Book excerpt: Fine bassoon teachers are a rarity in all but cities with major symphony orchestras and/or a university with a distinguished music department faculty. William Spencer took up the challenge of providing material for the serious bassoonist with The Art of Bassoon Playing, published in 1958. With William Spencer's approval, Frederick Mueller took on the task of bringing to notice recent changes in bassoon playing, pedagogy, and manufacture, resulting in revised edition of The Art of Bassoon Playing.