The bassoon has two F-sharp keys. The standard F-sharp key (used most often) is operated by the right-hand thumb and is located on the back of the boot joint. The alternate f-sharp key is operated by the right-hand pinky. We will learn the standard F# key first.

Back (thumb) F#

Tip: Use the pad of your thumb closer to the tip than the knuckle.  This will help keep a soft curve in your thumb which will help it move to another key with speed and accuracy.

Low F# fingering

Note: The low F key in the fingering diagram is colored gray instead of black. That is because it goes down automatically with the f-sharp key. You do not have to press the F key down when playing F#.

Start by playing some low F#s. Notice how the note feels compared to the other notes you have learned. It is probably harder to get to speak because F-sharp has more resistance.

Troubleshooting:

• Make sure completely cover all of the open holes.
• Make sure the whisper key is down.
• Space your teeth
• Blow warm air.
• Articulate firmly.

Play Matching Pitch on low F#

  tuningdrones.com

Low F# neighbor tones

This exercise gives you a chance to work on your right thumb technique. It will help to rest your right thumb lightly on the thumb F# key when you’re not pressing the key. That will keep your thumb in position.

Tip for Bars 1-8: You only need to move your right thumb.

Tip for Bars 9-16: You only need to move your right pinky until the final G. You need to lift both your right pinky and right thumb for the final G.

Practicing Low G-F# and Gb-F

Gb and F# are enharmonic spellings of the same pitch and both notes have the same fingering.

Tip: Your right thumb is the only finger that needs to move for the next exercise. Finger low G and then add the F# key in bars 1-3. Finger low F and then add the F#(Gb) key in bars 4-6.

  tuningdrones.com    Practice this scale slowly with a perfect fifth drone on G-D.

Menuet du Tambourin by Jacques Hotteterre (Faber Music, arr. L. Hilling and W. Bermann)

• Level 1 NYSSMA solo for bassoon and piano
• Menuet is a dance from the 1700s
• 3 beats per bar, quarter notes get the beat

The Minuet by Francois Brunery. Art Renewal Center. (n.d.). https://www.artrenewal.org/artworks/the-minuet/francois-brunery/68907

François Brunery (1849-1906)

Phrases in music are like sentences in speaking. When you come to the end of a sentence you usually take a breath before continuing. The first phrase in this piece ends in bar 8, and the second phrase ends in bar 16. The small checkmarks show that you should breathe at the end of bars 8 and 16 to make the phrasing clear to the listener.

Note: Information in the next section is useful for intermediate to advanced students. If you are a beginner, you may want to come back to this information at a later point in your studies.

Front (pinky) F-sharp

The pinky f-sharp key is part of the right-hand pinky cluster. This f-sharp can make certain note patterns easier to play cleanly and quickly.  For example, using the pinky f-sharp when slurring between a-sharp and f-sharp allows you to alternate between the thumb and pinky instead of having the right thumb leap between the two thumb keys.

The pinky f-sharp is also usually a bit lower in pitch than the thumb f-sharp.

The angle of the keys in the basic diagram doesn’t quite map onto the actual instrument. Here’s how it looks on the instrument and in the fingering diagram:

The front f-sharp might feel a little difficult until you get used to using it, which won’t be that often.  However, it is worth practicing because it is quite useful in certain passages.

Tip: If you feel like your pinky isn’t long enough to reach the front F# key, bend your right wrist toward the boot cap.  You don’t need to cover the entire F# key, only the front edge.

Harkstow Grange from Percy Grainger’s Lincolnshire Posy is almost impossible to play cleanly without using the pinky f-sharp key due to the slur from b-flat to g-flat.

Because the right thumb is in use on the B-flat in bars 1, 3, and 7, it is best to use the pinky F#/Gb to make a clean slur.  However, in bars 2, 4, and the last note of bar 7 it is best to use the back F#/Gb followed by the front A-flat key.

If you are lucky enough to play this piece you will need to practice these slurs.

Note: To slur from low G-flat to low F when using the pinky F-sharp key for G-flat, your thumb will need to slide from the F-sharp key to the F key. This is manageable but will require practice.

Enharmonic Noodle

The first line of Enharmonic Noodle is in the key of B major which has 5 sharps (F#, C#, G#, D#, A#). A# is fingered like Bb.  The second line of Enharmonic Noodle is in Gb major and has 6 flats (Bb, Eb, Ab, Db, Gb, Cb). Cb is fingered the same a B natural and Gb is fingered the same as F#.  The fingerings and sounds for both lines are the same but the notes you see are written differently when in the key of B Major and Gb Major.

The front f-sharp can feel awkward so concentrate on keeping your hand relaxed and only reaching the front edge of the key with your pinky. You don’t need to cover the entire surface of the front f-sharp key for it to depress fully.