Check out this leak!
June 20th, 2025
Check out this leak!
If the low register of your bassoon/contrabassoon is unresponsive or sounds unclear and muffled, more likely than not it is caused by leaks.
Persevering with leaks like this is bad for your technique and confidence as a player - you never quite know if that note will speak on time and with a good, round tone. Bassoons and contrabassoons develop leaks over time - from joints that aren't sealing, under old pads, or even through the wood itself if it hasn’t been oiled.
Leaks sneak in and add up over the years, and players don't realise how much they are battling with their instrument.
The low register is affected most, but leaks can and do affect the way the whole instrument plays, making it less responsive throughout the range and just more difficult to play.
Watch this video of a Heckel contrabassoon we overhauled recently which came in with dramatically leaking joints. We put the bottom U-bend in a bowl of water, and blew through the crook, revealing the significant (but common) leak, which was just one of many.
The strange thing - this contrabassoon was actually playable like that, but with a whispering quiet tone. The same principle applies to bassoons with leaks - the tone quality is greatly reduced, but you can get away with it by blowing harder.
This contrabassoon had been played for decades with leaks like this, but now it is twice the instrument it was before.
Resealing the joints led to a total transformation of the whole instrument; it now plays clearly and responsively just as it did when new.
If you would like to know more, this video below covers leaks in bassoons and contrabassoons in more detail:
If your instrument doesn’t play like it used to, contact us now to book your bassoon or contrabassoon in for a checkover.
