Two things I will say. The first is, you might have one or more leaks in the boot joint. That's not uncommon, particularly in the pancake key. The second thing is, playing soft in the low register is difficult on bassoon, and you will likely never be able to match what, say, a clarinet can do. And tonguing gets more and more sluggish the lower you go.
Could be leaks...could also be your reeds. How heavy is the back, channels, and rails? You have to balance how thick these areas are so that you can improve response in the low register (meaning easier articulation and soft playing) and gradually darken the reed over time, but taking out too much cane in these areas can make it difficult to project and generate power when you need it. You also need to relax your embouchure and have a more open voicing in the low register.
This absolutely could be a reed thing. Response across the range is determined by different parts of the reed. One of the ways I usually test reeds is by playing low D and seeing how well the reed responds to articulation on that note. Id see u/bchinfoon 's comment for what to scrape.
Two things I will say. The first is, you might have one or more leaks in the boot joint. That's not uncommon, particularly in the pancake key. The second thing is, playing soft in the low register is difficult on bassoon, and you will likely never be able to match what, say, a clarinet can do. And tonguing gets more and more sluggish the lower you go.
Could be leaks...could also be your reeds. How heavy is the back, channels, and rails? You have to balance how thick these areas are so that you can improve response in the low register (meaning easier articulation and soft playing) and gradually darken the reed over time, but taking out too much cane in these areas can make it difficult to project and generate power when you need it. You also need to relax your embouchure and have a more open voicing in the low register.
seconding the relaxed embouchure, and adding a fully engaged core. breath support is key to getting the bottom octave to speak softly.
This absolutely could be a reed thing. Response across the range is determined by different parts of the reed. One of the ways I usually test reeds is by playing low D and seeing how well the reed responds to articulation on that note. Id see u/bchinfoon 's comment for what to scrape.
stunt reeds for high notes, stunt reeds for soft low notes. These reeds aren't good for most playing, but will serve for special occasions