Sound character of the Contrabassoon - Philipp Dangas

Register table of the contrabassoon

Graphic for register table of the contrabassoon can be enlarged. It is Link-Sensitive [Clickable].

Sheet music for the register table of the contrabassoon

The sound of the contrabassoon is consistently somber and serious. Any lyrical and romantic sound effects are foreign to him.

The theoretically possible use for humorous effects also seems inappropriate given the serious overall character of the instrument.

As part of the „symphonic world music“

The contrabassoon is a main instrument in the realization of a sound that is supposed to impress with its special ability to merge.

An sound sample of the strong character of the contrabassoon [Composer: Modest Moussorgsky]
Download size: 354 kilobytes
The registers and timbres of the contrabassoon
Register Sound character Range (from – to)
high register Pretty hard-sounding and harsh. b 1 [middle octave] —
f 1 [middle octave]
middle register Extraordinarily dark and of great power in the piano. e [minor octave] —
F [major octave]
low register Enormously fat-sounding and somber. E [major octave] —
A1 [contra octave]