I've been asked many times how a different instrument can affect one's playing, and what's more important - try to invest into a good bocal, or look for a better instrument instead?



I own two pretty different instruments - thin wall prewar Heckel 8k series, and a thick wall Yamaha 812 which is a copy of postwar Heckel design. They feel pretty different but I like them both. I played both of them without any warm-up on this recording, and recorded two fragments of music on each one using different reeds, and different bocals. My personal opinion is that first of all, people will recognize YOUR individual timbre. Then, a good setup (reed + bocal) can define many things. And the instrument itself, surely matters but only if it's truly mediocre/trashed. Most pro league instruments are just great and all heated discussions regarding best brands etc. make us loose the point. The idea is to get the instrument which suits you the best, and find a right setup. And if you cannot afford a good instrument, a good setup alone can do wonders



1st fragment was recorded on Heckel using a bocal which was chosen specially for this instrument, a Heckel CCV1.

2nd fragment was recorded on Yamaha, using the same setup. As you can see, the differenve is really slight

3 rd fragment - on Yamaha playing a new reed, and a prewar Heckel C1 bocal. The difference is greater that between fragments No. 1 and No. 2

4th fragment - Heckel again, this time on a new reed and poorly-fitted Yamaha C1 bocal. Compare this with a Fragment No. 1 as well - the difference is very noticeable

CONCLUSION - first of all, you need to feel comfortable. If the reed and the bocal suit you well, you are going to sound great on any pro level instrument. And if you don't feel comfortable, don't expect wonders on any instrument. After all, it's you who makes the instrument play. Bassoon alone does not produce any sound

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