Quick Reference Guide for Woodwinds

Flute
1. Assembly/Disassembly a. Open case with logo facing up b. Assemble body and foot joint i. Use a gentle twisting motion ii. Align the ball of the foot joint with the center of the last key on the body c. Insert head joint into the opposite side of the body i. Use a gentle twisting motion ii. Holding the flute at eye level, look down the length of instrument from the foot to align the embouchure hole with the rest of the keys d. Reverse directions for disassembly e. Always grab joints where there are no keys to avoid bending rods Care and Maintenance a. After playing, wipe down exterior with a dry cloth and swab interior i. Cleaning rod + cloth, or ii. Flute swab b. If instrument is difficult to assemble, wipe down ends of joints and sockets to remove debris and buildup c. Oil keys regularly, and replace pads and corks as needed Embouchure a. Hold the head joint with the embouchure hole against the lips b. Feel with the tongue that the hole is centered c. Roll forward until the hole is facing the ceiling, allow the lower lip to rest on the embouchure plate d. Say I, M, poo to bring corners of mouth back and firm upper lip e. Form a diamond shape with the opening between the lips f. Aim air down into and across the embouchure hole and blow gently, adjust until tone is produced Holding and Finger Position a. Use relaxed flat C hand positions b. The pads of the fingers should be centered on the tone holes, regardless whether the instrument has French-style keys c. Left pinky rests on, but does not depress, the G# key d. D# key is home for right pinky e. Pad of left thumb hits B-natural key Articulation a. Start with poo to reinforce embouchure b. With tip of the tongue against the upper gums just above where they meet the teeth, build up pressure and release it, maintaining the embouchure c. Stop air without moving the tongue back d. Articulate using too or doo for lower register, tee or dee for higher registers Tone Production and Quality a. The direction of the air affects the intonation i. Higher air raises pitch ii. Lower air lowers pitch

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b. Lots of air must be used to sustain tone, and air must be supported at all times by the diaphragm c. Embouchure must be firm to create a full-bodied sound; if one is using a pop bottle embouchure, sound will be hollow and upper registers will not respond d. Vibrato i. Start by huffing ii. Connect separate huffs so it feels more like a pulsing iii. Apply to flute with proper embouchure iv. Practice in metered repetitions (eighths, triplets, sixteenths) until consistency is gained

Oboe
1. Assembly/Disassembly a. Open case with logo facing up, or thumbs on latches b. Soak reed in warm water c. Assemble body, making sure to press down appropriate keys to avoid bending bridge keys d. Align the bridge keys to align the halves of the body e. Attach bell, again pressing down the key (if there is one) to avoid damaging the bridge mechanism f. Insert reed into body of oboe so that the eye is looking straight at you Care and Maintenance a. General care i. Wipe down exterior of instrument with nonabrasive cloth to remove oils from hands and prevent corrosion ii. Remove moisture from the inside of body and neck using appropriate swabs or a cloth b. Maintenance i. Oil keys at pivot screws regularly and when required ii. Have pads and felt replaced by a professional iii. Use cigarette paper to remove moisture from under pads to prevent sticking Embouchure and Reed Placement a. Gently curl lower lip over bottom teeth b. Place flat of reed on lower lip c. With reed in mouth, say tomb i. Lowers back of tongue ii. Creates drawstring bag effect with lips iii. Should resemble whistling d. Amount of reed in mouth affects overall pitch, use to adjust out-of-tune notes Holding and Finger Position a. Flat C with hands, thumbs remain straight and remaining fingers naturally curve b. Open holes need to be covered completely c. Relaxed pinkies to move quickly between left Bb, B, F, Eb, and G#; right C, C#, Eb d. Playing position i. 35-45 from vertical ii. Regardless of position, mouthpiece must enter mouth parallel to lips. Do not adjust angle of head. e. Rest position i. Across lap from left knee to right hip ii. Vertical on right knee/thigh Articulation

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a. Use the to visualize tonguing (front middle of tongue touches tip of reed) b. Back teeth open 6. Tone Production and Quality a. Develop smooth tone by working on embouchure and long tones b. Airy tone results from loose corners or poor moderation of air speed c. Vibrato can be produced using throat or diaphragm 7. Reeds a. Make your own, or find someone who can make them for you b. If you must buy reeds, buy good quality ones

