What is the lowest-pitched orchestral woodwind instrument?

The contrabassoon is the lowest-pitched standard orchestral woodwind instrument.

It is a large double-reed instrument that sounds one octave below the bassoon. Its folded wooden tube is much longer than the instrument’s visible height, allowing it to produce deep bass notes.

The contrabassoon usually reinforces the bass line in orchestral and wind-band music rather than playing long, exposed melodies. Its low register gives ensembles weight and depth, especially in powerful orchestral passages.

The bassoon is smaller and higher-pitched, while the contrabassoon is sometimes called the double bassoon. Players use a larger reed, and the instrument’s curved metal crook connects that reed to its long folded body.