 1/4" dowel and cut a section to length. Can also be done flat on a table, if need be.

I have made these for several months now. They can be customized for the number of scores you like to have (between 5 and 10). For those who like a space between scores down the center of the length of the bark, I can add an additional spacer to divide the blades -- for a 6-blade tool, 3 on one side, 3 on the other.

I also make them for contra cane. The price depends upon the number of blades you want - 5-7 blades, $25; 8-10 blades, $35.

If interested, visit my website.

A Customized Scoring Tool

I've just started making a scoring tool that's customizable (number of scores) and inexpensive. The blade points are contoured to fit the arc of the shaped piece of cane.

Reed tools for sale!

I'm listing some reed tools for sale on eBay. These were tools I've acquired from former students. Most are gently used.  Sorry, no international shipping!

There is also a Pfeifer single barrel profiler.

Listing will expire in 30 days.

Spiral reamer

 

Rieger reamer

Mandrel set

Scoring tool

Balance hanger

Prestini reed knife

Albion reed knife

Extreme Measures -- Playing very softly

I've run into two instances recently in which my limits as a player were tested. I'm speaking in particular of the ability to play very softly.

In both cases, I had soft reeds that I thought would get the job done, but in rehearsal, found out the conductor wanted the passages in question softer than I was comfortable managing without taking extreme measures.

During the rehearsals, I got "The Hand" or "The Heisman". If you follow American college football, you'll know what I mean!

Here is the first solo:

The bassoon solo in the 3rd movement of Mahler's 1st Symphony. We played it at the Blossom Music Center this summer. In the first rehearsal, I played it as softly as I could comfortably, thinking that since this is an outdoor concert, I need not go to extremes with the dynamic.

Unfortunately, I was wrong!  The conductor wanted it softer, so I had to come up with a solution. I wanted to avoid muting the instrument because it is a solo and I think it should have a characteristic bassoon sound, not one that is completely altered.

Instead I found some fingerings that make this solo soft and in my comfort zone to play.

1. Use the lock for the whole solo. This necessitates venting the upper  A's  and  Bb's  so they speak in the correct octave. Vent for the whole duration of the note, so you don't lose the octave part-way through.

2. To start, alter the first  D by anchoring your right thumb on the F# post right next to the Low E key. Be careful not to contact the F# key!! Partially close the E key with the side of your thumb until you achieve a softer D that is also nicely down to pitch. There is quite often a pitch discrepancy between the Bass solo that precedes the bassoon entrance and this first note, with the Bass being on pitch or flat and you being sharp on the  D , so this little aid is helpful. Fortunately, Max Dimoff, our Principal Bass plays this solo with impeccable intonation, so he set me up beautifully!

3. Use the low Eb key on open F for a more trouble-free slur to G.

4. Your choice as to whether or not to shade the low E key for every D in the solo -- probably too much trouble, right?

5. Be sure to vent the first A!

6. Now for the most important solution -- making the A - Low A slur at the end of the phrase successful! 

• Vent the upper A
• for the low A, remove the vent while adding the low C# key and the thumb F# in the right hand for a comfortable, smooth slur that is very soft. Careful coordination is essential for this to work.
• A variation on this would be to add just the F#, but the low A may be too flat on your bassoon. If so, include the low C#.
• As this method involves lots of changes to normal fingerings in a pressure situation, you'll need to practice this quite a lot to get comfortable with it before trying it in rehearsal.

 The other passage is found at the beginning of the 3rd bassoon part in Mahler's 3rd Symphony

The slur from A to low B in the little passage at Number 1 was giving me fits when I first played it several years ago. The contrabassoon plays this passage with you, so our contrabassoonist, Jonathan Sherwin kindly showed me his solution.

Simply play the A with the low B key on (and the lock) and you'll have a better chance of landing safely on low B.

However, this past week, that wasn't good enough in rehearsal, for a very soft "ppp" was desired!  Even armed with this fingering, a soft reed and a bocal I use mainly for 3rd bassoon parts, it wasn't quiet enough.

My solution for a homemade mute! 

• Find some flexible sponge-like packing material. 
• Cut out a cylinder approximately 2" in diameter and 1" thick.
• Poke a whole in the middle and tie a rubber band in a knot. 
• Push the rubber band through the hole with the knot on one side of the packing cylinder. 
• Leave some length of rubber band on the other end to use as a handle for pulling out of the bell
• Insert in bell

With all of these extreme measures in place, I have so far avoided the "Heisman" gesture from the podium!

