English Horn Bocals - A Basic Guide

An important part of any successful English horn performance is not just having a great reed, but also the right bocal.  Just like with bassoons, finding a good match for your English horn or oboe d'Amore is a process that takes some time and effort, and there are a lot of questions that come up along the way.  The most common question we receive is what are the differences between the makers and the different styles?  We're proud to stock a wide selection of new and used bocals by Hiniker, Ross, Laubin, Dallas, and Loree, and we're hoping this guide can answer a few of these questions for you if it's time to consider a new English horn bocal! Read More...

Great Tips for Bassoon Reed Balancing and Adjusting

Jessica and I have long been fans of Christian Davidsson's really simple reed balancing guide.

Before you get to the finer details of the scraping points of the guide, if you're using Gouged, Shaped, and Profiled cane, the first thing you probably need to do is crape out of what Christian labels (18) on the reed. My strategy for scraping out of that area is to scrape against the grain of the reed from the center out towards the corner, like so: Read More...

Clarinet Reeds Guide

Reeds

Reeds can be one of the most frustrating, but important, parts of playing any woodwind instrument. Reeds are expensive, and many times parents opt for the cheapest box of reeds available but this can have serious effects on a young player's musical development. Cheap reeds can be stuffy and hard to play, making it difficult to produce a good sound. There are many different brands of reeds and they come in different strengths, shapes or cuts. Read More...

Clarinet Mouthpieces and Ligatures

Mouthpiece Setup

Your mouthpiece setup (Reed, Ligature, & Mouthpiece) is a critical component of any total instrument setup, and may be more important than the clarinet itself in the early stages of playing. Assuming the main body of the clarinet working properly, spending a little extra time and money on mouthpiece setup can greatly improve the response, intonation, tone quality, and easy of playing of the instrument. After all, this is the part of the instrument that produces the actual sound. It's important to remember that choosing a mouthpiece setup is an extremely individual process and just because a particular setup works for one person doesn't mean it will work for you. A good clarinet teacher or our clarinet specialist will be able to point you in the right direction so don't be afraid to ask questions. Read More...

Minnesota Bassoon Association presents Per Hannevold masterclass

World acclaimed bassoonist Per Hannevold will be presenting a Minnesota Bassoon Association sponsored bassoon masterclass on March 9, 2013 from 2 pm to 5 pm. The MBA inviting six people of any age or ability to play for him.
The masterclass will take place at the Lorenz Auditorium in the Fine Arts Center at Normandale Community College in Bloomington, MN. Please click here for detailed directions.
The Per Hannevold masterclass is free to paid members of the Minnesota Bassoon Association and their families. If you have not paid dues since September, 2012, please plan to pay at the door:  $20 general, $10 students, and you will be an MBA member until September, 2013.  Ask for Ye Yu or John Miller, who will be happy to accept your membership fees.
Per Hannevold