How to Play the Contrabassoon

The contrabassoon is a deeper-sounding version of the bassoon. It emits a low, rich tone perfect as a subtle accent within a musical piece. The instrument itself is a large, unwieldy-looking object that actually proves deceptively manageable. Although it is generally regular bassoon players who take up the contrabassoon--a natural progression due to the similarity of the instruments--there's no reason why anyone cannot play it.

Instructions

Difficulty: Moderately Challenging

1. Buy or rent a contrabassoon from your local musical supply store.
2. Get double reeds to use with your contrabassoon. Have these ready to go before you start to learn to play. The reeds are a crucial element since you can't play your instrument without them.
3. Sit down to play the instrument, holding it between your legs with the stand propped up on the floor.
4. Practice blowing through your reed so that you will recognize how much air it takes to force sound out of the instrument. This is also necessary so that you can learn the proper technique to use with the reed.
5. Memorize the positions of all the keys on your instrument. This can be a challenging thing to do, considering the enormity of the number of keys on a contrabassoon. Practice moving your fingers around to get a feel for which keys produce which sounds.
6. Learn to read sheet music created for contrabassoons if you don't have prior experience playing a standard bassoon. A good music teacher or personal tutor will be able to teach you how to read your music.

Tips & Warnings

• Always keep at least one spare reed on hand so that if the reed you're using breaks, you'll have a backup.
• Remember to take your reed out of the instrument when you are done playing it.
• Keep excessive moisture from building up on your contrabassoon by wiping it off with a soft cloth on a regular basis.