bassoon

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A l e j a n d r o V i e i r a

Location:

Colorado Springs, CO

Position:

Colorado Springs Philharmonic

2nd Bassoon and Contrabassoon

United States Air Force Academy Band

Principal Bassoon and Academy Winds

School:

B.M. Peabody Institute of the Johns Hopkins University

M.M. University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music

Hobbies:

Cycling (Road, mountain, and track)

Antique Volkswagens ('76 Westy, '69 Single Cab, '64 Bug, '63 Microbus)

Riding motorcycles ('78 BMW)

Banjo (Scruggs style)

Hometown:

Gainesville, FL

Website:

Look me up on Facebook!

Greatest opportunity through music:

I'm incredibly fortunate to be able to play music for a living. The greatest opportunity I have through music is seeing the emotional impact that live music has on an audience. When a performer knows how to convey the message and emotion behind the music, there is no clearer method of communication than music.

The best thing about the bassoon is:

Generally bassoons are in high demand. Not many people want to take the effort to master this unique instrument, so if you practice diligently you can open up lots of opportunities, such as traveling, college scholarships, etc.

How I got started in music:

My father was a self-taught clarinetist, so music was always around me from my earliest years. I started playing clarinet (E-flat clarinet, because my fingers were too small for B-flat!) when I was eight, but I had no group to play with until I was about 13. Then I saw how many clarinet players there were, and I decided that I wanted to have my own part and bassoon looked and sounded really different. For some reason, bassoon really lit a spark in me, and with the encouragement of many teachers along the way I was able to make a career out of music!

B a s s o o n & C o n t r a b a s s o o n

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The bassoon is a large double reed instrument with a lower sound than the other woodwind instruments. Its double reed is attached to a small curved tube called a bocal which fits into the bassoon. When the player blows air between the reeds, the vibrating column of air inside the instrument travels over nine feet to the bottom of the instrument, then up to the top where the sound comes out.

The early history of the bassoon is obscure. Its main predecessor is the dulcian, also known as the curtall. The bassoon of the 1520s was the first to incorporate the double-back design used today, which gave it the term “fagot,” meaning “bundle of sticks.” The bassoon in joints appeared in 17th-century France, and gradually, over the centuries, more keys were added. In its early role it doubled the bass line in small ensembles. It began in the 17th century to assume a more independent role — Vivaldi wrote 39 concertos for the instrument.

Hear Alejandro play:

Mario Brothers Theme

Sorcerer's Apprentice by Dukas

Print a fingering chart here...

Print Scales

manuscript paper

online metronome

music dictionary

and more...

Formerly in a family of up to five different sizes, it currently has two: the bassoon and the double bassoon or contrabassoon, sounding an octave lower. Because of its wide compass and its range of characteristic tone-colors, it is one of the most versatile and useful members of the orchestra.

The reed is crucial to sound production. It is made of carved cane bound face-to-face to a S-shaped metal tube (“bocal”), and must have a very specific suppleness to vibrate properly. A bassoonist will typically spend hours each day making and refining his or her hand-made reeds.