We'll see if my luck continues, for we are taking Mahler 3rd to Europe for 3 weeks this month!

Low D "Dime Store" Fix

Most bassoonists will agree that low D is one of the worst notes on any bassoon. It's unstable, unfocused and easy to play out of tune.

Alan Fox, of Fox Products Corporation refers to low D as the "Sacrificial Lamb" of the Bassoon. The placement and size of the tone hole are not optimal for low D itself, but, since many other notes on the bassoon make their acoustical home partly in that tone hole, the placement and tone hole size are a compromise.

I have recently come upon a cheap way of improving stability, pitch and focus of low D that anyone with a ruler, scissors and a small screwdriver can implement.

After removing keys around the low D tone hole, find an ordinary soda can or the like:

Empty it and cut a strip out of it lengthwise:

The strip should be 1/4" in width (6mm). Length is equal to the circumference of the low D tone hole.  Find this by measuring the diameter (place a ruler across the middle of the tone hole at its widest point), and multiplying it by π (3.1416). 

The circumference of my low D comes out to about 1 3/4" or just under 45mm. Cut the length a bit longer than this so you can trim it to fit snugly in the tone hole.

Curl the strip with your fingers to approximate the circumference of the tone hole before fitting it in. The aluminum is thin enough to be easily manipulated, yet it will hold its shape and stick securely to the sides of the tone hole without the need for an adhesive.

Place the strip in the tone hole with a tweezers, putting the strip in so it sits just below the lip of the tone hole. A certain amount of the width will protrude into the bore -- that's on purpose!

 

Put the keywork back on and test the low D. If it is stable, but flat, trim the width so less protrudes into the bore until you've tuned the low D. I ended up trimming almost 1/8" from the 1/4" original width.

Thanks to James Roberson for these instructions and to Carl Sawicki for his idea.

Off-label uses

Many bassoonists browse hardware stores, craft stores and other shops wondering how they could modify what's on the shelves for bassoon playing.

My former colleague, Phil Austin is particularly good at this. Here are a couple of ingenious uses he's found for these common items.

Low A Extension

Using a wiffle ball bat (found in most sporting goods stores), mark out a 7" section of the bat from just above the word "OFFICIAL" stamped on the fat part of the bat extending towards the handle.

Cut with a saw.

Color black with spray paint or a Sharpy permanent marker.

Warp a layer of black electrician's tape around the area that contacts the bassoon bell.

Insert into bell and check pitch of Low A. If flat, you can cut shorter!

Perhaps due to the hard plastic, this Low A has a better sound than the paper towel roll often used and is MUCH cheaper than extensions marketed by double reed suppliers!

Case Humidifier

Take a film canister (people of a certain age will tend to have more of these laying around than others!) and drill some holes in it.

Cut up a sponge into a cylindrical shape with scissors.

Insert sponge into the film canister, put lid on and wet sponge under a faucet. 

Shake out excess water so sponge is damp, but not soaked. 

Put in case for higher humidity.

Anyone have any off-label uses for everyday items to share?

A dime store solution!

 
In this post I'd like to describe an improvement I've made to my bassoon which costs next to nothing.

I made the modifications with help from Ken Potsic, my repair technician. I also sought advice from Frank Marcus and Shane Weiler.

My interest in investigating this was sparked by playing with our new Second Bassoonist, Gareth Thomas. Prior to his audition he substituted with us for two weeks. His two weeks were separated by a few months, during which he had some work done to his bassoon by Benson Bell.

Thus, I was able to get a good "before" and "after" impression of the improvement gained by his work with Benson. The difference was stunning. His sound had much more depth and resonance when he joined us for a week after Benson's work.

When asked, Gareth provided me with a detailed description of the issue with his bassoon and the solution.

In a nutshell, the problem had to do with misalignment of wing and long joint tenons in the boot joint sockets. The misalignment caused chokes in the flare of the bore at these junctures. These chokes cause unnecessary damping of the instrument's resonance.

Among other things, Benson Bell re-drilled the sockets and fitted new caps in them, properly aligning the joints so the bore at the end of each of the tenons is now flush with the bore at the base of each boot joint socket.

I learned that this misalignment is not uncommon in older Heckels and older bassoons in general. The smaller body size of the boot joint made a certain canting of the long joint bore necessary. Instead of running parallel to each other, the two bores of the boot joint in these older bassoons angle out a bit from bottom to top. You can observe this by noticing the way the wood tapers down in the body of the boot joint from top to bottom.

