The bassoon has the largest true range of any instrument in the woodwind family, and one of the largest ranges of any instrument.
This makes the bassoon one of the most versatile, and most useful instruments a composer could use.
The bassoon can stretch from the bassy B-flat located under the second C below middle C all the way to a piercing D-sharp located just above the C above middle C.
Sounds complicated, but basically, the bassoon has an obtainable range of 42 notes. It is possible to stretch this range, but it is very rare (I myself have never seen anything higher, and have rarely seen anything even over the C above middle C). It is possible, as I said, to get above it, and it is similarly, possible to get below it. Although it takes an 'A' bell, similar to the large foot used to augment the 'bass flute'. Or you may use a piece of rolled up paper, but the sound is not usually too accurate. I have not seen this done before, professionally, but it has recently been brought to my attention that there is a classical piece that includes this note. I am, saddly, not sure of the title.
