Finding Great Bassoon Content Online: My Favorite Blogs, YouTube & More

It might not seem like there is a lot of great bassoon content out there, but you just have to know where to look! Check out some of my favorite apps, channels, podcasts, books, and more. Looking for shops and supplies? There are lots of great places to buy supplies, reeds, tools, and cane online from businesses large and small.

🎵 My Favorite Music Apps

• Tonal Energy metronome, tuner, and super useful recording application.

• ForScore scan or download sheet music to your iPhone/iPad.

• AdobeScan scan sheet music and turn it into high-quality PDFs.

• Acapellarecord and combine multiple videos into a multitrack performance.

📺 My Favorite Bassoon YouTube Channels

• Eryn Oft Informative, fun channel from a fantastic bassoon teacher. She posts great videos on caring for your instrument, improving your skills, and making reeds.

• Kristin Wolfe Jensen Professor of Bassoon at UT shares performance videos and the best reed-making tutorials on YouTube.

• George Sakakeeny Professor of Bassoon at Eastman shares videos from performances and recitals. Some of the most beautiful bassoon playing on YouTube.

• The Breaking WindsFun transcriptions and silly bassoonery from four extremely talented classically trained ladies.

• Andrew Burn Anything and everything relating to bassoons and historical performance.

• VG Bassoonist Creative, experimental bassoon arrangements, covers, and music videos.

Or check out this playlist for my favorite fun videos on YouTube.

🎧 My Favorite Bassoon Blogs & Podcasts

Podcasts

• Double Reed Dish, Podcast hosted by Jacqueline Wilson, Bassoon and Galit Kaunitz, Oboe for oboists, bassoonists, and the people who love them. Enjoy tips, tricks and stories from some of the greatest teachers and performers around.

• Legends of Reed Podcast interview series conducted by Jo Anne Sukumaran with top double reed musicians from around the world.

• Surviving Classical Music hosted by Grace Newcombe and Andrew Burn. Surviving Classical Music is a podcast which discusses the challenges facing musicians today as well as those topics which are otherwise left as open secrets.

• Green Room Conversations Podcast co-hosts Kevin Chavez, Ryan Hartman and Dr. Carol Ann Aicher host this podcast centered around the topic of how to “make it” in the performing arts (Classical Music and Broadway). Interviewing established performers, composers, teachers, coaches, recording engineers, entrepreneurs, administrators, trustees, and entrepreneurs in the music community, their hope is to inspire students and those finding their own path to “making it” in the performing arts.

Blogs

• William Short Blog principle bassoonist of the Metropolitan Opera (and a dear friend I met back in Middle School at region band auditions!) He writes engaging pieces on practicing, demystifying success on the bassoon and sharing helpful tricks from his experience as a renowned teacher and performer.

• Bulletproof Musician Blog excellent blog that will help you figure out what it takes to rise above the nerves, distractions, and pressures of a performance, and when the moment of truth arrives, play the way you know you can.

• Barri Stees Blog from Cleveland Orchestra bassoonist, Barrick Stees. Updates on the bassoon world, brilliant, thoughtful musical insights and posts from the road.

• Bassoon with a View from Elizabeth Ball Crawford, Bassoon Professor for BYU-Idaho, featuring uplifting and educational posts about auditioning, performing, orchestral careers, reed making, and more!

• Bret Pimentel Blog covering saxophone, flute, oboe, clarinet, bassoon, and world and electronic woodwinds. His fingering diagram builder is incredibly useful for band directors and lesson teachers!

• Boss Bassoon built by Donovan Tong, an incredible young bassoonist whose goal is to help kids be more aware and excited about the bassoon! Great interviews and fun posts to help students learn about the bassoon.

🎵 Bassoon Music Websites

• Music and the Bassoon free exercises, etudes, songs, videos, and recordings for beginning to intermediate students. Courtesy of Kristin Wolfe-Jense, Professor of Bassoon at the University of Texas.

• Bassoon Solos free solos and folks songs divided into 4 levels for beginning to intermediate students courtesy of Dr. Laura McIntyre.

• Orchestral Bassoon listing of frequently required orchestral excerpts along with recordings, music and practice tips for advanced students and professionals. Courtesy of Dr. Brett Van Gansbeke.

• ISMLP free public domain sheet music. You can even find the Weissenborn 50 advanced studies for free online!

📚 Bassoon Books

• Making Reeds Start to Finish A comprehensive reed-making book covering everything from the history of the bassoon and tone production to every step of the reed making and finishing process. Also the process I use for making my reeds.

• Banana of Life A comprehensive exploration of reed making for the bassoon in the style of Norman Herzberg and Benjamin Kamins. Author Rian Craypo has been Principal Bassoon of the Houston Symphony since 2007.

• Quick Guide to Bassoon Reed Tuning Built on Mark Eubank's earlier publications, he presents a new step-by-step method for complete reed tuning. This booklet also includes a synopsis of bassoon reed design elements that affect tuning and additional tuning factors related to the bassoon, bocal, and tone production issues. The publication is packed with information to help the bassoonist go to a problem, test it and fix it.

• Bassoon Strategies for the Next Level Chris Weait's guide takes you through all the techniques, skills, and exercises you need to improve your playing with helpful guidance on topics such as articulation, technique, and tuning.

• Sound in Motion: A Performer's Guide to Greater Musical Expression Instrumentalists and vocalists alike will find that many of the ideas presented in this book will help develop their musicianship as well as their understanding of what makes a performance "musical."

🤝🏼Musical Organizations & Communities

• International Double Reed Society: The worldwide organization of oboe and bassoon players, instrument manufacturers, and enthusiasts. Tons of great insight on bassoon repertoire, free access to the forums, information about instruments and reeds, and other great resources

• Bassoon Reddit - friendly community including many great teachers, repair people, and performers as well as students of all ages.

• Double Reed Discord - server for oboists and bassoonists of all ages.