- Reaffirm "abdominal pressure awareness" to send air in one continuous stream from the bottom of the abdomen to the tip of the instrument, without stopping it at the throat or chest
- Practice a physical check by placing your hand on your abdomen while playing and confirming that your hand is pushed outward the moment you blow air in
- Visualize the internal structure of the bassoon (bocal → downward → U-tube → upward) in your mind and imagine the air pathway
- Establish a consistent image that, regardless of register, the air always circulates through the entire instrument and exits from the bell
When playing the bassoon, the issue that troubles the most players is "how to use their air." Because the instrument is extremely long, even when players think they are blowing enough air, the airflow often stalls around the throat or chest, failing to transmit vibrations throughout the entire instrument. This results in an unstable tone onset, and makes it impossible to achieve rich resonance in the low register or a soaring, open tone in the upper register. The most important thing in improving breathing technique is to reconceive your body and the instrument as a single "air pathway." Air is not merely an energy source—it is a "medium" for making the resonating body of the instrument vibrate. If that medium stagnates anywhere, the music will stagnate as well. Let us begin by carefully reexamining where in your body the air passes through and how it enters the instrument.
Physical Verification: A Practical Approach to Confirming Abdominal Support with Your Hand
To translate the abstract instruction "support with your abdomen" into a concrete physical sensation, let us try an extremely simple method. It involves playing the bassoon with one hand placed on your abdomen. Particularly when playing a stable, low note (such as a sustained tone), check whether, at the moment you blow air in, you feel your abdominal muscles pushing your hand outward. If your abdomen caves in or there is no reaction at all, it is proof that your air support is insufficient. This "sensation of being pushed back" is the true abdominal pressure needed to make the bassoon resonate. Simply experiencing this physical feedback once will dramatically change the way your air enters the instrument. Rather than thinking about it in your head, have your body memorize the correct response first. This practical approach is the shortest path to mastering the invisible technique of breathing.
Internal Instrument Imaging: Visualizing the Journey of Air Through the U-Tube
Imagining the journey that air takes inside the instrument after leaving your body is also essential for improving tone quality. The bassoon has a unique structure in which air enters through the reed, travels downward through the bore, passes through the U-tube at the bottom, rises back up, and exits from the bell. Many players tend to feel as though the air stops at the position of the tone holes their fingers are covering, but in reality, no matter which note is being played, the air always passes through the U-tube and circulates throughout the entire instrument. By blowing while strongly visualizing this "U-shaped flow," the projection of your tone will improve remarkably. Close your eyes and vividly picture your air traveling through the bocal, rounding the bottom of the instrument, and surging upward. Once this image becomes unshakable, you will be able to perform without losing the core of your resonance, no matter how complex the fingering or wide the interval leaps.
Eliminating Pitch Uncertainty: Steps to Align Proper Solfege with Instrument Response
Once breathing and imagery are in order, the next challenge you will face is "intonation." While the bassoon offers a high degree of pitch flexibility, if the player does not hold a clear pitch image in mind, they will be at the mercy of the instrument's inherent tendencies. The ideal state is one in which the "correct pitch" sounding in your mind and the "actual pitch" coming from the instrument are perfectly aligned through air support. To achieve this, rather than simply moving your fingers, you need the ability to internally sing the pitch at the moment you blow—that is, "solfege" skill is indispensable. Air speed, throat openness, the image of the resonating pitch—when all of these elements are unified, the bassoon finally becomes a faithful "voice" that responds to the player's intent. From here, let us review the specific steps for eliminating pitch uncertainty and deepening your sense of unity with the instrument.
- 1. Before raising the instrument, clearly sound the desired pitch in your mind and lightly sing it aloud (thorough solfege practice).
- 2. Place your hand on your abdomen, and from a deep inhalation, transition to an exhalation accompanied by the "pushed-back sensation," physically setting your air support.
- 3. Visualize the "flow through the entire instrument"—air entering through the bocal, passing through the U-tube, and exiting from the bell.
- 4. Following the visualized image, channel your air into the instrument and find the point where the pitch in your mind and the instrument's resonance align.
- 5. While sustaining the note, maintain constant abdominal pressure so the pitch does not waver, and follow the lingering resonance with your ear to the very end.
