What instruments use a a double reed?

Answer 1

The most common double reed instruments are Oboe, English horn (cor anglais) and bassoon. The oboe is a soprano instrument, the English horn is essentially an alto oboe, the tenor or baritone range of the oboe family is occupied by the now-rare Baritone oboe. The Bassoon is considered the bass of the double-reed family, although its range covers from Bass to high tenor. The Contrabassoon, used in some very large orchestral pieces, is essentially a bassoon, but twice as long, and therefore an octave lower.

While these are the common orchestra and band instruments which use a double reed, there are others. For instance, the Bagpipes almost invariably use a double reed for the melody-tube (chanter), and the basque Bombarde is essentially a bagpipe chanter without a bagpipe. (The bagpipe drones are sounded with a unique type of single reed.)

Double reed instruments predate single-reed melody instruments in Western Civilization music, although in Africa, single reed instruments (with a reed on much the same design as bagpipe drone reeds) are not uncommon.

In ancient Greece, the double reed instruments were the Aulos (soprano) and Phagotum (a folded bass which may have given the European name to the bassoon: fagotto.)

Answer 2

The most common double reed instruments are oboe, English horn (cor anglais) and bassoon. The oboe is a soprano instrument, the English horn is essentially an alto oboe, the tenor or baritone range of the oboe family is occupied by the now-rare Baritone oboe. The Bassoon is considered the bass of the double-reed family, although its range covers from Bass to high tenor. The Contrabassoon, used in some very large orchestral pieces, is essentially a bassoon, but twice as long, and therefore an octave lower.

While these are the common orchestra and band instruments which use a double reed, there are others. For instance, the Bagpipes almost invariably use a double reed for the melody-tube (chanter), and the basque Bombarde is essentially a bagpipe chanter without a bagpipe. (The bagpipe drones are sounded with a unique type of single reed.)

Double reed instruments predate single-reed melody instruments in Western Civilization music, although in Africa, single reed instruments (with a reed on much the same design as bagpipe drone reeds) are not uncommon.

In ancient Greece, the double reed instruments were the Aulos (soprano) and Phagotum (a folded bass which may have given the European name to the bassoon: fagotto.)