This book aims to answer issues to do with technique on the bassoon such as fingering, breathing, embouchure & much more...

Here are some of the issues the book deals with?

1. I blow into the bassoon reed but there is always a delay before the note starts.

2. I've just started playing the bassoon and sometimes notes just don't come out or they are completely wrong.

3. I cannot get scales even, there often extra notes.

4. My fingers ache after I have been playing for a short while.

5. There is always a delay before my notes sound when I am playing in a group.

6. The F#, G and G# are insecure and "croak".

7. The A to middle C are unstable and seem to be two octaves together. They seem to "crack".

8. My tone is raucous and too loud, particularly when I have been playing for a while. My family says that I sound like a foghorn.

9. My tone is thin and weedy. My family say I sound like a mouse in a matchbox.

10. I get out of breath and out of time when playing staccato passages.

11. My E flat (3rd space bass clef) is horribly out of tune.

The author, Sandra Downing, is a research scientist, a semi-professional bassoonist, teacher and an expert bassoon reed maker. Her latest brilliant little pocket book covers basic playing techniques and the answers to many bassooning problems.