How the bass oboe makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the bass oboe belongs to the double-reed instruments: two reeds beat against each other – oboes, bassoons, shawms and the duduk.
More broadly it is one of the aerophones (wind instruments), where sound comes from vibrating air.
Players shape its sound through technique and materials; the resonating body filters the raw vibration, boosting some harmonics and damping others.
From Wikipedia
The bass oboe or baritone oboe is a double reed instrument in the woodwind family. It is essentially twice the size of the familiar soprano oboe in C, sounding an octave lower; it has a deep, full tone somewhat akin to that of its higher-pitched cousin, the cor anglais (English horn). The bass oboe is notated in treble clef, sounding one octave lower than written. Its lowest sounding note is B2 (in scientific pitch notation), one octave and a semitone below middle C, although an extension with an additional key may be inserted between the lower joint and bell of the instrument in order to produce a low B♭2. The instrument's bocal (crook) first curves away from and then toward the player (unlike the bocal of the cor anglais and oboe d'amore), looking rather like a flattened metal question mark; another crook design resembles the shape of a bass clarinet neckpiece. The bass oboe uses its own double reed, similar to but larger than that of the cor anglais.
Other double-reed instruments
Frequently asked questions
What does a bass oboe sound like?
As one of the double-reed instruments, its sound comes from the way two reeds beat against each other.
What type of instrument is the bass oboe?
It is classified as double-reed instruments (Hornbostel–Sachs 422.112-71).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q808215 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Bass oboe – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by Gebrüder Mönnig GmbH – CC BY-SA 4.0