Find a comfortable, healthy sitting posture and then bring the bassoon to you. Avoid contorting your body to fit the bassoon. The seat strap and bocal should provide enough flexibility to help you maintain a comfortable and healthy posture when playing.

Sitting Posture

• Start by sitting with your bottom as far back on the seat of the chair as is possible.
• Keep your head/chin level.
• Place the soles of your feet (or shoes) flat on the floor with your weight distributed evenly between them. Your feet need to act as a point of balance. If your feet don’t reach the floor when you sit at the back of the chair, place a board or your instrument case under your feet.
• Your torso should be upright and balanced over your hips as though you are getting ready to stand up quickly.
• Your shoulders should be relaxed (down and back), and your arms should hang loosely from your shoulders.
• Your hands should be relaxed with softly curved fingers.

Centered & Balanced

• Weight centered over your sitting bones
• Balanced (no leaning left, right, forward, or backward)

Upright & Relaxed 

• Upright as though you were suspended by a string coming out of the crown of your head
• Relaxed; not stiff or rigid; let your spine support your arms, shoulders, head, and neck

Ready to stand

• Both feet flat on the floor a little in front of your knees
• Weight balanced over your hips near the back of the chair

Holding the bassoon: Position Relative to the Player’s Body

• The lowest section of the bassoon rests on the right side of the body and the boot joint rests on the right thigh.
• The bassoon leans diagonally across the body so that the bell joint points to the left of the player. The diagonal tilt should be only enough to bring the whisper key to the center of the player’s body. Increasing the tilt angle will increase the weight supported by the left hand and can cause cramping in the left hand and wrist.
• Adjust placement of the boot on the right thigh – between the knee and the hip – so the reed enters straight into the mouth when the player’s chin is level.
• Position your music stand and music so you can read it looking to the right of the bassoon (over the bocal). You can limit the amount of body motion required to see a full page of music by sitting farther back from the music stand.

NOTE: Avoid contorting your body to reach the bassoon. Bring the bassoon to you!

Reed/Bocal Position

• Once the bassoon is fully assembled – with the bocal and reed inserted, the reed needs to come to the center of the lips.
  • Bring the bassoon up to the level of your lips by pulling the seat strap to your left.
  • Lower the bassoon down to the level of your lips by letting the seat strap slide to your right.
• Keep your chin level (no ducking or craning your neck to reach the reed).
• Keep your head centered over your spine (avoid tilting left or right, forward or backward).
• The position of the reed and the bocal can be changed.
  • The bocal can be moved left or right so that it comes to you. Hold the bocal just above the nub and twist gently. If the bocal doesn’t want to move, use a small amount of cork grease to lubricate the cork.
  • Twist the reed on the bocal so the blades are level (left to right) entering your mouth.