How do I stop “translating” notes in my head when sight-reading?

When I play bassoon (and other instruments), I tend to “read” the notes in my head as I play, which I assume is pretty normal.

The problem is that when I see something like B# (Si#), I automatically think of it as C (Do). I know that, technically, they’re the same pitch, but I feel like this has become a bad habit for me.

It slows down my reading and hurts my sight-reading, and quite often I end up playing the wrong note because my brain has already “translated” it to C and i might play a C# if the key signature has C#.

Has anyone else dealt with this? How can I unlearn this habit and get better at reading the note that’s actually written, rather than mentally converting it to another note?

Also, I have perfect pitch, which definitely doesn't help.

Hi everyone, I have quite my diploma exam in a couple months but the one thing holding me back currently is my tonguing speed annoyingly any help with improving this over time or what anyone else has done would be really appreciated to here! Thanks

please consider passing along this flyer advertising auditions for our fall 2027 Freshman class at the University of Miami Frost School of Music

Is there any other websites that offer a rent to own service similar to bocal majority’s? I’m in need of buying my own bassoon but financing isn’t an option for me.

My bassoon trio is playing the William Presser "Trio." It's dedicated to Mark Popkin. Does anyone know the connection between William Presser and Mark Popkin? (It's a great piece, by the way. We've been enjoying learning it.) Thanks.

No tenor clef, tenor clefs scare me

Any grade 3-5 is preferred

Thx in advance!

I've been playing for about 6 months. I am a flute playing learning bassoon for fun. I don't have a teacher and I don't know any in my area.

I am having trouble playing middle C. It sounds fuzzy and very quiet when I try to play it. I tried playing a different bassoon and it still sounded the same. I'm not sure what is going wrong. Any advice, tips or tricks to try?

I just got a new bassoon for this school year, like super new. Is it normal for it to get stuck? The joints are threaded, and I've been rubbing paraffin wax on them for a few minutes, and when I try to put the joints together, they get super stuck, and don't slide in smoothly. Is this normal for a new bassoon? Sorry for a dumb question yall

Hello everyone,
As the title suggest I'm trying to find something that was posted on this subreddit.
I remember that a few years ago, I guess between 4 and 6, someone posted an animated short film that had a soundtrack with a lengthy bassoon solo. It was probably an indie short film so I'm having difficulties finding it online. Does anyone else remember this post and able to retrieve it?
Thanks I'm advance!!

Interested in hearing about the current state of contrabassoon versus contraforte. What are you playing or what have you seen or heard? I have seen some well-resourced players that use one or the other depending on the situation.

• What have you seen (or are playing) in professional orchestras and wind ensembles?
• What about universities? Are they purchasing them?
• Do conductors request one or the other?
• Studio work? I think I have distinctly heard one or the other sometimes in exposed lines.

(Yes, this is also posted in r/contrabassoon, I am interested in reports of what bassoonists have seen and heard)

I‘ve been suggested purchasing the horn, but I don’t exactly know what model of Fox Renard is this. Looks curious, because I’ve never seen such roller on a low C-D. I remember them being installed on a Puchner, but not on a Fox. There’s no model markings on a boot.

UPD: Thank you all! It is turned out to be the Model 22 with some modes

I'm a bassoon student who recently started learning double tonguing after being asked to play Beethoven 4 as principal bassoon

At first I couldn't make it sound clean, but now it's fairly easy for me in the high register.

The problem is the middle and low register. My fingers are actually faster than my tongue, so the articulation becomes muddy. Besides that I also struggle with intonation whenever I double tongue

Since the Beethoven 4 excerpt needs to be extremely clear and covers both the middle and high register, I'm looking for advice.

Does anyone have exercises or tips for making double tonguing cleaner and more in tune on bassoon?

I've been practicing with Drills 2 and a few YouTube videos.

I have read that the Nxtpaper 14 is a good tablet for musicians, and I was wondering if the somewhat smaller nxtpaper 11 would be usable. It IS much more affordable, but I can definitely see the screen size being an issue

Hey all,

It's audition season and I most certainly can not do it all in one breath lol. I'm not too sure on how or where would be a good spot to sneak one in. I'm thinking when the arpeggios start, but I'm curious if anyone else did it elsewhere.

Hello, I'm brand new at reed making and I'm working on my first set of reeds. They've come out well, but definitely still need adjusting. They're very responsive, but I feel like I can't play very loud or get much power out of them. The crow is there, but it's very very high pitched and I don't hear much of the low end. They can play high very well, into the tenor range but it's not as easy getting them to play the low notes. Where do I need to scrape more or where do I need to adjust more to get them to play lower and louder? I've been very conservative on my scrapes so I don't think it's too soft yet. Thanks!

I recently started playing again, and my bassoon certainly needs a polish and I presume a tune-up although it plays fine. I just want to make sure it lasts and I haven’t played it consistently since 2017.

Where do people in NYC trust for their bassoon work? Mine is an advanced student Mooseman for context.

Thanks in advanced.

I'm looking for method books that are not exactly for beginners. I'm a university level student and I'm looking to improve my technique and breath control. Any recommendations? Thanks!

I don't want spam from my post the other day but I did want to share this short little video giving some more info about the date and who these lessons are designed for. If you want to share this with anyone you think might benefit, I would be very thankful!

🌻🌻🌻

Hey everyone,

My name is Krïstoff Hairr. I'm a freelance bassoonist, current Principal of the Monroe Symphony, and bassoon teacher. 1-2 times a year, I offer a day where anyone can sign up to do a virtual lesson with me and pay whatever they feel is fair or just what fits their budget.

I firmly believe music education should be accessible to everyone and this is one of the many ways I try to give back.

If this sounds like something you are interested in, the date will be September 19th. There are roughly only 10 slots available for the entire day. You can book a slot from my website Kristoffhairr.com on the Consultation page.

Please feel to share this information with anyone you think might benefit!

Edit: My Instagram is Kristoffhairrbassoon and my Tiktok is Kristoff_Bassoon

Happy practicing!

Hey, I used to play the Bassoon for three years in middle school. I’m looking to buy a used Bassoon and start practicing again. What are your recommendations?

guys genuine question, why dont plastic contrabassoons exist? i know plastic bassoons and contrabass clarinets exist, so why wouldn't contrabassoons? maybe if they did exist, they could be a kinda low end, more "affordable" option, and then there'd be more bands and orchestras with contras that wouldn't have them otherwise? idk i think im def missing something 💀

Hi everyone! If you're a high school bassoonist or bassoon teacher in Texas, I've just uploaded recordings of all ATSSB and TMEA etudes to my YouTube Channel. I also made clean pdfs of all the etudes with interpretation suggestions and the cuts removed if you'd like those, they're on my website.

Tell your friends!

https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBwxeumjoKcQ

I am curious to see whether the Hallé Orchestra tunes to A=440 or 442, I know the LSO time to 442 but what does the Hallé tune to, I haven't been able to find at all what they tune to.