Musette

For the smaller version of the oboe sometimes also called "musette," see piccolo oboe.

Musette can refer to several things:

A type of bellows blown bagpipe found in rural France; also called musette de cour). It experienced a brief popularity amongst the aristocracy (along with other "peasant" instruments like the hurdy gurdy) in 18th century France.

An air or dance written for the musette (bagpipe) mentioned above, or a pastoral piece in imitation of the instrument. Imitative musettes were written by François Couperin and Johann Sebastian Bach for harpsichord, and by Marin Marais for viola da gamba.

A keyless folk oboe or shawm used in various regional folk music traditions of France. Most forms are tuned several notes higher than the modern oboe. Some oboe makers also produce a keyed version of the musette (pitched in E-flat or F above the oboe) which is also sometimes called "piccolo oboe."

The tuning used in accordions, also called "wet" tuning, where two or more sets of reeds are tuned slightly off pitch from each other, giving a vibrato effect. True musette tuning uses three reeds, one "on pitch", one slightly below, and one slightly above; however, many accordions only use two sets of reeds tuned slightly apart from one other. The degree of "wetness" is determined by how far apart the reeds are tuned. Musette can also mean a register setting of two middle reeds together (two "clarinet" reeds equaling a "violin" reed) plus a higher octave reed, producing a pleasant, bright sound that is associated with French accordion music.