Bassoons

BASSOON

Low Range -
1. The tone quality in this range is dry and brittle yet very rich, robust, and resonant.
2. The lowest octave of the instrument has the greatest power, ranging from mf to ff. Very soft passages are difficult to play in this range.
Middle Register -
1. Compared to the oboe, the overall sound of the bassoon is somewhat diffused, yet in this range, the timbre becomes clearer and more transparent.
2. In this register, the thicker texture is lost, and the sound becomes less bright and quite neutral.
High Register -
1. The tone quality becomes more focused and nasal-sounding as the bassoon ascends into the high register.
2. In the very high register, the sound becomes pinched and is easily overpowered by other instruments.
3. The bassoon's high register offers a unique voice, excellent for colorful solo passages.
4. High notes are usually written using the tenor clef (like the cello)

The range between low F2 (below the bass staff) and A4 (in the treble staff) is the most practical and agile on the bassoon.
Though not as agile as other woodwinds, the bassoon can execute moderately fast scales, arpeggios, and clean, crisp articulations.
Although double, triple, and flutter tonguings are possible and even easy for some players, single tonguing is standard (except in extremely fast passages).

Due to awkward fingerings and unreliable response, rapid notes in the lowest 5th of the bassoon's range, as well as above high G, should be avoided:

The bassoon is the standard bass instrument of the orchestral woodwind family. Doubling cellos and basses with bassoons works very well (especially when the durations are not too long)
Because of the complex nature of the low octave of the bassoon range, the Bass Clarinet actually works better for longer bass notes and as the bass part in wind ensemble sections (without strings).
The bassoon does not project well in heavily scored sections.

The instrument possesses a well-focused tone that is thick, rough and somewhat growly in the lower register. In the middle and high registers the tone quality becomes similar to the bassoon.
Soft dynamics are difficult to execute in the lower, more powerful register. On the other hand, projection is a problem in its seldom-used upper register. The bassoon and bass clarinet are better-suited for that range.
Slightly less agile than the bassoon, the contrabassoon bassoon is capable of acceptable dexterity but not intricate ornamentation.
Except when used as a solo instrument to produce special coloration, the contrabassoon is limited to doubling (or carrying) the bass line.

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