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Final double added to an arsenal?

2K views 12 replies 9 participants last post by  jaysne 
#1 ·
I play all the reeds and double reeds (flute, clarinet, sax, oboe, English horn, bassoon). I know a lot of people in my area who play flute, clarinet and sax. Then, I know just one guy who plays those plus oboe and English horn. But I am the only person I know in my area who plays all of those plus bassoon.

So it got me to thinking: generally speaking, what is the final double someone adds to their arsenal? My vote would be for bassoon. What is your experience?
 
#2 ·
Didgeridoo was my last. I started bassoon about the same time I picked up tenor - almost 50 years ago.

Bagpipes???
 
#6 ·
Wow, that is surprising. I've always thought that a doubler's first horn is usually sax. I could see clarinet, but then going to flute next instead of sax, that's surprising; although, I have a friend who also loathes sax but eventually learned it, albeit begrudgingly. And now he likes it. :)
 
#8 ·
There is no normal way in adding doubles I think. Trying to play several instruments is a kind of mindset imo: Being open minded, not looking for perfection, being a bit vein (I can do it all!), liking many styles of making music - and then it's about what doubles come your way.
I my case it was flute (the only instrument I had lessons and studied) then sax (soprano first!) then clarinet and bassoon (and some more non-woodwinds). I have an oboe lying arround - but reason tells me that it would be to much to add it ....Perhaps I try later, if I can make a sound on it ........
 
#9 ·
In terms of woodwinds I started on saxophone, added clarinet, then flute, and now I'm currently working on bassoon. In terms of non-woodwinds I've played guitar for almost as long as I've played the saxophone and have added bass and keyboards over the last few years. My last frontier would be oboe if I ever get to it. I'm personally striving to focus on the low reeds, with my main instrument being the baritone sax, in addition to bass clarinet and adding bassoon. I've tried out an alto flute on a few occasions and felt it was a lot easier than expected to support the sound. There aren't a ton of low reed doublers here and bassoon will hopefully be my ticket into more pit gigs and eventually the major theaters in Detroit.
 
#12 ·
I'm pretty decent at saxophone; but double reeds are my passion. My buddy told me about this forum and I love the discussions.
Sax sections are fun to play in but I do not have the facility and flexibility I have on other reed instruments. Clarinet is home for me. I had lessons and played it for years by the time I picked up flute and oboe they came easily as if I had always played them. Sax is just work. I have trouble with notes above Altissimo G. On clarinet I can play Cs and Ds like I breath; same on Flute. I can look at a passage on bassoon or oboe and could tell you the best fingers or what would be the most tricky.
Sax soli sections and jazz rhythms are an enigma to me but I can play Stravinsky like its nothing. I can even read changes on any and everything but Sax. I feel like I've had a mental block from learning Sax for years. I have been spending this year trying to break that lock.
 
#13 ·
Wow, that's a unique situation. I and I think many others would consider sax to be the easiest of all the reeds to play well. Sounds to me like your brain is ensconced in a classical frame of mind. What I would recommend is finding a good chunk of time--say six months--where you do nothing but work on sax: learning fingerings, scales, and especially listening to big band and jazz playing while trying to developing a sense of swing. It can be done!
 
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