![]() ![]() ![]() Jazz musicians often call it the acoustic bass to distinguish it from electric bass guitars. Other terms for the instrument among classical performers are string bass, bass viol, or simply bass. The name contrabass comes from the instrument's Italian name, contrabbasso. The name also refers to the fact that the sounding pitch of the double bass is an octave below the bass clef. It has also been suggested that the name derives from its viol family heritage, in that it is tuned lower than the standard bass viola da gamba. The instrument's standard English name, double bass may be derived from the size of the double size, since it is approximately twice as large as the cello, or because the double bass was originally used to double the cello part an octave lower. He states that, while the exterior of the double bass may resemble the viola da gamba, the internal construction of the double bass is nearly identical to that of other instruments in the violin family, and is very different from the internal structure of viols.Ī person who plays this instrument is called a bassist, double bassist, double bass player, contrabassist, contrabass player, or simply bass player. In his A New History of the Double Bass, Paul Brun asserts, with many references, that the double bass has origins as the true bass of the violin family. The issue of the instrument's exact lineage is still a matter of some debate, and the supposition that the double bass is a direct descendant of the viola da gamba family is an issue that has not been entirely resolved. The double bass is the only modern bowed string instrument that is tuned in fourths (like viola da gambas), rather than fifths (see Tuning, below). Before these modifications, the design of their shoulders was closer to instruments of the violin family. ![]() Many very old double basses have had their shoulders cut or sloped to aid playing with modern techniques. In addition, while the violin has bulging shoulders, most double basses have shoulders carved with a more acute slope, like members of the viola da gamba family. The double bass' proportions are dissimilar to those of the violin for example, it is deeper (the distance from top to back is proportionally much greater than the violin). The double bass is generally regarded as the only modern descendant of the viola da gamba family of instruments, a family which originated in Europe in the 15th century, and as such it can be described as a "bass viol."īefore the 20th century many double basses had only three strings, in contrast to the five to six strings typical of instruments in the viola da gamba family or the four strings of instruments in the violin family. As with most other string instruments, the double bass is played with a bow (arco) or by plucking the strings ( pizzicato). In addition, it is used in other genres such as jazz, blues, rock and roll, psychobilly, rockabilly, and bluegrass. It is used extensively in Western classical music as a standard member of the string section of symphony orchestras and smaller string ensembles. The double bass is the largest and lowest pitched bowed string instrument used in the modern symphony orchestra. ![]()
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