The Double Bass or Stand Up Bass is the largest and the lowest pitched of all bowed string instruments that is used as a part of the modern symphony orchestra. The stand up bass is a standard member of the symphony orchestra's string section as well as smaller string ensembles as well in Western classical style music. Additionally, the stand up bass is utilized in numerous other genres, including 1950s style blues, jazz and rock and roll, bluegrass, tango and rockabilly or psychobilly. The stand up bass instrument is constructed from several different types of wood. For example, maple is often used for the back, spruce is often used for the top and ebony is often used for the fingerboard portion of the stand up bass.
Stand up bass instruments may be a descendant of the viola da gamba, or from the violin, but their origins are not completely clear and their history is largely based on speculation. The stand up bass is traditionally viewed to be a member of the violin family however, simply because of the nature in which the instrument is played. The stand up bass or double bass has numerous features that are similar to what you will find in other instruments from the violin family; however it also possesses unique characteristics that more closely remember those that come from instruments derived from the viol family of instruments.
The stand up bass, like many other types of stringed instruments, can be played either with a bow or simply by plucking the strings with fingers or a pick. The act of playing the stand up bass with a bow is known as arco. When you play the instrument by plucking the strings either with your fingers or with a pick, the playing style is known as pizzicato. Both bowing and plucking styles of play are used in orchestral repertoire music and tango music. In jazz music, the bass is usually plucked more than bowed, unless it comes to some jazz solos which are primarily performed using the bow. In many other genres, the bass is primarily plucked, similar to a bass guitar.
Any person who plays a stand up bass or traditional bass instrument is called a bassist, a double bassist, a contrabassist, a contrabass player, a double bass player or simply a bass player. The standard English name for this instrument is the double bass, which is a reference to the older naming notation where notes that existed below C3 were notating using two of the same letter of the note twice. For example, an E2 note would be either EE or Double EE in this circumstance. The double bass name is not related to the physical size of the instrument at all. The name may be derived from its potential family heritage and relation to the viol, because the double bass or stand up bass is tuned much lower than the standard bass viola da gamba. The name may also refer to the sounding pitch of the stand up bass, which is an entire octave lower than the bass clef.
No items matching your keywords were found.
Photo Credits: 1
Originally posted 2008-11-27 05:35:23. Republished by Old Post Promoter
Related Posts -
Guide to Saxophone Types The saxophone, which is also commonly known as the sax, is a musical instrument that is crafted from brass and played with the use of a reed mouthpiece. The saxophone can vary significantly in its size, and it can range from fifteen centimeters to two meters in size based on...... -
Choosing a Musical Instrument If you have an interest in joining a band, but you are not sure what instrument to choose, this may be a good jumping off point for you. When joining band, you will be allowed to choose an instrument that you like, and you will be allowed to learn how...... -
Brief History of Cellos or Celli The cello (short for "violoncello") is a bowed string instrument, similar to a larger violin that is held upright instead of on the chin. It originated from the three-stringed bass violin created by Jambe de Fer in 1556. The first composer to use the bass violin is thought to be...... -
Introduction to Woodwind Instruments, pt 2 In the last post in this series we were talking about different types of woodwind instruments. The following is the rest of the list of exposed double reed instruments. - Hichiriki (Japan) - Kèn bầu (Vietnam) - Mizmar (Arabic nations) - Nadaswaram - Oboe - Oboe da caccia - Oboe...... - Musician Profile: Johann Sebastian Bach (1685–1750) Johann Sebastian Bach was born on March 31, 1685 and lived until July 28, 1750. He was regarded as a famous German composer and organist with sacred and secular works for orchestra, choir and solo instruments that brought the Baroque period to its ultimate level of maturity. He did not......
Related Websites -
The Double Bass - Then and Now In the modern orchestra, there are a number of stringed instruments that cover a variety of sounds. Highs and lows, the entire spectrum of sound audible to the human can be accessed with stringed instruments. At the lowest end of the spectrum, the double bass, or upright bass, can access...... -
The Decline and Potential Rise of the Bass Saxophone Bass instruments are typically the largest of instruments, and the bass saxophone is not exception. This sometimes forgotten instrument can be awkward to move about, and it suffers from little love in the music department in terms of songs and pieces written for the instrument. It is frequently replaced by...... -
Musical Instruments: Drums for Sale The unique thing about drums when it comes to making music is that there are so many different elements that change the sound you create when you play them. The size, shape and composition of the drum will all alter the sound that it creates. Whether you beat on the...... -
Musical Instruments Bass When some people hear the word bass, they immediately think about the bass guitar, a popular instrument in many types of music today. However, there is actually a large number of different instruments that fall under the base category, and the bass guitar is only one of them. Bass instruments......
- Player Piano Musical Instruments
- Electric Violin String Musical Instruments
- String Instruments Song Books Sheet Music Song Books
- 1 2 Size Acoustic Violin String Musical Instruments
- 3 4 Size Acoustic Violin String Musical Instruments
Categories:
Acoustic Musical Instruments, Bass, Instrument History
Tags:
0 comments ↓
There are no comments yet...Kick things off by filling out the form below.
Leave a Comment