contre-basson

noun. bas·​soon bə-ˈsün. ba- : a double-reed woodwind instrument having a long U-shaped conical tube connected to the mouthpiece by a thin metal tube and a usual range two octaves lower than that of the oboe.

: a double-reed woodwind instrument having a range an octave lower than that of the bassoon. called also double bassoon.

a double-reed instrument; the tenor of the oboe family.

The reed is considerably larger than the bassoon's, at 65–75 mm (2.6–3.0 in) in total length (and 20 mm (0.8 in) in width) compared with 53–58 mm (2.1–2.3 in) for most bassoon reeds. The large blades allow ample vibration that produces the low register of the instrument.

The bassoon player produce the sound by blowing into the reed. It is pitched in the key of C, notated in bass clef, although the tenor clef is used for highest registers. Its playing range goes from B-flat1 to F5.

The name "bassoon," used in the English-speaking world, also drives from a French word, "basson." Basson is a term used for a musical instrument similar to the earliest fagotto that also offered a low pitch range, and which started being referred to as the fagotto from the latter half of the 17th century.

The contrabassoon, or double bassoon, is an ungainly double-long bassoon playing an octave lower, which is very long and low indeed.

The terms for the instrument among classical performers are contrabass (which comes from the instrument's Italian name, contrabbasso), string bass (to distinguish it from brass bass instruments in a concert band, such as tubas), or simply bass.

The bassoon is the lowest member of the woodwind family and is essentially a long tube, folded in half, with lots of metal keys. If you were to “unfold” a bassoon, it would be almost 8 feet long! Even though the bassoon is much taller and bigger than the oboe, both instruments have a double reed.

The bassoon has a particularly wide range, wider than many wind instruments, which means it is quite flexible and able to play in a variety of situations. It can match with the tuba in its low range, and it can also play in tandem with high woodwinds like flutes and clarinets in its upper range.

The piccolo, contrabassoon, and other instruments whose parts are written an octave above or below the actual pitch (as c′ above c) are not considered transposing instruments.

C Key Transpose Charts