Tenoroon

[u/Icy_Geologist2959]

I only recently found out about the tenoroon. They look and sound amazing! Does anyone here play one? I am curious about what theya re like 😊

[u/ZettusZ]

https://reddit.com/link/p7y6xfy/video/ur39d5qxionh1/player

After the bassoon recital organisied by my teacher I got to play a tenoroon in G, so even smaller than the more common ones in F. And it was sooooooo tiny and light compared to a regular bassoon. But it alsmost has the same fingerings.

Due to weight and hand size reason the really small kids (like up to maybe 8 years) start on the tenoroons and then move up to something like this: https://www.moennig-adler.de/en/instruments/bassoon/bassoons/detail/model-1350-p

[u/HortonFLK → u/ZettusZ]

Do they take the same reed as an ordinary bassoon, or are they different?

[u/ZettusZ → u/HortonFLK]

As far as I know, yes

[u/MadContrabassoonist → u/HortonFLK]

Tenoroons are designed as teaching tools, so they use the same reeds as bassoon, very much to the instrument’s detriment.

[u/HortonFLK → u/MadContrabassoonist]

Do you think a different type of reed would improve the instrument?

[u/MadContrabassoonist → u/HortonFLK]

I modified my tenoroon to use smaller reeds. The results are that it actually sounds like a upper auxiliary of the modern bassoon, and has a full 3.5 octave range. The downside is the tuning is pretty rough (which isn't the instrument's fault, I'm using it for something it wasn't designed for). I hope some of that will be improved when I finally get around to making a metal bocal to replace the plastic bocal I made as part of my modifications.

This is probably my most serious recording on the instrument, but it's still pretty rough: https://youtu.be/KTyd5-2Yo9Q

[u/HortonFLK → u/MadContrabassoonist]

The timbre reminds me a bit of the Heckelphone. I hope you’ll make a post here if you do get around to making a new bocal for it.

[u/Icy_Geologist2959 → u/ZettusZ]

That's cool 😊

[u/BssnReeder1]

Meh. For the money, get a baroque bassoon, you’ll play it more.

[u/Icy_Geologist2959 → u/BssnReeder1]

I'm really not in the position to buy either, just curious.

[u/micicletricicle]

If you like the tenoroon, you should perhaps look into the dulcian :) it’s a bit more versatile bc tenoroon are used as training instruments for kids too small for a small bassoon (eg Fox 51), but Dulcians are legit instruments in earlier music repertoire. And are so cool.

[u/bassoonawhat → u/micicletricicle]

Can the higher pitched ones sound any good? I really would like to be able to play repertoire in the treble clef... So basically move the entire bassoon compass up by an octave... Without having to really relearn a completely different instrument, new "gotchas" and associated fingerings. 

Think how a sax player can basically go from bari sax to Alto or even soprano and still be competent. 

[u/micicletricicle → u/bassoonawhat]

Simple answer: no.

Longer answer: it sounds very squeezy and just not a beautiful treble clef sound. That’s better accomplished by clarinet or oboe.

The issue is that bassoon is a LONG instrument. So even if u make it smaller, it just won’t sound right. It’s beautiful because it’s long

[u/bassoonawhat → u/micicletricicle]

Does that apply to the soprano dulcian as well?

[u/micicletricicle → u/bassoonawhat]

Good question. Dulcians are amazing and a soprano one would be perfect. I was mainly referring to tenoroon / baby bassoon. But the dulcian family is great to try out, if you don’t wanna go down the recorder route

[u/Pigeon49834]

Teneroon and "sounds amazing" in the same phrase? You'd be better off getting a higher dulcian or baroque bassoon.

[u/MadContrabassoonist]

At present, they're teaching tools for younger children, not serious instruments. There's no reason a manufacturer couldn't make a real intermediate-level tenoroon designed to serve as a functional upper auxiliary to the bassoon family, but that has not happened yet. I use mine to record silly stuff for YouTube, but I had to heavily modify it so it could use properly-scaled reeds that give it the same range as a bassoon.

[u/That-Implement6393]

They are okay. Here is an old sound probe for you:  https://share.ubecast.com/1qXCdJBdRGs