This was corrected in later Heckel series as the body of the boot joint was made bigger (wider). By looking at the body of a newer bassoon, you can see that there is less taper in the body of the wood and, thus, less angling to the two bores.

By itself, the angling is not a problem. The issue comes with the need to link the wing and long joint together for a good fit in the left hand. Instead of continuing the angle imparted by the boot joint, fitting them together requires the bores to be more or less parallel to each other.

Thus, in an older bassoon with a more slender boot joint, the angle has to change slightly at the juncture of the boot large side and long joint, .

If the large boot socket and long joint tenon are not mated carefully during manufacture, a misalignment can result.

How to check:

Because of the sizable improvement to Gareth's bassoon, I was curious to know if my instrument had some of the same issues, and if the bassoon be improved by addressing them.

The wing joint tenon has been replaced on my bassoon and mates precisely with its socket in the boot joint.

The long joint/boot intersection was another story.

To check my bassoon for this possible misalignment, I assembled wing and long joint in the boot (the wing needs to be in place because it may affect the positioning of the long joint in the boot bore). After removing the U-tube at the bottom of the boot joint I slid a wooden dowel rod through the bottom of the boot joint large bore towards the long joint.

I checked the bore at the four compass points by sliding the dowel through at those points. As the dowel passed through the junction of boot and long joint, I could feel the end of the dowel catch at one of the points.

If there is a catch, the dowel is hanging up on the end of the long joint tenon. The tenon end is protruding slightly into the bore, causing the choke. Sometimes this can be seen by looking through the assembled bassoon from the bottom of the boot joint, large side.

Often the protrusion occurs on the part of the tenon end facing away from the wing joint. This was the case with my bassoon.

While conferring with Frank Marcus, who had examined Gareth's bassoon, he suggested a simple method I could try on my own to see pursuing a modification like Gareth's would improve my bassoon.

Frank restored my bassoon back in 1997, so I have great respect for his work. However, the beautiful ivory that still adorns the bell of my instrument makes transport to and from Canada with the bassoon very risky. He suggested I send it without bell, but I wanted to have the bell with the bassoon to try before and after. Thus, he devised this solution to try on my own.

Frank's suggestion:

As the choke in my bassoon was caused by the long joint tenon end protruding over the lip in the boot socket at the side of the bore facing away from the wing joint (or closest to your thigh when playing), putting a few layers of tape on the outside of the opposite side of the tenon might put the tenon into better alignment. If the tenon fit in the socket wasn't too snug there would be room for the extra tape.The added thickness on one side of the tenon would move the tenon over slightly.

The trial:

I took the bassoon to Ken Potsic who put two layers of medical tape on that side of the tenon cap.

We found there was room for the tape. Tenons usually make contact with sockets at the cork or string wrap, so sometimes it's necessary to sand off a little cork or remove string to make this adjustment.

However, we were able to fit the joints together without any removal. I checked the bore with the dowel again and noticed no catching at the juncture this time.

I played the bassoon. Then we removed the tape; I played. I repeated with tape and without. We both noticed an improvement in the resonance of the bassoon and a smoother, more homogeneous scale with the tape in place.

Being naturally sceptical -- and since we were in a house basement (not a good acoustical environment) -- I replicated the before and after taping trial in Severance Hall.  I heard the same results.

Other factors:

I also measured the bore diameter at the end of the long joint tenon. The bore at this point is rarely perfectly round, so I measured the diameter at the widest and most narrow axes. (North/South, East/West) and averaged the measurements.

Then I measured the bore in the boot joint where it meets the long joint tenon (at the base of the socket).

I noticed that the bore was actually a bit larger in the boot joint than at the tenon end -- also a factor in the choke, since the bassoon bore is conical and the flare continues from boot to long joint. Perhaps at some point, I'll have the bore at the end of the tenon enlarged slightly.

Many bassoons have a metal reinforcing ring on the end of the tenons for protection. My bassoon has one on this end of the long joint. I measured the thickness of this ring (outside diameter minus inside diameter).

Then I measured the thickness of the wooden lip in the socket. Ideally the lip should be exactly as thick as the tenon end cap. The lip in my boot socket varies in thickness throughout its circumference. It is quite thin at the point where the choke occurs.

The lip is about .020" thinner than the tenon ring. So not only was there a misalignment at this point, there was also a difference in thickness of the two fitted parts.

Therefore, I placed some tape strips in the boot joint bore right where it meets the socket, effectively narrowing the bore and thickening the lip in the socket.

