The bassoon is by far one of the lowest sounding members of the woodwind family of acoustic musical instruments, and it is also perceived by many to be one of the most versatile. The double reed nature of the bassoon gives it a quality that is rich and slightly buzzing in the lower notes, and higher up it has a sweet nasal sound. Bassoons are capable of being largely expressive when they act as solo instruments, and they offer a warm vibrato that enables them to sound similar to a resonant baritone singer, or otherwise quite remarkably human. The bassoon is also outstanding for creating a punchy and rhythmic line, and as a bass instrument they are more than capable of providing support for an entire orchestra with ease.

The bassoon is very capable of creating high notes despite the fact that it is the lowest instrument in the entire woodwind family. The bassoon is so long that it has to be bent in half, otherwise it would be too big for anyone to be capable of playing. Even so, bassoon players have to play the instrument while sitting down, and they have to use a strap in order to properly support the instrument. Despite the size and the deep sound that is created by the bassoon, this is an instrument that is capable of creating some truly fast notes as well.

The bassoon is typically comprised of maple wood. Just like the Oboe, which is another woodwind instrument, the bassoon is played using a double reed. In order to create the proper sound, the player is required to blow through the double reed, which is attached to the instrument by way of a crook that leads into the instrument's main body. Bassoon players press different key combinations on the body of the instrument in order to change the pitch of the notes that they are attempting to play.

There is another instrument worth knowing, which is the contrabassoon, which is an instrument that is even larger than the standard bassoon. The contrabassoon is capable of playing an entire octave lower than the traditional bassoon, and it creates a sound that is very rich and deep. The contrabassoon is well placed in certain compositions, including Emerging Dances by David Horne and the Mother Goose suite by Ravel.

The bassoon is most often heard in classical music, and it is also known to take on a comical role. It is also more than capable of playing very quickly. When it is played at the top of the instrument's register, the results are very different and a completely unique sound is produced. Because of the versatility that these instruments offer, bassoons have found their way into orchestras for many years. There are a wide variety of different bassoons, some which are larger and other smaller, but the most common bassoon to find its way into the orchestra family is the contrabassoon because it's octave-lower range gives it a wider range of capability.

Photo Credits: TomD.

Originally posted 2009-08-04 05:15:32. Republished by Blog Post Promoter

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Acoustic Musical Instruments, Bassoon, For Beginners, Instrument History

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Acoustic Musical Instruments, baritone singer, bass instrument, Bassoon, bassoon players, bassoons, combinations, contrabassoon, double reed, maple wood, Oboe, pitch, resonant baritone, solo instruments, vibrato, woodwind family, woodwind instrument