- 1). Concentrate on maintaining proper posture while playing the bassoon. Poor or lazy posture results in wasted energy being exerted while playing the instrument. Sit in a chair and rest the boot joint of the bassoon on your right hip. Tilt the bassoon at a 45-degree angle. The instrument should be at the correct height with the reed directly in front of your mouth.
- 2). Select a seat strap for the bassoon. The bassoon is an awkward instrument to hold. Bassoonists secure the instrument with a seat strap, and this makes it possible to concentrate on playing the instrument rather than holding it in place. A variety of bassoon seat straps are available. Another option is to use a bassoon harness such as the BG bassoon harness. A bassoon harness is designed to distribute the weight of the bassoon evenly across the upper body helping to increase the player's stamina.
- 3). Practice proper fingering technique. A common mistake that beginning bassoonists make is raising their fingers too high above the keys. This not only affects the technique and reflex time required for playing the bassoon, it results in wasted energy and movement. Concentrate on depressing the keys with your fingertips rather than moving your whole finger or knuckle. If the bassoon is set up properly, depressing a key only requires a minimal amount of pressure. Practice playing a C major scale. Leave the fingertips on each key as you play the adjacent key. The goal is to train your finger to hover near the keys rather than lifting them high above the keys.
- 4). Practice breathing exercises and breath control away from the bassoon. Sit in a chair. Inhale slowly to a count of five. Hold the breath for 5 seconds and then inhale slowly. Repeat the exercise several times. Lie on the floor and place a book on your abdomen. Slowly inhale and exhale as your abdomen moves the book up and down. In addition to breathing exercises, a cardiovascular workout such as running, cycling or aerobics will help to increase your stamina.
- 5). Include technically challenging bassoon pieces into your practice regimen. Bassoonists as with other classical musicians develop their stamina and technique by concentrating on difficult pieces in the classical repertoire for the instrument. Particularly challenging pieces for the bassoon include Johann Sebastian Bach's "Sonata in A Minor" and the "Six Sonatas and Partitas." The Back pieces were originally written for the violin. Other technically challenging pieces for the bassoon include music by Antonio Vivaldi and Georg Philipp Telemann.
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