oboe and bassoon: two completely different instruments
Welcome to the basics of the bassoon! What is a bassoon, you ask? Well, if you think it's like an oboe, this site is just for you.
The bassoon and the oboe share one major thing in common: they are two of the four "well known" double-reed instruments, but I wouldn't really call them very well known at all. The others are the English horn and the contrabassoon. The English horn is actually more closely related to the oboe than the bassoon, in both shape and size, as well as sound. As for the contrabassoon, it's, as you can maybe tell by the name, a lower version of the bassoon.
This website should clear up confusions as to what a bassoon is, as well as dig deeper into notes, fingerings, music, and origins of the instrument that, you will discover, is really nothing like an oboe at all.
If you're still confused about what these instruments are, look below to find out!
The bassoon and the oboe share one major thing in common: they are two of the four "well known" double-reed instruments, but I wouldn't really call them very well known at all. The others are the English horn and the contrabassoon. The English horn is actually more closely related to the oboe than the bassoon, in both shape and size, as well as sound. As for the contrabassoon, it's, as you can maybe tell by the name, a lower version of the bassoon.
This website should clear up confusions as to what a bassoon is, as well as dig deeper into notes, fingerings, music, and origins of the instrument that, you will discover, is really nothing like an oboe at all.
If you're still confused about what these instruments are, look below to find out!
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/9/5/26957432/535200613.jpg)
To the left is an oboe. The reed sticks straight out from the body of the instrument, and the bell flares out more than in. It's the smallest of the four instruments listed above that use double reeds.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/9/5/26957432/854677227.jpg)
Sitting side by side here is an English horn and an oboe. Can you tell which one's which? I'll give you a hint: the horn's on the left. Notice the bocal (or part between the instruments and the reed) is often bent, and the bell curves in. Bassoons have bocals, too!
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/9/5/26957432/251740061.jpg)
This is a contrabassoon! It has a very unique look, as well as an interesting sound. It has a bocal like the English horn, although it's closer in size to a bassoon. The sound is also similar, but an octave lower.
![Picture](/uploads/2/6/9/5/26957432/654145651.gif)
And, of course, I saved the best for last. This is a bassoon.