Bassoon

woodwind · orchestra · deep sound

Tall wooden wonder. The bassoon is made from six separate pieces of wood that fit together like a puzzle, and it's one of the biggest instruments in the woodwind family.

Two lips, one reed. To make sound, a bassoonist puts both lips over a small reed and blows air through it, making the reed vibrate super fast and create that warm, deep tone.

Sitting down to play. Bassoonists sit down and use a special seat strap to hold up the instrument because it's heavy and tall, though some players stand with a harness instead.

Orchestra superstar. You'll hear the bassoon in symphony orchestras, concert bands, and chamber music groups, and it even shows up sometimes in jazz and rock music for extra flavor.

Tricky fingers. Playing bassoon requires learning a complex fingering system, which means moving your fingers in precise ways to hit the right notes and create different sounds.