20 Best Bassoon Book Reviews 2022 (Best Books to Learn Bassoon)

1. Essential Elements 2000: Bassoon Book 2

Understanding to play Bassoon is not an easy task and this book tells you exactly what you are going to need to make it work for you. Written by Various, this book is a perfect choice for you if you are willing to learn what it takes and work towards it so you can learn playing Bassoon in the right manner.

The book contains essential elements for bands and solo playing so you can learn those lessons at your own comfortable pace. The book is also going to help you a lot with specific instruments designed exercises that you can practice at home conveniently to learn playing bassoon effectively. This book can help you get the right education anywhere, anytime, and sink in all that knowledge efficiently.

2. John O'Reilly, Mark Williams: Accent on Achievement Bassoon Book 1

Accent on Achievement is a revolutionary method that excites and stimulates your thoughts. The colored pages inspire your creativity and you can easily digest all the knowledge and guidance from this book to learn how you can play bassoon effectively.

Besides, the book is perfect for all the beginners who are willing to learn a constant approach and develop some regular practice habits to learn bassoon in the right manner. The book is best for rhythm and rest exercises as well.

It is written by John O’Reilly and Mark Williams to help students understand the 11 full band arrangements and scale exercises. You can also learn 12 major and minor keys on the bassoon so you won’t be feeling underconfident ever again with bassoon.

3. Douglas Spaniol: New Weissenborn Method for Bassoon

Weissenborn method is highly popular among bassoon players these days. This method has been in use for over a century for bassoon students to learn playing the instrument in an efficient manner. The book written by Douglas Spaniol, an expert on the method provides you a deeper insight into the ins and outs of this method and how you can use it yourself to learn playing the bassoon.

This book essentially contains all the resources and guidance that you are going to need to self-teach the method of Weissenborn and play bassoon with it in the best possible way. With the help of this book, you will also be learning some cool songs using the same method and practice them easily at home to polish your skills and make them ready to learn advanced level tunes.

4. J. Weissenborn: Practical Method for Bassoon

Written by the original creator for the Weissenborn method, J. Weissenborn this book is the best thing that you can get your hands on to learn playing the bassoon. He is considered a legend with bassoon due to his great method that has been used for centuries to help students learn how to play the bassoon.

With the help of this book, you can get your hands on all the information that you are going to need about his method and how you can use it for your own learning experience.

This book follows an easy to understand narrative and a better approach towards learning to play Bassoon. This treatise also contains a complete fingering chart, hundreds of exercises, and a dedicated chapter for the instrument to learn all about it.

5. Weissenborn/ Bettoney: CU96 - Weissenborn Method for Bassoon

While there are no second thoughts about the efficiency of Weissenborn methods, there are different perspectives, and hundreds of books have been written on the method. However, this one by Bettoney is considered one of the best books that have an elaborative explanation on the method. With the help of this book, you will not only be getting an understanding of the Weissenborn method to learn Bassoon but also you will be able to use it for yourself.

The book also contains some personal experience and findings of Bettoney written in his own signature style. This new England version is considered a key for those who are willing to learn Bassoon to play with an orchestra and make a professional career out of it.

6. John O'Reilly, Mark Williams: Accent on Achievement Bassoon Book 2

This is the second edition of Accent on Achievement by John O’Reilly and Mark Williams. The book contains a more advanced level of learning for intermediate level players who are done with the first book and looking to step up their game with Bassoon. This book proceeds the exercises and knowledge level so that you can improve their skills and make them grow gradually to a better place than you currently are.

This great book is also based on the bestselling edition of the classic band method. The best thing is that Accent on Achievement meets the USA national standards for music education and can also be used for music students to learn and practice the right skills.

7. Joseph E. Skornicka: Bassoon Rubank Elementary Method

The elementary method to learn playing Bassoon is one of the widely used methods in modern musical education. This book by Joseph E. Skomicka helps you understand the individual or like-instrument class instruction easily. This book uses a well-rounded approach towards scales, Arpeggios, technical studies, articulation studies, and more.

With the help of this book, you can learn solos, duets, and studies that are devoted to helping you understand the basic functions of bassoon and how you can make them work towards having a better approach for learning it the right way. This is the best book for any student or musician who wants to give the elementary method a go and learn some cool tricks through it.

8. Michael Sweeney: Bassoon Essential Elements Band Method

Movie songs are loved by everyone and you remember most of them already. This book turns your nostalgic feelings toward creativity. With the help of this book by Michael Sweeney, you will be understanding an in-depth perspective about those movie songs on Bassoon.

With these move favorites, you will be able to learn how to play them on bassoon either by a full band or individually.

9. Hal Leonard Corp.: Essential Elements for Band - Bassoon Book 1

While you can learn all that you want to about play Bassoon, it is not easy to play in a band. The essential elements that you need to learn if you are looking to play for a band are to learn not only how to master solo playing, but also how you can coordinate with the band and other instruments. There are numerous things that you need to understand like reading sheet music, making the right rhythm, and know when to pause.

With this book by Hal Leonard Corp., you will be able to have a better understanding on the band playing. This is the first edition of the Bassoon book that contains everything that you are going to need if you want to learn how to play bassoon for a band.

10. Douglas Spaniol: New Weissenborn Method for Bassoon Vol. 2

Weissenborn method cannot be explained enough. There is so much about the method that needs to be explained and hundreds of books written on the topic explain it even better. This second volume about the Weissenborn method by Douglas Spaniol provides a better and deeper narrative on the topic and you can learn everything you need to know about playing Bassoon.

