Bassoon Lessons
Welcome to my podcast! This is a podcast for bassoon players. I hope it will be a resource for my own private students, and perhaps it will help those who do not have a bassoon teacher nearby or who are in need of help teaching the bassoon. For handouts related to some of these podcasts, please visit: http://www.wam.umd.edu/~efetters/bassoon.html.
Weissenborn Lesson IX Andante sostenuto
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This etude is tricky, only because of the way its written. Re-write it in 4/4 time, and it suddenly becomes much easier. As it is written in the book, you should play it in 4, counting the 8th notes.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:49 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson VI duet - teacher part
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Here's the teacher's part for you to play along. There are 4 beats before you begin. Don't forget to rest on beat 1!
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:41 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson VI duet - student part
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This is another great duet in the Weissenborn Method. Watch out in the first measure: the two parts together create a compound rhythm. If played correctly, there should be a note on every beat. Most often students don't hold the whole note long enough. Don't forget to count!
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:37 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson VI Andante
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This is the third etude labeled Andante. This is a beautiful little etude. Remember, resist the urge to tongue! Instead, focus on having a firm tummy and lots of air, so that the slurs and the notes just sing right through.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:31 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson V duet - teacher part
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Here is the teacher's part for the duet, so that you can play along. Listen to the beginning once before you begin to play, so that you know when to come in. I waited four beats before playing, but it sounds like the recorder did not start exactly on the first click. Enjoy!
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:24 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson V duet - student part
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This is one of my favorite duets in the whole Weiseenborn Method. There are some tricky rhythms, so watch and listen carefully. Also, many of my students have struggled with the two rests on beats 4 and 1 in the 4th and 5th measures. In honor of Matt, this is what I had to make him do: say "teach-er" on those two beats so he wouldn't play when I played. It became quite a joke and he would yell "TEACHER!" when he had the rests. Oh well, at least he didn't play! Once you have mastered your part, try playing along with the teacher's part.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:16 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson V Allegro moderato and Meno allegro
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These two etudes together are another great tonguing exercise. The two etudes have the same notes, but different articulations. Observe the slurs carefully! Remember not to fall into the "tonguing trap" that bassoon players love to do. Both etudes are played without repeats, there is a 4 beat silence before Meno allegro.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:11 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson V Allegretto
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Watch articulations carefully in this Etude. Tonguing covers a multitude of sins for us, as double reed players. It covered a bad reed, support that wasn't quite there, or a finger flub. Make sure you are slurring where a slur is marked! Don't let yourself fall into the temptation to tongue just because you're not 100% sure that next note is going to come out.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:07 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson IV Allegretto
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This is the second Allegretto in the lesson. This piece demonstrates what bassoon players have to do a lot: make it sound like there are two bassoons instead of one. Give more weight to the first note in every three-note grouping and back off the "F-E." Sometimes in lessons I will play this one with a students as a duet; I play the first note and the student plays the "F-E." Then, I have the student play all of it, while I continue to play the first note, giving it even more emphasis.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 7:03 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson III Andantino and L'istesso tempo
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I usually teach these two etudes together. L'istesso tempo is almost exactly the opposite of Andantino. It's good practice for training your fingers and your brain as you are learning the bassoon, and I would recommend practicing them together. They are both played here, with 4 beats of silence before the second one begins.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 6:59 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson III Andante
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This is the first exercise called "Andante" in lesson III.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 6:55 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
Saturday, Apr 19, 2008Weissenborn Lesson II Andante Duet
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This is the student part of the duet in Lesson II of the Weissenborn book.
Posted by Elizabeth Fetters at 6:53 AM | MAKE A COMMENT
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Elizabeth Fetters
, Maryland
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