- Clearly distinguish between marcato accents, staccato, and regular accents
- Sharpening the angle of the airstream makes marcato accents easier to execute
- Be mindful that the airstream does not become too flat; focus on shaping musical motifs
- Express articulation markings without losing your sense of rhythm
In bassoon performance, the ability to accurately differentiate between various articulation markings is an essential element for enhancing expressiveness. In particular, clearly distinguishing between marcato accents, staccato, and regular accents brings contrast to the music and creates a performance that truly reaches the listener. However, how to differentiate these markings can vary depending on the player's approach. When numerous markings appear suddenly in etudes and similar pieces, you must be able to distinguish all of them, making it important to understand the characteristics of each marking and develop appropriate breath control techniques. Here, we will explain the specific steps for refining your tone.
Steps to Refine Your Tone
- Be conscious of airstream angle: When executing marcato accents, sharpen the angle at which you blow the air. Imagine adding an extra level of intensity, and by slightly varying the airspeed while directing the air more sharply, marcato accents become easier to produce. On the bassoon, simply changing the angle of the airstream can dramatically alter the impression of the tone. For marcato accents, think of it as furrowing your brow and directing the air more sharply.
- How to execute staccato: Staccato should not be as sharp as marcato; keep it short. It is important not to cut the note excessively short, but rather to apply the accent while maintaining a reasonable note length. Bassoon staccato should not cause the sound to completely disappear; instead, by keeping an appropriate length while shortening the note, a musical expression becomes possible.
- Expressing regular accents: For regular accents, there is a school of thought that notes with only an accent marking can be played slightly longer. This allows you to clearly differentiate between the three types of articulation.
- Motif shaping through airstream awareness: When repeated notes on the same pitch continue, be careful that your airstream does not become too flat. Even for notes without accents or staccato markings, if you simply blow them out in a flat manner, you will lose the buoyant character of the passage. If you can play the second note slightly lighter than the first while still clearly subdividing them, it will suit the musical character. In bassoon performance, being conscious of airstream shape is especially important when sixteenth notes on the same pitch continue. By imagining two notes fitting within a quarter note and practicing as if in slow motion, you can maintain the lively character of the passage while achieving beautiful tonguing and articulation.
- Maintaining rhythmic feel: No matter what articulation markings are present, never lose the underlying sense of beats one and two. Expressing the written markings within that rhythmic framework is a crucial point for refining your tone. In bassoon performance, expressing markings while maintaining rhythmic feel is challenging, but once you master this, you will begin to feel the overall musical tension building.
To refine your bassoon tone, it is essential to be conscious of airstream angle, speed, and rhythmic feel. By clearly distinguishing between marcato accents, staccato, and regular accents, you can achieve more expressive performances. In particular, motif shaping through airstream awareness greatly affects the quality of your tone, so it is important to practice slowly and be aware of exactly what kind of airstream shape you are producing. For example, in the opening phrase, by not playing notes like the F-sharp in the fourth measure too aggressively, you can achieve clear differentiation of articulation markings. Furthermore, by playing unmarked notes in a very smooth and gentle manner, you can create clear contrast, enriching the overall musical expression. By putting these steps into practice, you will be able to refine your bassoon tone to be even more beautiful.
