Видео

Mollenhauer has a delicate contrabassoon sound. They are very soft to play. I've played Moosman Contra and they have more power. Mollenhauer are much softer, but less powerful.

I love bassoon/contrabasson. I have no idea how to play them, however I make a decent sound on one (I tried a bassoon last year)

Best existing Contrabassoon make.

What an amazing sound! Wonderful video!

Does anyone know or have they heard a story that supposedly bill wattenburg was a male prostitute to work his way through college?

Lovely! I really like the sound. If possible to try one out, can you do a comparison with the contrabsn by Thore. It’s said that that they are Amati stencils, so basically the same. But maybe like Howarth, having their own specifications? Also, what are you using for electronic sheet music? It’s not a Gvido I guess, nor an iPad on it’s side.

Dudes!!! Bravo! Mad props to the bassoonist playing that piccolo part!!

I used to play a 1980s Amati ACL 315 clarinet. The pinky keys were a bit clunky but It worked pretty well and was mostly in tune. I ended up selling it in favour of an R13 full boehm.

There was a young fellow named Otto Who could f@rt like a contrafagotto But the orchestra pit / Started smelling like sh!t And he never achieved a vibrato.

Love the, sound..

Really neat extension, I was wondering how much length it adds to the instrument? As in the visible outside length added between the bell and body?

I wanna know what the key below what I assume is the c# key does. I'm also curious about what fingering you have to use to make Eb3,E3, and F3 sound good

My contra is easy to play but difficult to master. I find the low pedal tones are easier than high notes, but you play them with ease. I admire that. I have an Amati contra and my bassoon looks like an infant compared to my big baby.

I Love my Amati. I don't recall it clacks like yours, but it could be that it does. Do you find when you play it is not as obvious? I need to take mine out and try something like this. I have played more Rimsky-Korsakov, and more modern pieces on my contra, the classical repertoire, while wonderful, is limited to the contra often doubling the bassoon or cellos an octave below. Nice video. Have to try the cork idea on the upper thumb rest! Thanks for sharing your contra!

My brother owned a Mollenhauer contrabassoon when he was still in high school in the Detroit area. 1970-71. Very same vintage as the one in this video. Serial #532. He studied with the contra player in the Detroit Symphony Orchestra and unfortunately went to study with Hugh Cooper in Ann Arbor. My brother dropped out of school and never played bassoon again. I remember we sold the contra for $2600 to a member of the Seattle Symphony?

This video posits an interesting concept, but couldn’t one find it tiring to switch back and forth like that over a lengthened period of time?

I do love your chanel BUT wish you would use metric ...

The cork idea is absolutely genius! I play the same horn for my high school, and the hand positioning can get quite uncomfortable when playing for long periods of time. I ran to my kitchen to try the cork idea, and it works fabulously. Thanks!

It would be a pleasure, if you reviewed a Kronwalt contrabassoon! Your reviews are detailed and your speaking voice is pleasant. 😊

Beautiful resonant sound. One of my favorite Bach Minuets! Bravo!

Thank you!!!

Have you tried a Huller contra? I have one with the low A bell It's an easy blowing instrument.

My school has this horn, and I am trying to figure everything out😅 Thank you!

But what about for passages like in Mahler that require you to go back and forth between low A and low Bb

Would you be able to do a guide video how to play contra coming from a regular bassoon, I'm having an opportunity to play one in my local orchestra but there seems to be no guides online and It'd be great to have one, thanks.

Castanets, lol! Thank you for doing these videos! I so appreciate the no-nonsense, non-competitive way you discuss these instruments. If you can get your hands on a compact Kronwalt, that would be amazing!

Bassoons that feature a Low A Key (whole family) should become more popular these days due to their versatility.

This is an amazing Bassoon!

Horns???? These are bassoons!

Cool idea, I like it!

And right next to it you can see the old Vaca Valley Raceway!

Thanks for adding this @ProducerJ! I played this in my high school band in the mid-80s.

That’s pretty cool

I wanna hear the section at 1:40 and 1:44 on contrabassoon!

I have this same model contrabassoon, only it was made in 1952 there is no tuning slide as in it does not extend and it does not have the original case. But I use a Fox 1 bocal with it. I use an Alteri case, so that’s nice. I do have an older designed peg that instead of a screw, it has a pin that keeps it in place, no resonators, and the color is more oak wood brown than that red color.

I bought my 62 and drive it through wine country on the North Fork of Long Island!Great drive!gtjoey1314

What do you think of the Amati's? I played an older one when we did Pictures at an Exhibition and it seemed to do it's job well, however I have nothing to compare it to. Everyone seems to just hate Amati but I wanted an actual professional opinion. The instrument worked for me but like I said, it's the only contrabassoon I've ever played so I don't know how it holds up against some of the more "Prestigious" names. The reason I'm asking is because I want to buy a contrabassoon and if an instrument that is 20-30k cheaper does just as well, then financially it's a better choice.

View #12

That is a wonderful sound!

I LOVE IT!!!

Wow! Is there somewhere you got this arrangement from that I could get it??

Thank you for doing such a great demo! Justin and I played together in an Orchestra for a few years. I played both Justin's Heckel and Moosemann years ago and both had interesting tones. I had a Puchner which I sold to Miller Marketing in 2012.

I just heard that one of my favorite radio talk show host past away recently. Dr. Bill Wattenburg. He wasn't just my favorite but also my dad's. From Vancouver, Canada we listened to his talk shows from the 1980s through to 2011 on a San Francisco radio station broadcasting at 50'000 watts. Because the station had very good radio propagation in the evenings, he had many listeners in British Columbia and even as far away as Alaska. Bill Wattenburg was the host of "The Open Line to the West Coast", heard Saturday and Sunday evenings 10 p.m. to 1 a.m. from San Francisco on radio KGO, AM 810. Bill will be missed and not forgotten for holding onto scientific fact while discarding unprooven ideas and rumors. Rest in peace Dr. Bill Wattenburg (1936 - August 2018).

You should seek out a Schreiber contra to review. The newer ones especially have some fantastic key work, in my eyes. It’s less difficult to get “lost” on the key work too

Great video! What is the function of rollers on contrabassoons? I don't understand what are they used for. I don't play bassoon. I am a composer.

I just fine the term "horn" odd, what is wrong with instrument?

I'd love to see an Amati demo.

I play bassoon and I want to learn contra. Is it hard to play?

Very nice report. We will add it to our RUclips channel. Best regards Gustav Mollenhauer & Söhne KG

Sounds great, warm tone. Glad you met up with Chip Owen.