Whether you’re picking up the bassoon for the first time or have been a seasoned player for years, there is always room to improve your skills and further develop your talent. Bassoon method and instruction books are an essential tool that can be used to build and expand on your musical foundation. If you’re just entering the world of woodwind instruments, there are many resources available to teach you the fundamentals. The Learn to Play the Bassoon! Book 1 by William Eisenhauer teaches beginners the importance of good tone production, a strong rhythmic sense, and how to become a well-rounded musician. Elementary-level instructional books teach new musicians proper techniques, instrument care and simple notes and melodies, all of which are important to the development of beginning musicians.
Maybe you’ve already mastered the basics and are ready to build on your solid understanding of the bassoon. There are also a variety of instructional books geared toward intermediate bassoonists. The Hal Leonard Rubank Intermediate Methods student guide expands on the topics taught in the Elementary Methods book and touches on subjects such as scales, arpeggios, articulation and technical studies.
For musicians that are part of a musical group there are even method and instructional books geared towards improving the level of performance of the ensemble as a whole. Foundations for Superior Performance by Richard Williams and Jeff King teach warm-ups and techniques specific to the bassoon while helping to organize daily rehearsals and the overall performance level of the band as a whole. Offering flexible options for a variety of different levels, this series of books is perfect for challenging musicians who want to take their skills to the next level.
From practising solo to taking the stage with the entire orchestra, there are many method and instructional books available to help improve and build your knowledge and understanding of the bassoon. Assessing where you are as a musician and selecting the right student guide is the key to helping you grow and become the musician you set out to be.
