Embouchure is just the fancy word used to refer to the way in which a player applies the mouth to the mouthpiece or reed of a wind instrument. This simple yet fancy word, however, is the foundation to achieving the desired tone! On your bassoon, we will focus on how to properly position your lips and the reed and what to listen for using both the reed alone and reed plus bocal to ensure the correct embouchure is being used to produce the proper tone.
The Reed!
Even before attempting to form a proper embouchure, selecting yourself the best possible reed is probably the most important factor in setting yourself up for success on the bassoon. If your director or private instructor has gone over this with you and you are ready to go with a reliable source of playable reeds, feel free to continue to The Process below. If not, there are a few things you should have in mind when going out to find a good supply of bassoon reeds.
Ideally, you will be able to purchase a reed from a bassoon player, teacher, or other individual who makes their own reeds. If finding a reed-maker is not possible, commercial reeds can be purchased but should be carefully inspected before doing so. For this reason, buying your reeds in person is a much better option than ordering them online or by mail. As you inspect your reeds, try to keep the following in mind:
· If you are lucky enough to be able to play on the reed before purchasing it, be sure it is responsive.
· There should be no visible cracks or chips.
· The visible wires should be properly positioned and tight to the cane – if the wires are touching each other, it is NOT a good thing.
As a reed dries out, the first wire can fall onto the second wire. This can often be fixed by simply raising the first wire back up to
its groove and tightening it.
· The blades of the reed should be even and symmetrical with just the right amount of tip opening – the characteristic "smile" –
and no gaps along the edges. By opening and closing the first wire, this adjustment can change the amount the tip is opened or
closed. You can also do the same adjustment with the second wire, but keep in mind that the direction you open or close this
wire will have the OPPOSITE effect on the tip opening. As long as the reed is wet and you are not scraping it, you should be able
to make these adjustments back and forth as needed without damaging the reed.
Ideally, you will be able to purchase a reed from a bassoon player, teacher, or other individual who makes their own reeds. If finding a reed-maker is not possible, commercial reeds can be purchased but should be carefully inspected before doing so. For this reason, buying your reeds in person is a much better option than ordering them online or by mail. As you inspect your reeds, try to keep the following in mind:
· If you are lucky enough to be able to play on the reed before purchasing it, be sure it is responsive.
· There should be no visible cracks or chips.
· The visible wires should be properly positioned and tight to the cane – if the wires are touching each other, it is NOT a good thing.
As a reed dries out, the first wire can fall onto the second wire. This can often be fixed by simply raising the first wire back up to
its groove and tightening it.
· The blades of the reed should be even and symmetrical with just the right amount of tip opening – the characteristic "smile" –
and no gaps along the edges. By opening and closing the first wire, this adjustment can change the amount the tip is opened or
closed. You can also do the same adjustment with the second wire, but keep in mind that the direction you open or close this
wire will have the OPPOSITE effect on the tip opening. As long as the reed is wet and you are not scraping it, you should be able
to make these adjustments back and forth as needed without damaging the reed.
The Process
You are going to start with soaking the bassoon reed in clean, warm water for 2 to 3 minutes. During this time, you can review the steps to correct embouchure formation. Before a practice session or rehearsal, this would also be a good time to assemble your instrument. When soaking the reed, submerge the entire reed in the water. This allows all of the cane to absorb the moisture equally and will help fill in any gaps or leaks the reed may have. After initially soaking the reed, you can re-dip the reed as needed. The reed must stay properly wet to avoid response problems. |
Draw the reed into your mouth taking the lower lip with it. There should be a little pressure on the reed from the bottom lip. |
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Bring the top lip down slightly over the top teeth. With the reed in the mouth, your top lip should be almost up to the first wire with the bottom lip slightly behind it, creating an overbite. There should not be any pressure from the top lip onto the reed. |
Now it's time to test your embouchure! Keeping the embouchure soft and relaxed, take a deep breath in and blow into the reed using a "doo" articulation to set the blades into vibration producing a "crow" sound. The crow on the bassoon reed represents the complete overtone system and should come out as a multi-pitched sound that is made up of low, middle, and high tones. When done correctly, you should match the sound you are hearing here. If you are unable to produce this sound yourself, see the Troubleshooting section below.
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Once you have achieved the correct sounding crow on the reed alone, the next step to testing out your embouchure is to add the reed to the bocal (no instrument yet) of the bassoon. Again, keeping the embouchure soft and relaxed, take a deep breath in and blow into the reed using a "doo" articulation to set the blades into vibration, this time producing a 'C'. You can use a tuner to check if you are getting the correct pitch, or just match the pitch and sound you are hearing here. |
TroubleShooting
If you are not quite able to match the correct sound of the crow on the reed alone and/or the pitch of the reed plus bocal, don't get worried just yet! There are several things we can change and fix to help you achieve the proper embouchure and produce the correct sounds! Listening to the examples below, find which one most closely matches the sound you are making and follow the instructions provided to help you get closer to the desired tone.
CROW – Are you getting a sound that is too high and has too few sounds, like in the example here? The likely cause of this is that your embouchure is too tight or pinched. To fix this, you will need to decrease the pressure in your embouchure, making it more relaxed. Also make sure you are using "doo" and not "dee" (too tight) when starting the sound. The reed may also be too stiff or closed off if this is happening. To fix this, you may need to use some ultra fine grade sand paper to reduce the thickness of the reed, being sure to keep the cane balanced – ask your teacher to help you with this!
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CROW – Are you getting a sound that is too low, like in the example here? The likely cause of this is that there is a lack of support. To fix this, more support is needed to dampen the reed. Also make sure you are using "doo" and not "doh" (too loose) when starting the sound. It is also possible that the reed is too long and/or wide. If this is the case, the reed needs to be adjusted by making it slightly shorter or more narrow. This can be done by clipping the tip – unless you are an experienced bassoon player, I would leave this type of adjusting to your director, private instructor, or repair shop.
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REED W/ BOCAL – Are you producing a 'C' that is too sharp, or too high, like in the example here? If you are able to produce a proper sounding crow, then it is likely that your embouchure is too tight. Relax the embouchure by thinking more "doo" or even "doh" when starting the sound. |
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REED W/ BOCAL – Are you producing a 'C' that is too flat, or too low, like in the example here? If you are able to produce a proper sounding crow, then it is likely that your embouchure is too relaxed. While a slightly flat 'C' is okay, if it is very flat you will want to add a little more pressure and support from the bottom lip. You can also think more "doo" or even "dee" (keeping the corners of your mouth as close to the reed as possible) when starting the sound. |
Flying Along! ...
Now that you have mastered your bassoon embouchure, it is time to move on to your First Notes!