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Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 18:12:36 -0700 (PDT)
From: Adam Kent-Isaac <lokibassoon@yahoo.com>
Subject: Bassoon altissimo
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comhey everyone
I don't understand why there's so much music written so high for the
bassoon, even though the bassoon is in bass clef it is probably the
only B.C. instrument that ever has to play that high (except cello)
Johann Heckel would be rolling over in his grave if he knew the
vulgarisation which this majestic, powerful instrument has been put to
with absurd high notes!!! I am sick of these high notes, I played the
bassoon because it is a LOW instrument, and never anticipated these
tenor clef pieces! I say let the bassoon be used for what it was meant
for. I get pieces that require me to play higher than the flutes for
God's sweet sake!
And if the tenor clef was created to eliminate the writing of high
leger lines, then why do I see some pieces that have leger lines in
tenor clef BELOW THE STAFF?????? That's unneccesary.
The bassoon has a powerful, deep tone, rivaling the inferior low brass
and low clarinets! (not to speak demeaningly of low clarinets which I
play and love) Why then is it being forced up into the stratosphere by
the treacherous machinations of the tenor clef??!!??-Adam
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Do You Yahoo!?
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Date: Thu, 26 Aug 1999 10:29:25 -0400
Subject: Re: Bassoon altissimo
From: mgrogg@juno.com
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.com*// Set festive Hat on //*
> I don't understand why there's so much music written so high
>for the bassoon, even though the bassoon is in bass clef it is probably the
>only B.C. instrument that ever has to play that high (except cello)
>Johann Heckel would be rolling over in his grave if he knew the
>vulgarisation which this majestic, powerful instrument has been put to
>with absurd high notes!!! I am sick of these high notes, I played the
>bassoon because it is a LOW instrument, and never anticipated these
>tenor clef pieces! I say let the bassoon be used for what it was meant
>for. I get pieces that require me to play higher than the flutes for
>God's sweet sake!Anyone can play the low notes. The high notes are the systems way of
sorting out the good players from the mediocre. If you want the job,
then you have to play the high notes for the audition, even if you will
never see notes that high in a real Band or Orchestra number.> And if the tenor clef was created to eliminate the writing of
>high leger lines, then why do I see some pieces that have leger lines in
>tenor clef BELOW THE STAFF?????? That's unneccesary.For some real fun, rewrite some of the parts to Alto, or even better yet,
Mezzo Soprano clef.=| 8-)>
> The bassoon has a powerful, deep tone, rivaling the inferior
>low brass and low clarinets! (not to speak demeaningly of low clarinets which I
>play and love) Why then is it being forced up into the stratosphere by
>the treacherous machinations of the tenor clef??!!??I am glad to finally seen a bassoonist concede that the Bassoon is
inferior. If the bassoon rivals the inferior low brass, then it would
stand to reason that it is inferior to a SUPERIOR low brass.8^)
At least in the low brass, the general wisdom is that the more time you
spend in the low register, the better the high register will sound. For
a tuba player to be taken seriously at an audition, he or she must have a
full command of at least 4 and a half octaves, stretching from a GGG
below the end of the piano keyboard to at least a c above middle C, the g
above that is even better. In the actual orchestra literature, the
lowest note called for in any mainstream work is a low D, and the highest
is a G# above middle C. The rest of the notes are just to seperate the
players from the wannabees.If you want to play an instrument with a fixed range, then take up the
accordian.*// Remove Festive Hat, Replace with Ballistic Helmet to protect against
thrown rocks, bottles and Bassoon cases //*Michael
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---------------------------------------------------------From: "Aaron Rabushka" <arabushk@cowtown.net>
Subject: Re: Bassoon altissimo
Date: Wed, 25 Aug 1999 23:08:38 -0500
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comOne of my old trombone teachers always used to say "People pay for high
notes." Although I don't share this enthusiasm myself I must say that a
bassoon in altissimo doesn't sound like an English horn. You can check out
my bass clarinet concerto for use of that instrument in its high register.Aaron J. Rabushka
arabushk@cowtown.net
http://www.cowtown.net/users/arabushk/---------------------------------------------------------
From: Opusnandy@aol.com
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 15:19:16 EDT
Subject: Re: Bassoon altissimo
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comAdam
Deal with it. The bassoon is absolutely beautiful in it's upper register
when played correctly. Take the time to practice and learn the upper
register instead of complaining about it. It will be worth it. You will not
be able to change hundreds of years of bassoon writing simply because you
don't like tenor cleff.Stravinsky rocks,
Jon Carreira
---------------------------------------------------------From: CoolStu67@aol.com
Date: Fri, 27 Aug 1999 16:15:18 EDT
Subject: Re: Bassoon altissimo
Reply-To: contrabass@contrabass.comI agree. If we looked you up in 20 years, I bet you wouldn't feel the same.
Pick up any CD of a professional bassoonist to become inspired!Stuart
Saxophone & Clarinet student<<
Deal with it. The bassoon is absolutely beautiful in it's upper register
when played correctly. Take the time to practice and learn the upper
register instead of complaining about it. It will be worth it. You will not
be able to change hundreds of years of bassoon writing simply because you
don't like tenor cleff.
>>
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