Bassoon

Woodwinds

Bass Clef

1668

• To play the bassoon, musicians blow through a double reed. The reeds vibrate against each other and create sound!
• The bassoon is 4 feet long and is one of the heaviest instruments in the orchestra.
• To help hold the bassoon in the right place to play, musicians will commonly clip a strap to the bottom of the bassoon, place it across their chair, and sit on it.
• The other common instrument in the bassoon family is the contrabassoon (larger).

Stravinsky’s Rite of Spring, Prokofiev’s Peter and the Wolf