You won’t believe what I’ve just gone and done. I’ve bought myself a bassoon.
Now, just to put you in the picture, a long long time ago, when there were still wolves in Wales, I played bassoon. I suppose I started around the age of fourteen. I made the county youth orchestra and a couple of local amateur orchestras. I also played in a wonderful early music group. I’ll be honest with you, I was good, although not that good. My bassoon was just a cheap Chinese model, the best my parents could afford. It did me well though. I studied music going through my teacher training college. Also for my first teaching job, I helped out with the school orchestra.
Sadly though, for a number of reasons, my bassoon playing came to an end….I must have been in my early thirties at the time. I was becoming increasingly interested in traditional folk music. I think I remember lusting after a better concertina so I traded in my bassoon. It was without a doubt, probably one of the most stupid things I’ve done in my life. It left me with loads of regrets.
I recently started collecting my old-age pension. More than thirty years have passed since I last parped a bassoon. Occasionally I’d take a look at Ebay to see whether anybody was giving bassoons away but they were all way outside of my financial comfort zone. Then, just the other day, one came up. It was a cheap Chinese bassoon, just like the one I owned all of those years back. I could afford it. Not only that but it was listed as Collect Only….and the owner lived very close to me. Obviously, somebody had been listening to my prayers.
I bought it. It looks a bit knocked about and I think someday soon it will need a new set of pads. More importantly, though, it plays. Even more importantly, after all of these years, I can still play it. No idea what I’m going to play or when I’ll play it but at least I can no longer think, “I really wish I hadn’t sold my bassoon.”
That was written about four weeks ago. My playing is going from strength to strength although I doubt whether I'll ever manage the Mozart bassoon concerto again. At the moment, I'm putting together some of those Acapella videos....the ones where you record yourself playing an arrangement with yourself. I really am having tremendous fun.....and I probably wouldn't have achieved this if it hadn't been for lockdown.
Phil
Now, just to put you in the picture, a long long time ago, when there were still wolves in Wales, I played bassoon. I suppose I started around the age of fourteen. I made the county youth orchestra and a couple of local amateur orchestras. I also played in a wonderful early music group. I’ll be honest with you, I was good, although not that good. My bassoon was just a cheap Chinese model, the best my parents could afford. It did me well though. I studied music going through my teacher training college. Also for my first teaching job, I helped out with the school orchestra.
Sadly though, for a number of reasons, my bassoon playing came to an end….I must have been in my early thirties at the time. I was becoming increasingly interested in traditional folk music. I think I remember lusting after a better concertina so I traded in my bassoon. It was without a doubt, probably one of the most stupid things I’ve done in my life. It left me with loads of regrets.
I recently started collecting my old-age pension. More than thirty years have passed since I last parped a bassoon. Occasionally I’d take a look at Ebay to see whether anybody was giving bassoons away but they were all way outside of my financial comfort zone. Then, just the other day, one came up. It was a cheap Chinese bassoon, just like the one I owned all of those years back. I could afford it. Not only that but it was listed as Collect Only….and the owner lived very close to me. Obviously, somebody had been listening to my prayers.
I bought it. It looks a bit knocked about and I think someday soon it will need a new set of pads. More importantly, though, it plays. Even more importantly, after all of these years, I can still play it. No idea what I’m going to play or when I’ll play it but at least I can no longer think, “I really wish I hadn’t sold my bassoon.”
That was written about four weeks ago. My playing is going from strength to strength although I doubt whether I'll ever manage the Mozart bassoon concerto again. At the moment, I'm putting together some of those Acapella videos....the ones where you record yourself playing an arrangement with yourself. I really am having tremendous fun.....and I probably wouldn't have achieved this if it hadn't been for lockdown.
Phil
