An Inspired Musician Is Building an Incredible Subcontrabassoon From His Own Original Design

Robert Bobo, a motivate and inspired contrabassoon player is designing and building an original “Subcontrabassoon” – a unique instrument of his own invention. Similar to the subcontrabass saxophone, the subcontrabass tuba and the Tubax, Bobo is creating his instrument to play at full octave range lower than his existing instrument.

In choosing the low range of the subcontrabassoon, I was driven by a desire not to make a quasi-subcontrabassoon, but a true subcontrabassoon capable of playing a full octave below the contrabassoon. This left B? or A as the two possible lowest notes. I chose A over B? mostly as a way of future-proofing the design

So far Bobo has built a cardboard version of his subcontrabassoon along with computer simulations. He is currently raising funds to through his website in order to truly realize his vision.

I am…a professional contrabassoonist with a solid understanding of the mathematics and physics of musical instrument design, years of practical experience with machining and computer-aided-design, and (perhaps most importantly) I’m tired of waiting. If you’re interested in seeing my design become a playable prototype, you can help spread the word by sharing and liking the project’s Facebook page, Youtube channel, and Twitter. You can also contribute directly using PayPal and be listed as a contributor on the project’s supporters page.

via MetaFilter, Neatorama