Care and Maintenance of a Bassoon
Before playing the bassoon

Because the body of a bassoon is made from natural wood, the instrument is very susceptible to sudden changes in temperature or humidity. Damage or warping of the body can prevent the sections from joining together smoothly, so a bassoon should be treated with care. Please note the following points:

• In winter, please wait for the whole instrument to adjust to the temperature of a warm room before playing.
  * Sudden changes to the temperature of the instrument can cause keys to jam, joints between sections to align poorly, and other defects.
• Do not play brand new instruments for extended periods. As a guide, aim to play for around 20-30 minutes per day during the first two weeks.
• Take care to thoroughly dry any moisture inside the instrument after playing.
• Dry any moisture around the surfaces of the joints.
• Where possible, use a cleaning swab to dry any moisture inside the instrument in breaks during performances.

Before assembling a bassoon, apply cork grease all the way around the joint cork as well as the bocal joint cork. When assembling the instrument, take care not to apply unreasonable force to any of the keys.
* Where a joint is wound with thread, it is not necessary to apply cork grease.