The bassoon for kids: how it works and what to hear

The bassoon is the lowest of the four main woodwinds. It is a long wooden tube folded in half, so that it stands about four and a half feet tall. The player holds it at a slant across the body and blows into a double reed on a thin curved pipe. The bassoon can sound gruff, funny, or sad, and composers use it for all three.

Quick facts

• Family: woodwinds
• Size: about four and a half feet tall, with about eight feet of tube
• Made of: maple wood
• Sound is made by: a double reed
• In an orchestra: two or three, and one of them often plays the contrabassoon

How it makes sound

The bassoon has a double reed, as the oboe does. The reed is wider than an oboe reed. It fits onto a thin metal pipe called the bocal, which curves from the instrument to the player’s mouth.

The player blows, the two blades of the reed flutter, and the air in the long tube shakes. The tube runs down to the bottom, makes a U-turn, and runs back up to the bell at the top.

The fingers of both hands cover holes and press keys. The thumbs are busy too. The left thumb alone has several keys to work.

How the player holds it

A bassoon is heavy. The player sits and uses a strap, either around the neck or under the seat, to take the weight. The instrument crosses the body from the right hip to the left shoulder.

Its job in the orchestra

The bassoons sit in the second row of the woodwinds, beside the clarinets. They are the bass of the woodwind family, and they often play the low line with the cellos.

Composers also give the bassoon solos. Its short, bouncing notes can sound comic. Its high notes can sound strained and lonely.

The contrabassoon

The contrabassoon is a bassoon folded over more times, with about twice as much tube. It plays an octave lower. Its notes are some of the lowest in the orchestra, and it can sound like a growl.

Pieces to hear

The grandfather in Peter and the Wolf, by Prokofiev. A low, grumbling tune. See the guide.

The Sorcerer’s Apprentice, by Dukas. The bassoons play the broom. See the guide.

“In the Hall of the Mountain King,” by Grieg. Bassoons start the tiptoe tune. See the Peer Gynt guide.

The Lullaby from The Firebird, by Stravinsky. A slow, rocking bassoon solo. See the guide.

The Rite of Spring, the opening, by Stravinsky. One bassoon plays alone at the top of its range. It does not sound like a bassoon at all.

The Beast in Mother Goose, by Ravel. The growl is a contrabassoon. See the guide.

Starting to play

The bassoon is big, and a child needs hands wide enough to reach its holes. Many players begin at about ten to twelve, often after a year or two on another instrument. Smaller bassoons made for children exist, and some teachers start younger students on those.

A bassoon costs a lot to buy. Many schools own one or two and lend them to students. As with the oboe, few students choose it, so a bassoon player is welcome in any band or orchestra.

Things to do together

Be the grandfather. Play the grandfather’s music from Peter and the Wolf and walk with slow, heavy steps and a wagging finger.

March with the broom. Play The Sorcerer’s Apprentice and raise a hand each time the bassoon tune starts.

Funny or sad? Play the broom music and then the Firebird lullaby. Ask how one instrument can do both.

Unfold it. Measure eight feet along the floor. That is how long a bassoon would be if it were straight.

Print and play

Tick the woodwinds on the instrument families listening chart. For the rest of the family, read woodwind instruments for kids. For all four families, see instruments of the orchestra for kids.