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Bassoon player gets noticed . . . because it's hard not to hear him By
Natalie Larson
The deep notes resonate through the still room and echo 100 yards down the hallways and through closed doors of Utah State University's Kent Concert Hall like a whale's song in the ocean. "We could hear you in there," one of the orchestra members coming from the stage chides. "Somebody was right in the middle of their solo." Joseph "Joey" Jones apologizes and starts to pack away his polished, maple instrument. It's hard not to hear a bassoon. Jones will play the "Concerto in F" by Carl Maria von Weber in the annual Concerto Evening sponsored by the USU music department, featuring winners of the 2001 Student Concerto Competition at 7:30 p.m. Monday in the Kent. The soloists will perform with the Utah State Symphony Orchestra under the direction of Brant Bayless. Bayless said this piece is light and like a march in the beginning. It is unique because it gives the bassoon a solo instead of a supporting role. This woodwind instrument is a U-shaped pipe about 4 feet long with a thin metal tube connecting to the reed. It's about two octaves lower than the oboe. Dennis Hirst, Jones' teacher, said, "It's one of the more difficult orchestral instruments to play." Hirst said this is due to the fact that the "instrument is very archaic." "There haven't been significant improvement to the instruments for hundreds of years. It's still a rather primitive design. There is a lot of difficulty getting it to work correctly. Every time you pick up a bassoon it's a different instrument," Hirst said. Hirst also said it's not a very glamorous instrument because is doesn't have a dynamic range and it's "on the soft side." "I was fascinated with the instrument," Hirst said. "There's something about the sound. It sounds very human. It has qualities like the human voice." Jones has been playing the bassoon for 6 1/2 years. "I started playing the piano and wanted to play something else," Jones said. His teacher had suggested the bassoon, and he has been playing since. "It's not terribly common," Jones said. "But it's common enough." It was rare enough that he was the only bassoon player out of 25 people to audition for the Concerto Evening. "I enjoy it because it allows me to express, musically, ideas," Jones said. Jones is from Brigham City, and he's a sophomore at Utah State University majoring in music performance. Hirst said, "The most immediate thing that stood out about Joey was when I first started teaching him. He had a real lousy bassoon, but he had a natural affinity for the instrument. He was much closer than most students right from the beginning. It's a hard job to get the sound you want out of the instrument." Jones said he'd like to play in a symphony as a regular job. He said he thinks he has a pretty good chance to make this happen if he works hard. "It just seems like it's going to happen," Jones said. Hirst said that job openings with orchestras that pay well enough to make a living are few. Generally groups will keep two to three bassoonists on their payrolls at a time. The only time a job opens is when someone retires. "He certainly has the ability to have a professional performing career. He still has some education to go before he realizes that goal, but he has that potential," Hirst said. Even though there are fewer bassoon players, Hirst said they are still competitive. The Utah Symphony might have 150 applicants for each position. "I really believe he will play professionally. It will be a difficult path, and he'll have to work his way up through the ranks," Hirst said. Hirst said Jones will need to continue practicing and getting the performance experience by playing in groups. Jones said he occasionally flies to Minnesota to take lessons from John Miller. Hirst also said he studies under Miller. "He's more than prestigious," Jones said. "He's recognizably one of the best three bassoon players in the world." Jones said he's the only bassoon player who's a music major at USU. He said he came here because it was cheaper for him than going to directly to Minnesota to study. He's going on a mission for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints to Melbourne, Australia, this summer. Then he plans to go to school in Minnesota to be closer to his teacher. Jones said he practices an average of two hours a day and attends rehearsals for about an additional two hours. He's a member of the USU Orchestra, the Wind Orchestra and the Caine Woodwind Quartet. He said he's taking only 12 credits because he wanted to be able to spend the day playing. Jones is employed by the school as a bassoon teacher and has one student. Hirst said, "I think he's a very good teacher. He has a natural ability to communicate what he's trying to teach. He's also a very thoughtful student." Jones said, "I don't do it for the crowds; I do it for the musical experience." He's the first in his family to be so directly interested in music, and he attributes his passion to his good teachers. "Make sure you have a good teacher. There are so many ways to do it wrong, and there are so few ways to do it right. The majority do it wrong," Jones said. Playing the bassoon right involves how "you approach how you play," Jones said. "It's how you support the sound with your air and adjust the tone of each note," Jones said. Hirst said Jones is hard working and committed. He follows through on his responsibilities and commitments. "He's a good guy. He's very well thought of among the other students. They enjoy working with him, and he enjoys working with them. He has a good personality. That's very important when working with groups," Hirst said. Tickets for the Concerto Concert are available at the door. They are $3 for the public and free with a student ID. The concert will feature students on the piano, strings, winds and vocals.
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