This book contains a user-friendly version on the topic that requires a bit advanced level bassoon student. It will help you understand Bassoon with 15 key signatures and practice chromatic scales in a variety of keys. The book is overall well-organized in terms of content and also have a simpler perspective about key factors to learn about Bassoon.

11. Bruce Pearson: W21BN - Bassoon Standard of Excellence Book 1

Orchestral music used to and still holds great significance in the European culture. IT was considered to be sacred at times and still being a part of every notable occasion, this is something that you cannot possibly get wrong. With the help of this book by Bruce Pearson, you are not only going to learn how you can play Bassoon effectively but also how to achieve perfection and excellence over it.

The best thing you are going to get with this book is color drawings with the coding of important text and music motivate. You also get expanded French horn and percussion instruments in this book to have a better understanding of bassoon. The book contains insight into music from over 20 countries to help you get the right motivation.

12. Carl Fischer: Method For Bassoon

There are plenty of methods famous worldwide for playing bassoon and you can have your choice for your learning journey. However, if you are confused, this great book by Carl Fischer includes a detailed account of all those methods that you can adapt to learning bassoon.

The book contains a method for Bassoon by Julius Weissenborn, New England edition, and a lot more that you can take advantage of. You also get to have a chance to learn from 50 studies, Milde scales, and chords that will help you achieve perfection with your Bassoon playing experience.

13. Schirmer, Inc.: Solos for the Bassoon Player

Solos for the Bassoon Player is not just your ordinary textbook but a combination of several all-time popular solos that you can learn to start your journey with Bassoon. Written by Various, this is the perfect book you can get if you are past the basics of Bassoon and you want to learn something more advanced.

This book will help you prepare for exercising solo and take your confidence to the next level where you can perform in front of any audience alone without any hesitation. This compilation of solos contains all the right elements that you might need to understand the basics.

14. Bruce Pearson, Ryan Nowlin: W61BN - Bassoon Tradition of Excellence Book 1

Music requires excellence to impress the audience and hence you need to be nothing less than the perfect. This first edition by Bruce Pearson is the closest thing you can get to understand what you need to learn about playing Bassoon. It is a performance-centered band method book that blends classic and contemporary pedagogy.

Co-Author Ryan Nowlin also has done a commendable job in making the narrative simpler and easy to follow. This book presents a systematic and comprehensive musicianship curriculum that is unmatched in terms of understanding and knowledge delivery.

15. Amanda Oosthuizen, Jemima Oosthuizen: 50+ Greatest Classics for Bassoon

Bassoon has been one of the highly popular instruments over the past century. To learn bassoon, it is important for you to understand some of the famous bassoon tunes and how they can help you learn to play by ear.

This book by Amanda Oosthuizen and Jemima Oosthuizen contains over 50 classic tunes by the world's most famous composers. These tunes are arranged and elaborated in the book in the right order for you to understand how you can learn bassoon and mini bassoon. There are also some key tunes added for extended understanding on these instruments.

16. Janet Grice: Solos for the Bassoon Player

While playing for a band or orchestra is considered the toughest job, playing solo is the first step you take to reach there. With the help of this book, you get to learn about the solo tunes that you can learn and play to make it count and have the right skills to play Bassoon as a solo player.

The book does not have many texts or instructions but a detailed elaboration of these songs by these great composers of all time who have done a commendable job compiling this combination of all the solos that you can learn and practice.

17. Richard Polonchak: Primary Handbook for Bassoon

Music is but an obsession for those who have a thing for it. This primary handbook for Bassoon is the best thing that you can carry around if you want to learn bassoon. With the compact size, it is not only easy to carry but the narrative on this book is simpler and easy to follow. This makes it a perfect choice to learn things on-the-go and you can practice them easily at your leisure.

Written by Richard Polonchak, this book has a step-by-step approach towards learning bassoon and become a professional bassoon player. Whether you have planned to play bassoon solo or in an orchestra, you are going to get everything in this book to help you get there.

18. Javier Marcó: Easy Classical Bassoon Solos

You learn music with practice and that is the same with Bassoon as well. This is a collection of great classical pieces by the world’s most famous composers including Johann Sebastian Bach, Ludwig van Beethoven, George Frideric Handel, and Antonio Lucio Vivaldi. There are 18 easy and fun themes included playing as solos so beginners can understand the concepts in a better way.

Written by Javier Marco, the book contains some cool pieces that anyone can play easily and learn to grow your skills with Bassoon. The best thing about all these pieces is that you can play all of them along with piano or guitar so it would be perfect to play in bands as well.

19. Robert S., Peter B., Dave B., Bob P.: Revolutionary Method for Beginning Musicians (Bassoon)

Bassoon is not only played solo for tunes and orchestras but also for concert bands. It is a highly popular instrument for the European region and you can get your hands on the right skills that are required to play bassoon for a concert band.

With the help of this book by Robert Sheldon, Peter Boonshaft, Dave Black, and Bob Philips, you get a chance to understand what it takes to raise from a beginner musician to a professional Bassoon player for a concert band.

The book contains great motivation to inspire your creativity and help you build the innovation required to move your way up the ladder.

20. McDowells: Practical Studies for Bassoon

This is an elaborative book written by D. McDowells and edited by Nilo W. Hovey. While the book contains ample information and guidance to help you learn playing Bassoon, it is not recommended to treat it as a sole method to learn playing Bassoon. This book can be used as an aid to other supplementary learning methods to achieve perfection, but should not be used alone for better understanding.

The book is essentially divided into two general classifications with a study for rhythmic development and scale and interval exercises. These practical studies will not only help you learn the concepts and adapt them in a more apt manner but also practice along to brush up your bassoon playing skills.