Solitary Refinement: Chromatics, Chords & Scales - Concepts for the Committed Bassoonist hardcover, 432 pagesby Nadina Mackie Jackson - Canadian bassoonist and author A musician's journey never ends, and the work is often solitary. Fortunately for bassoonists, Solitary Refinement can be a trusted companion throughout their musical career, replete with exercises adaptable by bassoon students who are still developing their skills, all the way to virtuosi seeking to perfect their craft. Drawing on her extensive career as a professional bassoonist and teacher, Nadina Mackie Jackson has assembled a comprehensive volume of technical exercises for the serious bassoonist. This book covers chromatic scales in many permutations and intervals, diatonic scales and chords, and exercises designed to strengthen fundamental basics, such as fingering, embouchure, double tonguing, vibrato, tuning and tone quality. In elegant, accessible prose, Nadina Mackie Jackson also shares her wisdom on the importance and philosophy of technical practice, with sensible advice on how to build good habits. Beyond the exercises, this book also serves as a guide for bassoonists on how to set personal goals and develop a sustained practice that will nurture their musical growth over a lifetime. Solitary Refinement is designed for the seriously committed bassoonist of any age to maintain, develop and expand their command of the bassoon, and will inspire players to see themselves in a world that combines musical passion and fundamental discipline. Nadina Mackie Jackson joined the Montreal Symphony Orchestra at age twenty-two and began teaching at McGill University the same year, kicking off a long and successful career as a professional bassoonist and teacher. She is the most recorded solo bassoonist in Canadian history with many solo, chamber music and orchestral albums to her credit, including the Juno Award-shortlisted Canadian Concerto Project. She has taught at the University of Toronto, the Glenn Gould Professional School of the Royal Conservatory of Music, the State University of New York at Fredonia, and at many international masterclasses. She is the president and founder of the Council of Canadian Bassoonists. Many composers have written new works specifically for Nadina, and her students can be found performing and teaching throughout North America and beyond. When Nadina isn't travelling to present concerts or teach, she lives in the near north of Ontario, Canada, in a fine log house built by her late father B. Allan Mackie at the edge of the forest, with a grumpy calico named Diva Hardcover, 432 pages.
