The bassoon is the lowest sounding member of the woodwind family. It makes a rich, deep sound.
The bassoon is played like the oboe, by blowing onto two slim reeds that vibrate against each other to make a sound. The player presses down on buttons or keys that cover holes along the instrument to change the pitch.
Made of wood, the bassoon looks like a long pipe folded in half. As well as the standard sized bassoon, the bigger contrabassoon produces the lowest sounding notes in the entire orchestra.
In Italian, the bassoon is called ‘fagotto’, which means ‘bunch of sticks’.