Texas Bandmasters Association
Bandmasters Review • December 2013
15
One analogy that seems to resonate well with many
players is that of a drawstring bag; pulling one string
causes the entire opening of the bag to draw towards
the center at the same time. Picture the opening of the
mouth as the opening of the bag, and the drawstring
is coming out of the center of the mouth. Pulling the
string tighter puts more pressure all the way around
the reed to help with flatter notes, and loosening the
string allows lower notes to speak more easily and
lowers the pitch.
Every player’s mouth is a bit different, so the amount
of pink showing on the upper and lower lips may vary
from player to player. In general, more pink should be
showing on the lower lip to provide a sizable cushion
for the reed without too much upward pressure.
Experiment with rolling in and out until an optimum,
focused sound is achieved while still maintaining a
small amount of lip covering the teeth.
The lower jaw should be relaxed, and dropped
down and back with a slight overbite. There should
also be a decent amount of space between the player’s
upper and lower teeth – usually enough to fit an index
finger.
Reed and Reed + Bocal Exercises
Place the reed in the mouth at an angle that is
slightly upward, with the tip of the reed pointed
straight at the back of the throat. This promotes a full
sound and ease of tonguing.
When playing on the reed alone, aim for a pitch of
an Eb, E, or F. This amount of embouchure pressure
corresponds to the feeling of playing notes in the
middle of the bass clef staff such as C3, D3, etc. Listen
for clarity of tone (no extra “crackles” in the reed),
steadiness of pitch, and even and effortless tonguing.
Using the same embouchure pressure should also
produce a C on a reed and bocal combination. Take
care that the proper angle is maintained when the
bocal is added.
Play the following one-measure rhythmic patterns on
the reed alone first, and then repeat on the reed+bocal.
Do not progress to the reed+bocal combination until
the exercises on the reed alone can be performed
perfectly.
Once these exercises can be successfully performed
on the reed and the reed+bocal with correct
embouchure, reliable tonguing, and a steady air
stream, then repeat the same exercises on the bassoon
using C3.
Hal t ! Please Step Away from the Bassoon!
One-measure rhythmic patterns exercise