Bass oboe

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Bass oboe

Woodwind instrument
Classification	Wind Woodwind Double reed
Hornbostel–Sachs classification	422.112 (Double-reeded aerophone with keys)
Developed	19th century
Playing range
Bass oboe is notated in treble clef sounding one octave lower than written.
Related instruments
Piccolo oboe Piccolo heckelphone Oboe Oboe d’amore Cor anglais (English horn) Oboe da caccia Heckelphone Lupophon Contrabass oboe

The bass oboe or baritone oboe is a double reed instrument in the woodwind family. It is essentially twice the size of a regular (soprano) oboe so it sounds an octave lower; it has a deep, full tone somewhat akin to that of its higher-pitched cousin, the English horn. The bass oboe is notated in the 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 or crook first curves away from and then toward the player (unlike the bocal/crook of the English horn and oboe d'amore), looking rather like a flattened metal question mark;^{[citation needed]} another crook design resembles the shape of a bass clarinet neckpiece.^[1] The bass oboe uses its own double reed, similar to but larger than that of the English horn.