These fundamentals can and should be addressed daily by bassoonists of all levels. Even though they do not always require playing long, I refer to the warm-up and fundamentals portion of any practice session as "long tones". Think of long tones like drills in any technical development - each has a purpose and is a highly focused execution of a very specific set of actions we want to make habitual.
Note: when we do play tones long, they should be VERY long. Sustained long tones develop breath control, and the slow execution of techniques gives us time to listen, analyze, adjust, and re-execute skills as needed. For example, the exercises printed below should first be performed at 60bpm or slower and only sped up with absolute mindful (not accidental!) control.
Note: when we do play tones long, they should be VERY long. Sustained long tones develop breath control, and the slow execution of techniques gives us time to listen, analyze, adjust, and re-execute skills as needed. For example, the exercises printed below should first be performed at 60bpm or slower and only sped up with absolute mindful (not accidental!) control.
