- Flute Journal (Jessica Valiente): The 19th-Century French Five-Key Flute and the Modern Boehm-System Flute in Cuban Charanga
- Blue Moon Bassoon Blog (Amanda Pierce): 10 Helpful Things I Wish I Knew Before Teaching Private Music Lessons
- Rachel Taylor Geier (flute): The Gizmo Key
- The Flute Examiner (Keith Hanlon): Arm-Chair Experts and Filtering Forum Content
- bassoon blog (Betsy Sturdevant): Playing the bassoon in an orchestra
- Jennet Ingle | Oboist: Reedmaking Fear and Anxiety
Woodwinds: Bassoon
Favorite blog posts, March 2022
- Joffe Woodwinds (John Yoakum): A Guide to Being a Studio Musician
- The Flute View (Terri Sánchez): On Practicing Slow
- Blue Moon Bassoon Blog – Blue Moon Bassoon LLC (Amanda Pierce): What’s Wrong With My Bassoon?
- DoctorFlute (Angela McBrearty): Playing with an Open Throat
Recital videos, August 2021
I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital. I performed for a reduced in-person audience due to COVID-19 precautions.
All the repertoire involves electronics of some kind: prerecorded tracks, a looper, an actual electronic instrument (the Akai EWI), and/or live signal processing. This was my first time doing something so electronics-intensive, and I was learning to use some new equipment, so I’m including here some videos from the live recital and some from a dress rehearsal depending on audio quality, etc. (You will still notice some distortion and other issues, which I’m learning from and hoping to improve in future performances.)
Favorite blog posts, April 2021
- Hodge Products, Inc.: Latest News (Rebecca Watson): BASSOON WIRE GAUGE: DOES IT MAKE A DIFFERENCE?
- Jenny Maclay (clarinet): The Science of Squeaking – What Your Squeaks are Trying to Tell You
Fox bassoon crutch modification
I use an inexpensive Fox plastic crutch on my bassoon. The shaft has always been a little too short for my preference, and I wasn’t interested in paying for a custom-made one, so I decided to attempt removing and replacing the shaft. I’m sharing this information here in case anyone else wants to do the same.
I wasn’t sure if the stock shaft was glued or molded into the plastic or if I would be able to remove it without destroying the crutch. But a little heat, slowly applied to the shaft not too close to the plastic, did the trick and the shaft pulled right out. (It’s hot! I used pliers.) The plastic inside the hole was slightly mangled, so I reamed it out a little with a drill bit.



I replaced the shaft with some brass that I had on hand. 3/16″ turned out to be too thick to fit into the bracket on my bassoon, but 5/32″ (just under 4mm) worked. The stock shaft seems to be somewhere in between. I cut the brass a bit too long with a Dremel cutting wheel, so I could gradually trim it down until it was just right.

I cut some shallow notches into one end to imitate the stock shaft, hopefully giving the glue something more to hold onto. My 5-minute epoxy had hardened, so I substituted some gel-type cyanoacrylate (“super”) glue.


After a little trimming I found the length I wanted. (I use my crutch in this position, which I think is less-common, but gives me the “ball” of the crutch right in the palm of my hand which feels good for balance.)

With my minimal skill set and tools, plus a little trial and error, this was a manageable and successful project.
Favorite blog posts, December 2020
- Joffe Woodwinds (article by Ron Odrich): Science in the Art of the Clarinet Sound
- Hodge Products, Inc. Double Reed Supplies Blog (Rebecca Watson): Bassoon Wire Gauge: Does It Make a Difference?
- How To Make Oboe Reeds (Tim Feil): Reed Response
- Jennet Ingle | Oboist: Harder Isn’t Better
- International Clarinet Association (Marcus Eley): Clarinet Works by Black Composers
- International Clarinet Association (Katherine Breeden): An Overview of Making Clarinet Reeds by Hand
- Bill Plake Music (saxophone): Awareness In Playing Music: “Looking For” In Contrast To “Noticing”
- Indy Flute Shop (Erin Nichols): Open-holed flutes
- Best. Saxophone. Website. Ever. (Zhenya Strigalev): The Secret to Reaching Below the Saxophone’s Low Bb
Favorite blog posts, November 2020
Just one favorite to share this month:
- Hodge Products, Inc. (Rebecca Watson): Bassoon Wire Gauge: Does It Make a Difference?
Favorite blog posts, October 2020
- Kristopher King (bassoon): Drilling a Bocal
- Nicole Riner, Flutist: How to prep your flute + electronics piece (s)
- ProneOboe (Jennet Ingle): Don’t Wait For It
- Lisa’s Flute Studio Blog (Lisa Carlson): Consistency of Practice
Fingering Diagram Builder, version 0.82
Here’s a new minor release of the Fingering Diagram Builder with a few small improvements:
- Bug fixes and other minor tweaks
- The French bassoon diagram now supports the Ducasse bassoon. Set “Instrument” to “Bassoon (French)” and “Key set” to “Ducasse.” Thanks to Daryn Zubke for assistance with this.

Recital videos, August 2020
I’m pleased to share videos from my recent Delta State University faculty recital. I performed for a very small in-person audience due to COVID-19 precautions.
All the repertoire is unaccompanied. The program begins with multiple-woodwinds repertoire by Samuel Adler, Kyle Tieman-Strauss, and Nicole Chamberlain (a world premiere of a commissioned piece), followed by some odds and ends on recorders, clarinet, and tinwhistles.