How do you care for a bassoon?

Answer 1

The most important thing that you need to do to properly care for a bassoon is to swab it out after everytime you play on it, even if you play just for a split-second, you need to swab it.

When you swab a bassoon, you are getting out the condensation that has accumulated in the instrument. What you are getting out with your swab is not spit. It is water. Not spit!! The water accumulates in the pipes of the instrument due to warm air being blown through the instrument. If the water stays there for too long, it will grow mold which would be extremely hard to get out. It's even more important to swab wooden bassoons (though plastic bassoons should be swabbed too) as the wood itself could grow mold.

Also, never give your bassoon a bath. It could ruin it. The only time you should give a bassoon a bath is with a professional that is testing it for leaks. Otherwise, don't give your bassoon a bath. That's for brass instruments, not woodwinds.

To make your bassoon seem more like yours, give it a name. I found that after I gave my bassoon a name that it played much better. If you can't come up with a name right away, don't worry. It took me two years before I came up with a good name for my bassoon. I named him Berkley, and my first bassoon I named Madeline...if that gives you any ideas.

Also, I gave my bassoon a small stuffed animal that lives in the case with it so that it doesn't grow lonely. It's a little elephant named Helda. You are under no obligation to give your bassoon a stuffed animal, but I think it's fun.

Most of all, the best thing you can do to care for your bassoon is to play it. Play it often, because the more you play it the better it will sound. That's why bassoons increase in value the longer they are around.