The contrabassoon is the heaviest and lowest woodwind in the orchestra, playing an octave lower than the standard bassoon. Its tubing is over 16 feet long, folded four times to fit in the player's hands. To vibrate such a massive column of air, it requires a giant double reed—roughly the size of a large thumb. Because the instrument is so large and the air column so heavy, it has a slower 'response' time than other woodwinds; the player must actually blow slightly before the beat for the sound to exit the bell on time.