Bassoon Techniques
Embouchure
The main purpose of an embouchure is to make sure air is not escaping through any other place than the reed, thus making it one of the most important aspects of any instrument to master.
Thought it is at first tempting to cover somewhere between one-half to two-thirds of the reed when first encountering the bassoon, one must resist this urge. Instead, the player should cover the front third of the reed.
The teeth should never come in contact with the reed. Only the lips should be touching it. The lips should be firmly holding the reed, but the student should take great care not to put too much pressure on it by either rolling the lips inward or overtightening the jaw (this usually happens because a student attempts to force the bassoon to change the pitch with their mouth, not the air pressure). This leads to biting, which causes problems not only in sound production, but in tone quality, intonation, and fatigue for the player (one would be amazed at how fast even a little bit of tension can wear a musician out).
Once the embouchure is set, a student can check how if the embouchure is correct through a process called crowing. This simply involves having the student blow through the reed (mind, not a lot of air is necessary for this process). If the embouchure is correct, the sound made should be multiphonic, or, it should sound like several notes are being sounded at the same time. Many have likened it the sound of blackbirds screeching, hence where the term crow-ing gets its name.
Like anything that has to do with music, it will take time for the student’s embouchure to develop and happen without outside assistance. A teacher should always be on the lookout for errors that th...
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...l the air would simply rush out), and steadiness is the key to proper exhalation. Any time a student plays a note, he is exhaling. If he were to relax his support, air would come faster (or even leak out) and ruin the solid tone he was producing. But if his air support stays steady and constant, the tone should, in theory, stay the same.
A good exercise to practice that can help with support and exhalation involves taking a small slip of paper and holding it at embouchure level against a wall. Stand about six inches away from the wall and begin blowing. As soon as the air hits the paper, remove the fingers. If the air being released is steady and constant, the paper should be held, unmoving, against the wall. If the paper falls or moves around slightly, the air support (and possibly embouchure) needs some work.
Fingering Charts
See attached document.
The contraction of the inspiratory muscles increases the volume of the thoracic cavity causing the pressure within the alveoli to decrease and air to flow into the alveoli. During resting inspiration, the diaphragm, the external intercostals and the parasternal intercostals contract to stimulate inspiration. During forced inspiration the scalene and the sternocleidomastoid muscles contract to further expand the thoracic cavity. The pectoralis minor muscles also play a minor role in forced inspiration. During quiet breathing, relaxation of these muscles causes the volume of the thoracic cavity to decrease, resulting in expiration. During a forced expiration, the compression of the chest cavity is increased by contraction of the internal intercostal muscles and various abdominal
If you aren’t sure how to make this breath at first, try opening your mouth on the exhale as if you are fogging up a pair of glasses, or saying “haaaaaaaah.” When you are able to create the sound on an exhale through your mouth, attempt the same breath exhaled through your nose. Feel the air flow out through your nasal passages.
Not to be short-sided this method book does have redeeming qualities that the band instructor could take advantage of. As mentioned before, the variety of music used in this text is quite extensive. Music of all different styles from the United States is used, as is music from other countries in North and South America, Europe, and Asia. Within these different musical styles, the variety of musical forms incorporated is also good, as ethnic styles, such as polka, as well as other standard musical forms like waltzes and ballads are used. In addition, many of the exercises – such as the “Listen and play” tunes – throughout the book encourage students to use the accompanying CD, which contains quality sound models for the students to hear, reinforcing ideas for good tone production. Other helpful elements included towards the beginning of the book include a simple practice journal and illustrations and instructions on developing the basics of proper embouchure, posture, and hand position. As an added bonus, the represen...
Whilst looking at the impact that breathlessness can have on patient the author will look at the physical, psychological and social health implications and how this can affect the overall (holistic) quality of life for these patients. Often these three areas overlap and the physical implications of breathlessness can have a direct effect on the patient’s social health, financial ability to provide for themselves and others, which in turn affects the person physiological well-being or vice versa.
Wolfe, Joe. "How Do Woodwind Instruments Work?." Music Acoustics. 1994. 2014. Web. April 13, 2014. .
Monofilament has long been the line of choice of many bass anglers jerkbait system and for good reason. Monofilament stretches and bass are notorious for swiping halfheartedly at a jerk bait and this stretch helps keep from ripping those needle sharp hook points out of the bass resulting in either a lost fish as you fight it or more times than not a missed strike as the hooks pull free upon the hook set.
(Moore). The player must develop a technique called circular breathing where he or she inhales through the nose, stores air in their cheeks, and exhales through their mouth without stopping the air flow through the horn.
Whether the student is a beginner, or someone who has studied music for a number of years, the way in which one views oneself as a musician can be an important factor in the kinds of experiences one has with music. A quality music education is one that challenges students to set clear and achievable goals, think musically and critically, and apply what one has learned in a meaningful way. If a musician harbors a negative view of his or her musical abilities, the lasting effects of this view on his or her musical experiences and achievement could be challenging to overcome.
When it comes to bass fishing techniques, there is a plethora of information out there that can be confusing for the beginning angler to sort through. By understanding just a few basic techniques, you can cut through all of the information and get the fundamental knowledge that you need in order to successfully catch your first bass. Then as you gain experience, you will be able to build upon the basics that you have learned to become an expert bass fisherman.
Steven, Kelly, N. (2002). A Sociological Basis For Music Education. International Journal of Music Education. 43. Pp. 40-49
"pick up" the sounds of the notes or chords that are being strummed. There are
1. The mouthpiece and reed are surrounded by the player’s lips, which put light, even pressure on the reed and form an air tight seal.
While quiet breathing, external intercostal muscles contract, which causes the ribcage to expand and move up. The diaphragm then contracts and moves down. The volume of the chest cavity increases, the lungs expand and the pressure inside the lungs decreases. Air then flows into the lungs in response to the pressure gradient. Inspiration (inhalation or breathing in) is accomplished by increasing the space, therefore decreasing the
Even when children learn music they able to listen, sing, dance, create movement. Listening to music draw out emotions, and playing music can be just like communicating emotions. Some people find this a very powerful experience. “ Music enriches the lives of students and should be considered a necessary part of education.”
Breath is a vital element of movement and survival. Breath is what initiates movement and supports our movement. Breath is a connecting factor which connects our body to the movement. If we don’t initiate our movements with breath there will be no fluidity or connectivity and injuries can occur (Longstaff 2007). For optimal body movement one needs to breathe optimally. To be able to breath optimally one needs to breathe three dimensionally. Three dimensional breathing is when inhaling the rib cage expands and the diaphragm moves downwards as an automatic control and exhaling the diaphragm passively moves back into position which pushes the air out a...