If you are a young musician, maybe you've already made the decision to start the bassoon! If that is the case, congratulations and get ready to enjoy the most interesting instrument in the world :)
Or perhaps you haven't decided yet, but are having a conversation with your parents, school band director, or bassoon teacher about all the considerations...before you decide whether or not to switch!
One of the big decisions every beginning bassoonist makes is "Should I rent or buy a Bassoon?"
Here are some important considerations to think about!
1. Cost to Buy a Bassoon
Bassoons can be expensive. The most inexpensive new instruments are typically at least a couple thousand dollars or so. If you are adventurous and want to find a nicer used instrument, you may be lucky and also find something in this price range, but whether new or old bassoons can get quite expensive (the price for a new quality bassoon that you can play for a long time might easily be greater than $6,000.)
2. Current Level of Skill
Are you a beginner playing the bassoon for the first time? If so, I would recommend renting your first bassoon! This will give you an idea for whether or not the instrument is the right one for you, and whether you might enjoy playing the instrument, before investing a lot of money into a bassoon.
3. Commitment
How committed are you to playing the bassoon? Maybe you've played for a few months or the first year. If you are not sure how long you will be playing, aren't able to spend a lot of time practicing, or aren't sure if you love playing the bassoon, it may be worthwhile to rent.
4. Rental Choices? Availability and Condition of Rental Bassoons
What are the actual bassoons available for rent near where you live?
Whether it is a local music shop providing the rental, or perhaps the music department at your school that has a loaner program, if possible, it might be worthwhile to see if you can try out all of the available bassoons to see how well they will work for you! Some bassoons available for rental are just fine for beginners, but others may be in not the best shape and could really make it more difficult to play (and therefore enjoy) playing the bassoon.
I still remember my first rental bassoon from a local music store, and how excited I was when I played my first note! The bassoon wasn't perfect by any means, but because I was just starting off and had never played before, I knew that renting to start would be the right decision for me :)
If you're thinking about renting a bassoon, make sure check out our blog post "Top 5 things to check when renting a Bassoon."
If you're still not sure whether or not you should switch to the bassoon, here's a Boss Class video explaining some of the things you'll definitely want to consider:
BOSS Class Episode 1 "Switching from Clarinet to Bassoon?"
Everyone's situation will probably be different. But hopefully this is a useful starting point for some things to think about at this stage of your bassoon journey! Good luck and have fun!!