So that recital I put on in September… I finally got the quality sound files edited and mixed, and have combined them with the video of the performance for a few of the works. The entire recital is available on bandcamp, but here are videos from the live performance. Read the full post »
A video from a recital
Posted by Trent on January 12, 2015
https://tjbassoon.com/2015/01/12/a-video-from-a-recital/
Going au naturale
Several conversations with Paul Hanson and one nice little chit-chat with a really excellent sound technician at SubCulture, I have devised a plan for a complicated but I think reliable microphone setup that will amplify the bassoon well, with some amount of isolation, a balanced sound through the register, and maintain the natural quality of the bassoon sound. What follows below is mostly an email sent in private to a few colleagues, that I’m now sharing more publicly. As far as I know nobody has tried doing this yet, so if you read this and have a chance to give it a shot, I’d love to hear how it works in practice and not just theory. Read the full post »
Posted by Trent on November 14, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/11/14/going-au-naturale/
My custom shaper is now available from Fox
After several months of waiting, this October saw the delivery of the first of the Jacobs straight shaper from Fox. I’ve compared this to the original shaper that I had designed and made and the Fox dimensions match excellently. I’m very happy with the results and I’m hopeful that many bassoonists for years are able to make reeds with this shape.
In stock at Midwest Musical Imports
Detail of shape diagram: Jacobs TF Shaper
Posted by Trent on November 7, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/11/07/my-custom-shaper-is-now-available-from-fox/
Once I played Klezmer
Ben and I have fun with a classic Klezmer song. More high D’s than I want to count in this.
Posted by Trent on October 3, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/10/03/once-i-played-klezmer/
Gigs Abound!
It seems like quite a busy time for me. I gave a recital about 10 days ago that was a HUGE success (recordings will come sometime in October). Northern Darling continues to gig frequently in Minneapolis and St. Paul. And my Klezmer duo with accordionist Ben Williams is having our first public performance this Friday at the Underground Music Cafe in St. Paul, just in time to finish out the celebration of Rosh Hashanah.
If you’re in the Minneapolis / St. Paul area and are looking for a little bassoon in your life, check my calendar for performance dates.
Posted by Trent on September 24, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/09/24/gigs-abound/
On Effects
So I get this question a lot. “After I get a Little-Jake, what kinds of effects should I get?” Usually this is coupled with a question about amplifiers as well, which I’ve covered in another post. Effects are a giant rabbit hole you can jump down. Guitar players know this, as there are dozens of online forums and reviews sites dedicated to those metal or plastic things on the floor sometimes called “stomp boxes”. You can see some old blog posts of mine talking about certain revisions of pedal boards that I’ve used over the years. It doesn’t seem to get much better.
So anyway, here’s some general information on effects with specific guidelines on what I’ve found works well with the bassoon. Read the full post »
Posted by Trent on September 8, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/09/08/on-effects/
Selling a bocal
I don’t expect this will get much traction here, but might as well try.
I just made the switch to straight bend bocals, so I have this wonderfully lovely Moosmann A1B gold plated “Interpret” series bocal that will go unused unless someone buys it from me. Would like to get $675 for it, but willing to entertain offers. The bocal was my primary orchestra/solo bocal for many years until I started doing the electric thing and was no longer in school playing in orchestras frequently. Very quickly responsive, all the other good things you can say about tone color.
Leave a comment and I’ll contact you by email.
Posted by Trent on August 28, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/08/28/selling-a-bocal/
New EP from my band Northern Darling
I joined a band a while ago. Female fronted indie/rock with a splash of jazz. We do a lot of covers of other “indie” flavored pop music, but have a few originals that we recorded to get the ball rolling. Check it out on bandcamp, and if you like it enough, throw a few bucks our way so we have a bit to get in the studio for a more full length album later!
Posted by Trent on July 29, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/07/29/new-ep-from-my-band-northern-darling/
An automatic Ab/Bb trill mechanism retrofit
About two months ago I had a shower thought of how I could simplify the thumb Ab/Bb trill mechanism on my bassoon. On the standard Heckel system bassoon, the movement from Ab to Bb in the low octave and the overblown octave requires the third and fourth fingers to move up and the thumb to move down (all on the right hand). This makes for a rather awkward movement when an Ab/Bb trill is required. You can get away with trilling the third finger of the right hand on some bassoons, which provides a sort of solid Bb, but it’s pretty weak and that’s a difficult finger to trill all on its own. Or try any of the other fingerings here… Read the full post »
Posted by Trent on July 20, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/07/20/an-automatic-abbb-trill-mechanism-retrofit/
A new straight shaper design
I’ve been using a straight shaper for about two years that I had made for me to my specifications. Due to some unfortunate circumstances the original design was lost, but I have had Chip Owen at Fox measure the cane and re-create the shaper for me. The measurements match my original design specs perfectly, so I am confident this will be an accurate re-creation of this one original.
The shape itself is a unique blade contour. The first 15mm of the blade are similar to a Rieger 1A shape, but the blade stays much fuller through the throat and tube area, with a flare at the end of the tube. I typically place the 2nd wire 40mm from the fold and the 1st wire 32mm from the fold. I usually trim 2mm off of the end of the tube, but it can be left full length, allowing for an even greater bevel.
We’re taking orders for this shaper now at Midwest Musical Imports. I will have some pieces of gouged and shaped Gonzalez cane in this shape at the IDRS conference in New York in a few weeks.
Posted by Trent on July 14, 2014
https://tjbassoon.com/2014/07/14/a-new-straight-shaper-design/
Trent Jacobs, bassoonist 