Bassoon
1. Assembly/Disassembly a. Open case on the ground with wider side on the bottom b. Place seat strap on chair; adjust it so that it is towards the front. c. Remove the boot (or butt) from the case, insert the tenor joint (the shorter, skinny one, also called the wing joint) into the small hole d. Insert the bass joint (the one thats not the tenor joint, also called the long joint) into the larger hole, aligning the left thumb keys so that they make sense e. Manipulate the lever on the bass joint so the pin enters the hole in the tenor joint, then rotate it into place f. Attach the bell to the bass joint; press down the key to avoid bending the mechanism g. Insert the bocal into the tenor joint i. Be very careful with the whisper key mechanism. If the instrument has a whisper key lock, forcing the bocal in could bend the rod. ii. Twist the bocal in all the way, and make sure the hole in the side can be completely covered by the pad on the mechanism h. Insert the hook on the seat strap into the ring attached to the boot i. Adjust height of bassoon by moving the strap under your legs j. Reverse directions for disassembly 2. Care and Maintenance a. Use a cleaning rod or a swab to remove the moisture from the inside of the tenor joint. Occasionally do the same for the bass joint and bell. b. Drop a weighted cloth through the boot to get the moisture from the bottom i. When you reach the boot, tip it towards the smaller hole (the one with the metal lining) so that the water does not come into contact with the wood ii. Regularly dismantle the entire metal section of the boot and clean out the bend in the bottom c. Bocal business i. Blow out the water from the cork side ii. Use a pipe cleaner to remove debris from inside d. Wipe down exterior with a dry cloth to remove fingerprints e. Oil keys regularly, three or four times a year f. Replace leaky pads as needed 3. Embouchure a. Pull the lower jaw back to enhance overbite b. Form mouth as though saying the word tomb c. Pull lower lip over bottom teeth d. Center reed on bottom lip

Form lips around reed like a drawstring, with enough reed in the mouth so that the upper lip is almost touching the wire 4. Holding and Finger Position a. In general, the hands should feel like they are holding cans of soda i. i.e., not gripping ii. No tension b. Avoid having the hands slide upwards, as this pulls the lower fingers away from the keys or tone holes. c. The instrument should come to you, not you to it d. Rest positions are based on environment and personal preference i. Diagonally across lap (unhook from seat strap) ii. Held in playing position away from mouth iii. Vertically on right side of the body with bocal over the shoulder 1. Be alert to anything directly behind you, do not accidentally run the reed into a music stand iv. If placed on the floor, lay it with thumb keys up and remove bocal. e. For transportation purposes, the bocal can be removed and placed in the bell (cork side out) f. The bassoon can be played in several ways i. With a seat strap (seated), ii. With a neck strap (seated or standing), iii. Or with a harness (standing) 5. Articulation a. Use syllables too and tee b. The tip of the tongue should contact just below the tip of the bottom reed c. When articulating between notes, enough pressure must be applied to stop the vibration of the reed d. The tip of the tongue does not go between the two reeds e. The air may be stopped by the tongue in special cases, but generally there will be a quick decay of sound f. For legato tonguing, the air is slightly interrupted, but the stream is never stopped 6. Tone Production and Quality a. Most people are inclined to buzz willy-nilly on the reed; however, it is in ones best interests to produce a lower gurgling sound. A double crow is a sign of a good reed. b. Develop consistency in the middle register with long tones, then gradually expand the range down to Bb and upwards as high as possible. i. Beginning range: F2-F4 ii. Intermediate range: Bb1-A4 iii. Advanced range: Bb1-F5 c. Vibrato on bassoon is a very advanced technique that should not be introduced until after three or four years of study

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Clarinet
1. Assembly/Disassembly a. Open case with logo face up, or narrow side on top b. Take out middle joints i. Press upper joint key mechanism to facilitate bridge key ii. Align bridge key to spatula, align tone holes

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iii. For all connections: use a gentle twisting motion and apply cork grease if it is too difficult c. Attach bell to bottom middle joint d. Attach barrel to top e. Attach mouthpiece rectangle hole faces down f. Attach ligature g. Place flat of reed over hole in mouthpiece i. Tighten screw(s) on ligature just enough to secure reed in place. ii. Make sure screw(s) are in the correct position (above or below mouthpiece) Care and Maintenance a. General care i. Wipe down exterior of instrument with nonabrasive cloth to remove oils from hands and prevent corrosion ii. Remove moisture from the inside of body and neck using appropriate swabs or a cloth iii. Wipe down mouthpiece to remove moisture and any extraneous substances b. Maintenance i. Oil keys at pivot screws regularly and when required ii. Have pads and felt replaced by a professional iii. Use cigarette paper to remove moisture from under pads to prevent sticking Embouchure and Reed Placement a. Flatten chin, long face b. Place lower lip over bottom teeth c. Bring corners of mouth in around mouthpiece d. Hold mouthpiece in place by biting tip gently with upper teeth Holding and Finger Position a. Flat C with hands, thumbs remain straight and remaining fingers naturally curve b. Relaxed grasp, pads of fingers contact keys, left thumb and forefinger must be able to rotate up over register key and A key c. Tone holes must be completely sealed d. Relaxed pinkies to facilitate quick movement between E,F,F# and B,C,C# e. Playing position i. 35-45 from vertical i. Regardless of position, mouthpiece must enter mouth parallel to lips. Do not adjust angle of head. b. Rest position i. Across lap from left knee to right hip ii. Vertical on right knee/thigh Articulation a. Use the to visualize tonguing (front middle of tongue touches tip of reed) b. Back teeth open Tone Production and Quality a. Clarinet tone is pure (no vibrato) b. Develop smooth tone by working on embouchure and long tones c. Airy tone results from loose corners or poor moderation of air speed d. Long tones in the throat register help to match tone with other registers Reeds a. Rico is cheap, Van Doren is better b. Reeds out of the box need to be broken in by playing on them for a while