The addition of this tape removed some of the choke. A playing test revealed that this modification also added resonance to the instrument.

At this point, I'm not sure if I'm going to move forward with a more permanent modification to the bore. I like the "Dime Store" solution which Frank Marcus devised. While not a perfect fit, I'm sure, I'm certainly enjoying the increased resonance of a better fit at this juncture.

Perhaps in homage to two master repair technicians of the past who loved finding economical solutions to problems, I'll leave things alone.

I'm speaking of Lewis Hugh Cooper, who solved many problems with tape, matchsticks and paraffin wax and Hans Moennig, who did magical things to bassoons using dimes, sawdust and other things laying around his shop!

Off Label Checking For Leaks

Finding the Leak

What do a jeweler's screwdriver and cigarette paper have in common?  Combined they form an effective tool for checking bassoon pads for leaks!

A pin vise like the one used to house small screwdriver heads like those used by jewelers doubles as a handle for holding the strip of paper.

This is called a pad feeler.

Cut a narrow strip of cigarette paper and tighten the vise around one end to fasten it to the handle.

Slide the end of the strip under the edge of the pad.  Be careful to place the strip so that it only contacts one edge of the tone hole and doesn't touch the tone hole on the other side.

Press or release the key needed to close the pad on the tone hole. Slide the paper out from under the pad and notice whether there's any friction or "grab" when doing this.  If the paper just slides out with no friction, then you've got a leak.

Check the pad every 90 degrees or all four compass points (N, S, E, W).

There should be about the same amount of "grab" on all four points of the pad with just a little bit more "grab" on the point farthest away from the rod to which the pad cup is soldered.

If you notice a leak using this method, by telling the repair technician where to look, you may save time and money at the repair shop!

Splitting Cane Off-Label

Splitting Cane and Saving $$$!

Those of you who make reeds from tube cane or anyone who is curious about how this is done should read this.

These are photos of a tool sold known as a cane splitter.  They come in different shapes and sizes. Costing between $60-$150, I find these tools to be a complete waste of money and even detrimental to finding the best section of a piece of cane to use.

Here's why:

The most important attributes to look for in a piece of cane are symmetry and straightness. However, no tube is perfectly round or perfectly cylindrical.  Nature has curved and warped the cane.  It's up to the reed maker to select pieces or sections of the tube that are as straight and uniformly curved as possible.

The cane splitter simply cuts the tube into three or four sections. By using it it is not possible to select the section of the tube that yields a symmetrical curve.

Let's back up for a minute, though.

Selecting the tube diameter: 

First it's best to find the diameter of the tube by using a circle drafting template ($5).  You can find these in craft stores or office supply stores.

A radius gauge sold by double reed suppliers can work, but only measures one section of the tube.  The curve of the cane may increase or flatten out in the other parts.

The circle template is much cheaper and measures the circumference of the tube.

The tube should fit in either the 24mm or 25mm circles. The tube should not vary more than 1mm from end to end nor have a bulge in the middle.  Cane from these tubes will yield the best tip openings.

Now you can split the cane. Splitting the cane dry will make the job easier although it doesn't matter if it's already soaked.
 
Cane split incorrectly:

This is a diagram (pardon my crude drawing!)showing a tube split into four pieces.  Since no tube is perfectly round, most cane tubes have a place in the round where the diameter is smaller or larger than the average.

A four-way split is preferable to a three-way because it can yield a more or less symmetrically curved piece of cane.

However, the tube illustrated above is split in such a way as to yield pieces that have a "hockey stick", asymmetrical curve.

It's all about tip openings, folks!  A symmetrical curve to the tube section will tend to yield a more symmetrical tip opening on the finished reed because of the "muscle memory" in the cane.

Correct splitting:

Here is a method for finding the right orientation for your splits.  I learned this from Mike Sweeney and I think it was first developed by Arlen Fast, so thanks to these bassoonists.

Using a caliper ($15.00), find the point on the tube where the diameter is smallest (or largest diameter if you prefer).  Mark this point on the tube with a marker. 

Fit the tube into the proper circle on the template again.  Line the marked spot up with one of the four compass points marked on the rim of the circle and rotate 45 degrees. Mark the four compass points.  This is where you will split the cane.

As the diagram shows marking and splitting this way will yield four symmetrically curved pieces of cane.

Now use your X-acto knife or other sharp thin blade to split.

If there is a knot or a node where a branch sprouted on the cane, don't use that section. If the tube has a noticeable change in diameter at one end I'll throw away that part when cutting the split pieces down to size prior to gouging.