The contributing factors to bassoon intonation include, but are not limited to: Reed length Reed width Reed hardness Length of bocal Embouchure pressure Speed of airstream The player's ear Temperature of the instrument The list seems to go on forever! But if we learn to control a few of those factors, we have greater control over our pitch in general. First, if you're not sure what I mean by pitch or intonation, start with the intonation page and do some ear-training exercises. Now, let's look at some of those factors we can control. (Chart courtesy of David Rachor, University of Northern Iowa.)
Experiment with changing pitch using those factors. Use a tuner to see how the pitch goes up or down. Once you are reliably able to adjust pitch either up or down using your air and your embouchure, it's time for the next step.
Learn Your Pitch Tendencies
The number one way to improve your tone quality is to listen, and that's true of intonation as well. To really get to know your instrument and its intonation tendencies, approach it like a scientist. Here is a document that will take you through a few key notes; first, the concert Bb scale, and then a few common problem notes for bassoon. There are also some blank spots for you to document other notes that may be giving you problems. Print this page and take notes each day you practice. If you focus on a few notes every week, you'll learn a lot within the first month. NOTE: The goal of this exercise is not to give you tedious note-taking to do! It's to train your ears in a measurable, step-by-step way. Think of it like conditioning exercises for a sport, or gaining skills in a video game. It's not the reason we play, but it makes playing way better!