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Always rotate several (3-4) reeds so that if one breaks, you do not have to start on a new one (especially in performance situations) d. A single reed will last two to three weeks with constant playing e. Reed must be soaked properly to produce the most efficient tone; do not over-soak f. Store reeds in cases to prevent warping. If reed becomes warped, soak it and flatten it by pressing it against the mouthpiece (or just play on it for a bit)

Saxophone
1. Assembly and disassembly a. Assembly i. Open case on the ground with logo face up, or narrower side on top ii. Put on neckstrap iii. Soak reed in mouth iv. Attach hook/clip to the ring on the body of the instrument v. Insert neck into top of body, then tighten (but do not overtighten) screw to secure vi. Attach mouthpiece to cork with rectangular hole facing down; watch hand placement on neck, do not grip octave key mechanism 1. If it is difficult to attach MP, sand down cork and add grease vii. Place flat of reed over the hole in the mouthpiece, with the tapered side pointing towards you viii. Carefully slide ligature over mouthpiece, with screws to the right; tighten screws to secure reed b. Disassembly i. Loosen ligature screws and remove reed ii. Dry reed (suck moisture off or pat with a cloth) and store in case iii. Remove mouthpiece, cap iv. Loosen neck screw and remove neck (watch your grip) v. Unclip instrument body and store 2. Care and maintenance a. General care i. Wipe down exterior of instrument with nonabrasive cloth to remove oils from hands and prevent corrosion ii. Remove moisture from the inside of body and neck using appropriate swabs or a cloth iii. Wipe down mouthpiece to remove moisture and any extraneous substances b. Maintenance i. Oil keys at pivot screws regularly and when required ii. Have pads and felt replaced by a professional iii. Use cigarette paper to remove moisture from under pads to prevent sticking 3. Embouchure and reed placement a. Pretend the lips are a drawstring bag in order to apply even pressure to mouthpiece from all angles b. Cover lower teeth with bottom lip, but resist the temptation to push down; instead, push up against reed with bottom lip c. Use dental wax or denture pads to prevent damage to inside of lip d. Reed should be placed on mouthpiece so that a barely perceptible edge of black remains 4. Holding and finger position a. Flat C with hands, thumbs remain straight and remaining fingers naturally curve b. Relaxed grasp, pads of fingers contact keys

c. Right thumb holds some of the weight under the hook, left thumb on black button d. Playing position i. For alto: instrument falls between legs (preferred) or to the side; for tenor: instrument falls to side ii. Regardless of position, mouthpiece must enter mouth parallel to lips. Do not adjust angle of head, rotate mouthpiece e. Rest position i. Instrument falls naturally onto thigh, or ii. Instrument is held vertically resting on thigh with neck and mouthpiece over right shoulder 5. Articulation a. Air needs to be at speed immediately to overcome the vibration threshold of the reed (i.e., do not try to sneak in because you will have missed your entrance) b. Tip of the tongue contacts reed to stop vibration between notes c. Visualize brushing hair with fingertips lightly 6. Tone production and quality a. Adjust embouchure and air speed to avoid sounding honky (unless that is the desired effect) b. Air speed remains constant over the break (middle C#-D) to even out tone c. Use lower lip to cushion reed to compensate for change in resistance (lots of holes covered then opened suddenly) 7. Reeds a. Rico is cheap, Van Doren is better b. Reeds out of the box need to be broken in by playing on them for a while c. Always rotate several (3-4) reeds so that if one breaks, you do not have to start on a new one (especially in performance situations) d. A single reed will last three weeks to a month with constant playing e. Reed must be soaked properly to produce the most efficient tone; do not over-soak f. Store reeds in cases to prevent warping. If reed becomes warped, soak it and flatten it by pressing it against the mouthpiece (or just play on it for a bit)