~ EMERSON EDITION ~ BASSOON WARM-UPS Second Edition (2010) f Christopher Weait £612INTRODUCING BASSOON WARM-UPS (Second Edition) Warming up is as important for the musician as it is for the athlete. It helps prepare your body and mind to perform effectively. It should reduce tension and encourage a state of relaxed attention. Warming up allows you to notice if your reed of instrument need adjustment before continuing to play. For example, making sure the crook (whisper) key pad completely closes the crook (bocal) vent when the low E key is depressed. It is especially important to warm-up carefuliy when playing ona new reed. These BASSOON WARM-UPS emphasise legato playing - the basis for good tone, good pitch, good coordination and, surprisingly, good articulation. In addition to warming, up your ear, they gradually expand your range, breathing endurance, dynamic levels and rhythmic awareness. Play them in the printed order and check yous tuning after you have been playing for a while. Doing the warm-ups every time you play will build confidence and seduce stress. After you become familiar with them, it will take less than 10 minutes to play them all. Use a metronome occasionally, but not all the time. Use the suggested tempos and dynamics as goals. When warming up, do not ‘practise’ (repeat passages over and over). Play straight through while thinking only about warming up, about how the reed and the instrument feel and about the sound you are making. ‘After watming up you can begin practising, rehearsing or performing. Christopher Weait, October 2009Dedicated to the memory of Charles Robert Reinert (1913-2007) with deepest gratitude Bassoon Warm-Ups (Revised) PARTI Play PART | at an unstrained mezzo forte dynamic level atthe indicated tempo. Produce smooth, warm ait flow. Allow body and fingers to be relaxed. Strive for even tone, not speed. Avoid tensing muscles you do not need for playing, Physical feelings of roughness, discomfort and stifness should gradually subside as you play Par | Play warm-ups 1 to 3 pausing only atthe indicated breathing ress. Christopher Weait J=80 Make first note long Blend rich low F sound upwards __Tongue lightly Take 3 deep, slow breaths before playing ft 0 Deeply exhale and inhale nf 4 a J=80 Tongue lightly Blend full sound downwards... No diminuendo! Richest tone 2 Exhale, a B] ess of SEF RE RF OE SY SSS Aas = $ Blend rich tone upwards . ix Exhale, ets tere ee Re ee . 3 inhale Sf : of (© 2009 Emerson Eition Ld, Windmill Farm, Amplefoth, Noth Yorkshire, England YO62 4HF ‘ll forms of eproduction or copying are egal unlesautosed by the Publisher ‘ease non) fal deals of compose avanger and eition on PRSASCAP returnsa PART Il PART Il extends breathing endurance and expands the range. Relax and breathe freely at double bars and, between numbers. Move fingers smoothly. Use free, watm air flow. d=.80 7 ital a a ‘non dimin. = No.6 goes ves the ‘break’ to overblown pitches. Obtain good octaves. Check with a tuning device to avoid a sharp upper octave. Try to hear the upper octave as you play the tow one. To get the upper octave, pull down the first finger, left hand (1LH) for the halfhole, slightly increase air speed and avoid biting. Notice how the feel of the reed changes as you change octaves. 80 or slowerCheck use of crook (whisper key 5 ya Uy 3 tf Tap high A Check pitch with tuner 5h ae a "Flik. Chek’ reviews ascending and descending flicking technique. Remove left thumb from crook (whisper) key during the second crotchet. Move it over the correct key then tap it as the new note begins. The harmonic symbol (o) indicates a flicked note. Depending on the instrument, some downslurs do not need flicking, ‘Flik Chek’ [Sire Frsexex Tox] a _ me ; ae a ! BLE a tet fk t ft t f Tap high A “Tap high A or Tap high C Tap high C Tap high D high C (older ins’s) Not needed on some instruments No.7 is longer. Take a breath in the middle if you need it. Eventually play it in one breath up to the double bar. Keep air moving to avoid bumps on wide descending intervals, Choose a tempoPART III PART Ill adds changing dynamics. Occasionally check steadiness of beat with a metronome. Keep fingers smooth, body comfortable and relaxed. Avoid tensing muscles not needed for playing. Inhale more quickly at the double bars. Use faster air on higher notes.oF > b ba 5 be hi F 'p sempre 5 oF oF Alternative rhythm and meters for #9. Sf t a Choose atempe 10} ea t ” i dimin P crese: t No.11 ‘Open the Chops!’ makes you aware of the balance between your embouchure and air supply, helps to lower pitch on the lowest notes and allows the reed to vibrate. Ease thumb off the low Bat key. Slide red side to side im mouth Don't lip pitch, let key do the work, Slowly and gently depress Coe ee eee ce ey" the low Beat key. Blow through while playing: Maintain pitch Keep altmoving when you feel nd tone resistance a key slowly opens. resistance as key lowly closes. ‘Open a a a mm ke Chopst" Tie Sra be F PROPART IV 6 PART IV uses rhythms in diferent pattems. Maintain good sound and pitch Play suggested dynamics or invent your own Set a metronome to your tempo. Make sure faster notes fit into the beat Set a metronome to make sure faster notes fit intorthe beat. Dae Loe Le oe anf sempre 33 3 8 +13 can be used to improve slurs between any two notes. For example: apie #2) as 4PP crescendo poco a poco 36 a 3 i wf £ iminuendo poco «poco 4“ a i Choose a tempo. Blend clear high F tone downwards, P erese. tesPART V 8 PART V uses the complete practical range of the bassoon. Use faster air speed on higher notes. If highest notes do not come out easily at first, play only up to your best note then down. Eventually add higher and higher notes. Don’t allow high notes to make embouchure, ar stream or body tense,18 st SSS crese. - # ee Sto te Pp“. — Ss sO eS i if dim, op cI gee © Pp crese’ 3 a 3 Les rr wf 3 = dim. sates Practising, rehearsing or performing can now begin with confidence, ‘When practising, you can improve sight reading and technical fluency by reading scale studies instead of playing from memory. The collections by Weait Bassoon Scales for Reading (Weaitl, Oubradous Ensejgnment Complet du Basson, Cahier 1, 2, 3 Leduc) or Giampieri 16 Studi Giornalieri di Pertezionamento (Ricordi) are highly recommended.