So you’ve heard of marching bands and brass and woodwind but have you heard of these instruments? There are four instruments I bet you’ve never heard of. The first two are somewhat common and the last two aren’t very common. There are way more rare instruments but I chose these four because they are a bit more common except for the last one so let’s find out if you’ve heard of these.  

First off, we will start with the bassoon. Have you heard of that one? “Bassoons come in two sizes: the bassoon, and the double bassoon or contrabassoon, which sounds an octave lower than the bassoon.” Stated the article. The Bassoon is a double-reeded instrument. A double reeded instrument is where “Reeds with two pieces of cane vibrate against each other when a musician blows against them.” There are very few double-reeded instruments.

Next, we will move on to the oboe. The oboe is another double-reed instrument. “Professional Oboe Players Make Their Reeds.” The article stated. There are usually 2 to 3 oboes per orchestra/band. WIch makes an oboe another rare instrument but you can maybe find it in your local orchestra or band.

Second, to last is the bass saxophone. Did you know there are 14 different types of saxophones? “The largest ‘standard’ sax produced commercially is the contrabass.”  according to the article stated. A bass saxophone only has two octaves. There are very few bass saxes.  They can go from about $5,000  to $18,000.

Lastly, the contrabass flute. This flute varies in size from about torso size to taller than the people. I found one for sale for $48,500 (44,692.26 Euros). It is played in bass clef. The contrabass flute takes a ton of air compared to a regular flute. It has 18 feet of tubing but it stands at 6 feet to almost 8 feet tall. 

Now that you’ve learned about all these, which rare band instruments is your favorite? Those are all the 4 rare instruments. Would you try one if you had the chance? Bands have been around for centuries and yet I doubt you ever heard of the 4 instruments. If you want one, good luck getting one of them. Would you be taller than the contrabass flute?