Such an amazing tone and vibrato! Sometimes the contra, when played by a mediocre technician, can sound sterile and hollow, but you, sir, give it such a depth of sound! Bravo!
I've been playing the bassoon for almost 4 years now and I love it to death. But, if there's an instrument any cooler than the bassoon, it's this. It's basically 2 of them together! Great video, thank you.
HELL YA...playing bassoon for seven years ad i had the privilege of playing on Fox's secret 5 hole contra haha...love it! ive been waiting for bassoon/contra masterclass for a few weeks...and i was not disappointed!
In regards to all the comments, I'm a clarinetist and a performance major, and I have to say that Contrabassoon is just so much more versatile and pleasant sounding than contrabass clarinet. Just my opinion, but I've heard both instruments played in many situations, and contrabassoon is just so more kind to the ear.
The contrabass clarinet is used mostly for rhythmic bass lines while the contrabassoon actually has a wide range of playing styles for an instrument of its size and character
This is the same instrument that you hear in The Sorcerer's Apprentice from Disney's Fantasia. In the broom scene, after Mickey chopped the broom into millions of pieces, the broom's pieces begin to come back to life. It's the contrabassoon that begins the solo. "Breaking Winds" did a terrific job of this!!
The score calls for a contrabass sarrusophone, a conical-bore, double-reed, brass instrument. However, most contemporary performances are on the contrabasson.
@@toddmichaelwillis if memory serves, the score calls for either of the two. There's also a whole theory about how French composers of the time may have seen the instruments as being 100% interchangeable (Contrabassoon is abbreviated as "Sarr." in Daphnis & Chloe), though, so who knows what was actually intended?
This is just a wonderful video! I never played anything but piano and some guitar, but all the full, low orchestral instruments are my favorites - cello, bass, oboe, bassoon, contrabassoon. I'm crazy about the expressions they make. (Ray Thomas of the Moody Blues once said there are instruments and notes that can make the bowels move and there is no doubt! I'd put the contrabassoon on that list! LOL) Love the part about muscle memory, too. It's so critical, just as it is with sports and dance. Thank you to Dominic!
I would substitute the oboe with the English horn (Cor Anglais) for lower notes and add the Bass Clarinet as well. The oboe is a treble clef instrument.
@thisistides97 Actually, the Oboe and Bassoon are two separate families. The bassoon has an instrument in it's family called the tenoroon, the oboe has an instrument in it's family called the bass oboe. They are both double reeds yes, but they aren't the same families. It's an easy confusion.
@JasonTongRulz Bassoon and oboe were technically a combined family i thought, Bassoon and Contrabassoon being the bass intruments of the oboe family, but i might be mistaken.
Thank you very much sir, with your suggestions and ability i feel much more secure with the contrabassoon repertoire!!! Too bad I'm a tuba player......Phenomenal nontheless!
Meaning deep full rich sound, if you played on instead of the other it may not make a difference The Contrabassoon has the same sorta sound as the Contrabass Clarinet if you told someone to pick between wich sound was the Contrabassoon and witch was the Contrabass Clarinet they might not be able to tell you as long as the person doesent know much about music that is
Anyone know if the Bach movement they give a PDF for is in a different key than the original, up a 5th. Is that right because that makes the range absurdly high.
@jowil93 Play some Holst. He seems to have a fetish for sexy instruments... Got an alto flute in there, and great double reed section including contra, english horn and bass oboe... WOOHOO
This guy did all the wrong excerpts. He was supposed to have done Beethoven 5 and the FIRST movement of Brahms 3, not the last. Though the ones he did will probably help, nobody will be auditioning with them.
