The bassoon is a large double-reed woodwind instrument known for its deep, resonant timbre and remarkable versatility, serving as both a lyrical solo voice and a vital foundation in ensembles.
Its unique tone, often described as rich, reedy, and slightly nasal, makes it one of the most distinctive instruments in the orchestra.
The bassoon has its roots in the dulcian, or curtal, a Renaissance-era double-reed instrument developed in the 16th century. The dulcian's folded design and low register made it the closest predecessor of the modern bassoon.
The word bassoon comes from the French basson, while the Italian term fagotto, still used today, means "bundle of sticks," a reference to the instrument's folded shape.
The instrument's family is double-reed and woodwind, while its range is roughly B♭1 to E5, covering bass and tenor registers. Its tone is warm, expressive, and flexible, and it is used for harmonic foundation, counterpoint, and occasional solos.
The modern bassoon is typically made of maple wood and consists of six main parts: the bell, long joint, boot (butt), wing joint, bocal (a curved, metal tube), and the double reed. Its bore is conical and folded back on itself, allowing a long air column in a manageable size. Two main systems exist: the Heckel (German) system, dominant worldwide, and the Buffet (French) system, used primarily in France.
The bassoon is played with a double reed made of cane, which requires careful crafting and adjustment by the performer. Players use a seat strap or harness to support the instrument's weight. Fingering is complex, involving a large number of keys, and performers must master breath control to navigate its wide dynamic and tonal range. Its agility allows both rapid passages and lyrical phrasing.
The bassoon emerged in its modern form in the early 18th century, evolving from the dulcian as composers demanded greater range and flexibility. Makers, such as Heckel in Germany, refined its design, standardizing the instrument used today. Throughout history, composers such as Vivaldi, Mozart, and Stravinsky have written significant works for the bassoon, highlighting its expressive potential.
In orchestral work, the bassoon provides bass support in the woodwind section, and is often paired with the cello or double bass. In chamber music, it is frequently used in wind quartets and other small ensembles. Concertos by Vivaldi, Mozart, Weber, and contemporary composers have showcased its virtuosity in solo repertoire. In bands and film scores, the bassoon adds depth and color, often used for humorous or quirky effects.
Five famous bassoonists include Klaus Thunemann, Milán Turkovic, Judith LeClair, Sergio Azzolini, and Maurice Allard.
The bassoon's unique sound, technical demands, and versatility have ensured the instrument's place in orchestras, chamber groups, and solo performances.
We have selected some informational or instructive online resources on the bassoon, which you will find listed below. E-commerce sites, offering bassoons for sale, may be found in the Musical Instruments category of our Shopping & eCommerce guide.
Recommended Resources
Bassoon Chamber Music Composition Competition
The BCMCC is an established contest with competition information, a timeline, judges, and past winners on its site. Judges look for instrumental idiomatic writing, clarity of texture, originality of material, effective use of bassoon character, and practical performance considerations. Rules, submission checklists, practical composition tips for bassoon chamber music, and information on preparing a submission package are provided, along with an online contact form.
https://www.bassooncomp.org/
The Bassoon Channel is a smartphone web application offering hundreds of short instructional videos, audios (piano accompaniments), news, fingerings, reed-making lessons, orchestra excerpts, masterclass listings, and a global directory of bassoon resources. According to its website, world-class bassoonists contribute content, many of whom are named. Four plans are available: Gold Monthly, Gold Yearly, Platinum Monthly, and Platinum Yearly, each of which is compared.
https://thebassoonchannel.com/
Bassoon Outreach to Support Students
BOSS is a youth-focused outreach project that promotes the bassoon through videos, student profiles, blog posts, learning resources, and supporter spotlights on its website. The website features a basic description of the musical instrument, sound examples, demonstrations, short educational clips, and stories and photos of young bassoonists from around the world, along with contact options. Outreach ideas are also presented, along with the mission and activities.
https://www.bossbassoon.com/
Founded and led by Carin Miller, principal bassoonist of the Oregon Symphony, who is active in teaching, reed-making demonstrations, and outreach, Bassoons Without Borders is an online bassoon camp that brings together bassoonists of all ages for masterclasses, mentorship, and community-building with international artists and teachers. The organization aims to expose players to diverse pedagogical approaches, build long-term practice habits, and explore creative possibilities.
https://www.bassoonswithoutborders.com
Blue Moon Bassoon is a bassoon-focused educational business and publisher created by Amanda J. Pierce. It offers books, teaching resources, a teacher/reed-maker directory, and a blog for students and teachers. Amanda Pierce (formerly Turley) is a bassoonist, educator, and arts administrator who founded Blue Moon Bassoon to make bassoon study engaging and accessible. She arranges materials, designs visual content, and supports teachers and students through curated resources.
https://bluemoonbassoon.com/
An online academy for middle and high school bassoon students, the site offers lessons, courses, reeds, and free learning resources. Operated by Natalie, a bassoon teacher who created the site to support beginners through more advanced players, and to offer private lessons and handmade reeds, the site provides a "Jumpstart" beginner course or offers premium 30-minute or 60-minute Zoom lessons. Reeds may be purchased through the site through Apple Pay, and free resources are available.
https://buildingabassoonist.com/
Council of Canadian Bassoonists
The COCB is a registered Canadian educational charity and organization of professional bassoonists, teachers, students, and friends of the bassoon that promotes bassoon performance and education across Canada. The organization presents online and live workshops, masterclasses, and performances to connect students and professionals, publishes articles and resources on reeds, pedagogy, acoustics, and orchestral practice, and features recordings and video content.
https://councilofcanadianbassoonists.ca/
An educational resource created by Kristin Wolfe Jenson and hosted through the University of Texas at Austin Butler School of Music, the website offers a large, organized library of tunes, exercises, instructional videos, and audio examples aimed at bassoonists from beginners through professionals. Key features include over 360 tunes covering a wide range of repertoire, including folk, popular, and classical styles, as well as play-by-ear assignments that develop aural skills.
https://musicandthebassoon.org/
Stylized NewBassoon Institute, each summer the program brings college-age and beyond bassoonists together to engage with the instrument's contemporary repertoire and practice, guided by faculty who are leaders in the field of modern bassoon performance and teaching. Its mission is to provide education, performance, and commissioning new works for bassoon ensembles. Application information, performance competitions, prizes, media information, and contact details are offered.
https://newbassoon.org/
The Orchestral Bassoon is a digital resource focused on the history, performance, and pedagogy of the bassoon's most important excerpts. The website comprises over 450 unique pages and more than 60,000 words of written content, including in-depth discussions of historical context and performance challenges, as well as parts and scores for excerpts from 60 pieces, audio samples drawn from over 300 commercial recordings, and in-depth coverage of orchestral excerpts for the bassoon.
https://www.orchestralbassoon.com/
