THE ORCHESTRA: A USER'S MANUAL

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BASSOONS

Section: Woodwind
Transposing? No

Construction
Range
Articulations
Effects
Extended
Player's Tips and Tricks

Links

 

The contrabassoon's practical range is from the low Bb0 to around Db4 (and usually has a low A extension). Note that the contra sounds an octave lower than written.

The bassoon's range is Bb1 to E5 and even above that. It can also reach the low A1, but this requires a tube to be inserted, and the low Bb is unavailable if this extension is used:

longest possible notes
dynamic shapes

To hear notes at various dynamics across the range, first choose bassoon or contrabassoon

The contra range ends around here. Some higher notes may be achieved on the bassoon, but are unreliable, as follows: