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The double bass is the only modern descendant of the viola da gamba family of instruments, a family which originated in the 15th century and is used to provide the lowest pitch notes in an orchestra or band.

Viola da gamba family

The double bass is erroneously considered to be the a member of the violin family of string instruments. In reality, however, it is not. Members of the viola da gamba family can be characterized most easily by the sloping shoulders (as opposed to the bulging shoulders of the violin). It resembles the other members of the family, but is much larger and has slight differences in shape.

Naming

The instrument is known by several other names (especially when used in folk, bluegrass, Western and jazz music), including contrabass, string bass, upright bass, standup bass, acoustic bass, bass viol, bass violin, doghouse bass, dog-house, bull fiddle, hoss bass, and bunkhouse bass. A person who plays this instrument is called a double-bassist, contrabassist, or simply 'bass player'.

The double bass is used extensively in Western classical music as a standard member of the string section of symphony orchestras and smaller string ensembles. However, it has perhaps achieved more prominence in jazz, blues, rock and roll, and several country and western forms.

Design

The double bass compared to the rest of the violin family is not an instrument that has gained a physical standardisation (even today).

In general there are three major approaches to the design outline shape of the double bass, these being violin, viol, and less common the busetto shape (and very rarely the guitar or pear shape). The back of the instrument can vary from being a carved rounded back similar to the violin, or a flat and angled back similar to the viol family (with variations in-between).

The double bass, unlike the rest of the violin family, still reflects influence and can be considered partly derived from the viol family of instruments, in particular the violone, the contrabass member of the viol family.

The violin, viola and cello are tuned in fifths but the bass viol is tuned in fourths to avoid too long a finger stretch. Other differences with the violin, viola and cello are the (sometimes) sloped shoulders of the instrument, the often angled back (both to allow easier access to the instrument, particularly in the upper range) and the near-universal use of machine heads for tuning.

Practical problems of double bass playing

The principal logistical difficulty facing a double bass player is the sheer weight and bulk of the instrument itself. These issues, combined with the sensitivity of the instrument to changes in the environment (like all wooden string instruments) and relative fragility of the wooden body of the instrument tend to make double bassists relatively sedentary musicians, as the instrument is difficult to transport safely on typical motor vehicles and airlines are usually not prepared to handle such an item properly. Recently, however, violin/viol family instruments (including double basses) made of carbon fiber laminates have become available. These instruments are supposedly nearly impervious to changes in heat and humidity and extremely resilient to the knocking about that occurs during transport, and also (supposedly) have no reduction in sound quality from more traditional wooden basses.

Electric upright basses (EUB)

Dance-band bass players had used conventional microphones as pickups for years without altering their playing styles. Some recent variations of the double bass (called EUBs) have been fitted with electromagnetic or piezoelectric pickups like an electric guitar's and are designed exclusively for use with electric amplification. These instruments, generally known as electric upright basses (mostly called [EUB]) often have a minimal or skeleton body, to reduce size and weight. The first electric upright basses were built around 1935 (by Rickenbacker). However, it took quite some years to develop high quality transducers to amplify the sound. Nowadays electric upright basses have become quite popular. One of the most famous EUB players is Sting. He used to play a Dutch EUB, a Van Zalinge.

Lack of standardisation in design means that one double bass can sound and look very different from another. To see some of the variations and construction approaches discussed above see the following web sites:

Construction of the double bass

The double bass is constructed from following parts.

Scroll
Pegbox
Tuning machine
C-extension (in some models)
Nut
Neck
Fingerboard
Strings
Bridge
F-holes
Top or Belly (upper bout and lower bout)
Waist
Back
Ribs
Tailpiece
Saddle
Endpin

Soundpost and bass bar are inside the bass. The main materials are maple (back, neck, ribs), spruce (top) and ebony (fingerboard, tailpiece). The parts are glued together except soundpost, bridge, nut and saddle are kept in their position by string tension.

Viol family of instuments have also frets, but they were removed from double bass.

Bows

The double bass bow is constructed from following parts.

Stick
Bow screw
Tip or head
head plate
Frog
Eye
Wire winding
Hair

Both French and German bows have the same parts but the shape is different. The best stick material is pernambuco, but due to its availability and high price, other materials are used in most bows nowadays. Brazilwood and snakewood are common, and also fiberglass and other synthetic materials are used. Frog is usually ebony. Wire winding is gold or silver in quality bows. Hair is horsehair.

Tuning

Modern instruments are usually tuned (low to high) E-A-D-G, with the upper G being an octave and a fourth below middle C (approx 98Hz), and the E almost 3 octaves below middle C (the bottom E on a modern piano, approx 41Hz). A variety of tunings and numbers of strings were used on a variety of confusingly-named instruments through the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries, when the four-stringed tuning above became almost universal. Since the range of the double bass lies largely below the standard bass clef, it is notated an octave higher (hence sounding an octave lower than written). This transposition applies even when reading the tenor clef and treble clef, which are used for the instrument's extreme upper range.

In classical solo playing the double bass is usually tuned a whole tone higher (F#-B-E-A). This higher tuning is called "solo tuning," whereas the regular tuning is known as "orchestral tuning." String tension differs so much between solo and orchestral tuning that a different set of strings is required. Therefore the strings are always labelled for either solo or orchestral. Sometimes published solo music is also arranged especially for either solo or orchestral tuning.

A small number of bass players choose to tune their strings in 5ths: much like a cello, except a whole octave lower. The lowest string being C, then G, D, A. Bassists that tune this way tend to play mostly jazz as the major tenth is now across from one string to two over, instead of the normal octave that is achieved when tuned in 4ths.

Technique

The player stands or sits and holds the instrument upright, slightly tilted toward him or her. While standing, the bottom edge of the bass rests in between the players' left thigh and pelvis. The bass is supported by the left leg and not the left hand. Because of this, the left hand is free to move up and down the fingerboard freely. When standing, the index finger of the player is equal to the players eye level when the index finger is in 'half' position (HP). While sitting, a tall stool (which is measured by the players' seam length) is used. The left foot rests on the stool rung. The right foot rests on the floor with the leg bent. The bottom edge of the bass rests in between the players' right thigh and pelvis. In the sitting position, the double bass player looks similar to a cello player. At the base of the double bass is a 'spike', called the endpin, which rests on the floor. As with other string instruments, the double bass is played with a bow (arco) or by plucking the strings (pizzicato).

When playing the extreme upper range of the instrument (above the G below middle C), the player will shift his hand out from behind the neck and flatten it out, using the side of his thumb as a finger. This technique is called thumb position and is also a technique used on the cello. Note that, while playing in thumb position, the pinky is not used because its range is inefficient.

Two advanced techniques should also be mentioned that extend the harmonic and textural range of the instrument. These being the use of natural harmonics (a technique often used by Giovanni Bottesini) and sometimes even stopped harmonics where the thumb stops the note and the octave or other harmonic is activated by lightly touching the string at the relative node point.

In popular music genres, the instrument is usually played with amplification and almost exclusively played with a form of pizzicato where the sides of the fingers are used in preference to the tips of the fingers.

In traditional jazz, swing, and some other styles of music, it is sometimes played in the slap style. This is a vigorous version of pizzicato where the strings are "slapped" against the fingerboard between the main notes of the bass line. The main notes are either played normally or by pulling the string away from the fingerboard and releasing it so that it bounces off the fingerboard, producing a distinctive percussive attack in addition to the expected pitch. Notable slap style bass players have included Bill Johnson, Wellman Braud, Pops Foster, and Milt Hinton, whose use of the technique was often highly syncopated and virtuosic, sometimes interpolating two, three, four, or more slaps in between notes of the bass line. Slap Style had an important influence on electric bass guitar players who from about 1970 developed a technique called Slap and Pop, where the thumb of the plucking hand is used to hit the string, making a slapping sound but still allowing the note to ring, and the index or middle finger of the plucking hand is used to pull the string back so it hits the fretboard, achieving the pop sound described above.

Slam Stewart, a jazz bassist in the 1940s, took solos in which he bowed the bass and sang along in octave harmony. He used a German bow so he could play pizzicato with the sides of his fingers and still hold the bow. Charles Mingus is another notable jazz bassist, regarded as one of the foremost virtuosi of the instrument in the genre.

Difficulties in sound and performance of the instrument include projection. Despite the size of the instrument, it is relatively quiet, primarily due to the fact that its range is so low. When writing solo passages for the instruments, composers take extreme care in their orchestration. Dexterity is also an issue, as the instrument cannot play nearly as quickly as a violin can (It should be noted that this is an issue that has greatly improved due to modern technique). This is due to the size of the strings. Inertia tells us that it takes more effort to vibrate the large strings of the bass than it does to vibrate the tiny strings of a violin. Therefore, composers tend to shy away from giving the bass extremely fast passages or large jumps in range. Intonation, as with all string instruments, is arguably the biggest difficulty to overcome in mastering the instrument. Because of the size of the instrument, the positions for the fingers are much further apart than they would be on a violin.

Additionally, some rockabilly and rock bassists have taken advantage of the large size of the double bass by balancing themselves, or "surfing" upon the instrument as a trick during performances. (Note this is a visual entertainment technique and can seriously damage an instrument if it is not robust enough to withstand the treatment)

Double bass bow

German bow

French bow

There are two kinds of bows used in double bass playing: German and French. They are different in both design and playing technique. The French bow is a heavier and shorter version of the bow used by the modern violin family, and held in almost the same way, with the palm facing down. The index, middle, and ring fingers rest over the top of the stick and the thumb grasps the frog. Unlike the rest of the violin family, where the pinky rests on top of the stick, the pinky on the French bow rests on the side of the frog with the other fingers. The German bow has a much larger frog and is held with the palm angled upwards, as used for the upright members of the viol family. Note: THE PICTURE EXAMPLE OF THE GERMAN BOW HOLD IS WRONG. When held the correct way, the thumb rests on top of the stick. The index and middle fingers are held together and support where the frog meets the stick. Contrary to what most people think, the ring finger just hangs and does absolutely nothing. The pinky supports the other side of the frog from underneath. Note: There are many different schools of thought on correct grip for both the French and German bow. Contrary to what the previous contributor has commented, the correct way is the method that works best for the individual, their bass and their bow.

The bass bow is strung with white or black horse hair or a combination of black and white. (known as salt and pepper) as opposed to the customary white horse hair used for the string family. The slightly rougher black hair is of use for more effective articulation of the string.

In order to help better grip the string, string players use rosin on their bows.

Strings

Some basses have five strings; the additional string may be either an extra high string (tuned to C) or an extra low string tuned to B. Such basses are larger than usual, somewhat harder to play, and rare.

Many four-string basses have a 'C extension' which extends the lowest string down as far as low C, a note an octave below the lowest note on the cello. This may take the form of an extra section of fingerboard mounted up over the head of the bass, which requires the player to reach back over the pegs to play, or of a mechanical lever system where keys are positioned next to the neck in the positions which the corresponding notes would occupy if the instrument had a fifth string. The extension is invaluable in classical music, because the bass often does not have a separately written part but is told to play the cello part an octave lower, a practice known as 'doubling'. The string bass is known as the double bass because it transposes down one octave.

There are two main string materials. Traditionally the strings have been made of gut, and since the 20th century, steel has been the most popular material due to its better playability. Gut strings are nowadays mostly used by individual players who prefer the tone of the gut string. Gut strings are more vulnerable to changes of humidity and temperature, and they break more easily than steel. The change from gut to steel has also affected to the instrument's playing technique over the last hundred years, because playing with gut strings requires more force from the left hand. For example, the classic Franz Simandl method does not utilize the low E string in higher positions, but this has become more common in modern playing.

Classical double bass repertoire

In European classical music, the double bass has been primarily used to provide a solid but usually simple bass line. Bass soloists are rare but not unheard of. Domenico Dragonetti was perhaps the first soloist of note. He was a friend of Beethoven. Together they presented a number of the cello sonatas with the composer on piano and Dragonetti often performed the cello solos in Beethoven's pieces in performances.

Giovanni Bottesini was a 19th century virtuoso on the instrument sometimes called the Paganini of the double bass. He wrote a number of concert pieces for the instrument, including concertos, and also pedagogical works.

Few works have been written for the instrument by better known composers, though there are a few examples and exceptions. The Mozart aria KV 612 "Per questa bella mano" (By this beautiful hand), being one.

We know that Joseph Haydn wrote a concerto Hob. VIIc 1 for bass which has now been lost. It was written for Johann Georg Schwenda, an outstanding double bassist at Esteháza. Remaining evidence of his regard for the instrument can be found in solo passages he wrote for it in the trios of the minuets in his symphonies numbers 6, 7 and 8 (Le Matin, Le Midi and Le Soir). All were probably written for the player Friedrich Pichelberger. Also around this time Carl Ditters von Dittersdorf wrote a number of works for the double bass including a number of concerto and a Sinfonia concertante for Viola, Double Bass and Orchestra.

Later pieces with solo parts for the bass include a duo for cello and double bass by Gioacchino Rossini. Though popular with bassists Niccolo Paganini's Fantasy a Theme by Rossini is a 20th-century trancription of the violin original. The famous Trout Quintet by Franz Schubert added the double bass to the traditional piano quartet, creating an ensemble consisting of all four members of the bowed string family plus piano. Antonin Dvorak wrote a much less well known quintet in which the standard string quartet is augmented by adding a double bass. Probably the most famous classical piece featuring double bass is "The Elephant" from Camille Saint-Saëns' The Carnival of Animals. Also worthy of note is the passage which begins the third movement of Gustav Mahler's 1st symphony where a solo double bass quotes a minor key version of the children's song "Frere Jacques".

In the 20th century the bass has been somewhat better served in classical music, although it is still only rarely used as a solo instrument. One of the very few double bass concertos is by Serge Koussevitzky (better known as a conductor), a piece written in 1905. Other pieces to feature the instrument include Luciano Berio's Psy (1989), for solo bass; Composition II (1973) by Galina Ustvolskaya, for eight double basses, drum and piano; and a sonata for double bass and piano by Paul Hindemith (who also wrote a number of other pieces for unusual solo instruments).

Over the last thirty years or so players such as Bertram Turetzky and Gary Karr have commissioned a large number of new works. Player and composer Edgar Meyer has written three concertos for the instrument and arrangements of Bach's unaccompanied cello suites. Meyer also includes the double bass in the majority of his chamber music compositions. Player and teacher Rodney Slatford, via his company Yorke Edition, has done much to publish both old and new music for the double bass.

Double bass in jazz

The bass is one of the most prominent instruments in jazz. The early jazz ensemble (from about 1890) was initially a marching band with tuba (or occasionally bass saxophone) supplying the bass line. As the music moved into bars, clubs, and brothels, the double bass gradually replaced these wind instruments. Initially playing 2 or 4 beats to a bar, the walking bass line was an early melodic, harmonic invention that is still evolving today. Because an unamplified double bass is generally the quietest instrument in a jazz band, many players of the 1920s and 1930s used the aforementioned slap style.

It could be said that with nearly every major change in the evolution of jazz, double bass players have contributed in an important way. Examples include swing era players such as Ray Brown and Jimmy Blanton, who played with Duke Ellington and Oscar Peterson. All were famous for their ability to swing and drive a big band along, often without amplification, in addition to being great small ensemble players.

The cool style of jazz has been influenced and extended by players such as Scott LaFaro (a refined and stunning technical and musical virtuosity) or we could consider someone like Percy Heath who played in an unforgettably solid but swinging manner and whose solos were melodically graceful and poetic. One must not forget the great Paul Chambers who worked on the Kind of Blue album with Miles Davis, one of the most influential albums in the history of jazz.

Free jazz was embraced and extended by players such as Charles Mingus and Charlie Haden.

Jazz rock was the time of players such as Stanley Clarke and Miroslav Vitouš, and although both of these players used electric bass they did not neglect the double bass, incorporating bowed and pizzicato solos that showed Spanish and classical influence.

Today many modern jazz pieces are composed with the double bass in mind, and much musical freedom is allowed. On the other hand, it must compete with the electric bass for a spot in jazz lineups, though it is more common than in rock lineups.

Double bass in bluegrass music

The string bass is often used in bluegrass music. It is the largest bowed string instrument, and is made in several sizes. Most usual for bluegrass use is the 3/4 size bass. Less frequently used are the full and 5/8 size bass. The upright bass is plucked for most bluegrass music, though some modern bluegrass bassists have also used a bow.

The bluegrass bass is responsible for keeping time in the polyrhythmic conditions of the bluegrass tune, enhancing the flow of the music with tasteful fills and runs. Most important is the steady beat, whether fast, slow, in 4/4 time, 2/4 or 3/4 time.

Early pre-bluegrass music was often accompanied by the cello, which was bowed as often as plucked. Some contemporary bluegrass bands favor the electric bass, but it has a different musical quality than the plucked upright bass which gives energy and drive to the music.

Common rhythms in bluegrass bass playing are, in 4/4 time (plucking on the beats) 1, 3; 1, 4; 1, 3, 4. In 3/4 time (waltz time) 1; 1,2; and 1,3. Bluegrass baselines are usually extremely simple, typically staying on the Tonic and Dominant chords throughout.

Cedric Rainwater, bassist for Bill Monroe and later Flatt and Scruggs, helped to define the bluegrass sound with his characteristic walking bass, where each beat in 4/4 time is plucked, going up and down the scale.

Notable bass players in contemporary bluegrass music:

Double bass in popular music

For much of the history of popular music (especially rock music), the double bass was an integral part of pop lineups. However, it faced inherent problems. For one, it was forced to compete with louder horn instruments (and later amplified electric guitars.) For another, the double bass' size created inherent problems. In 1951, Leo Fender independently released his Precision Bass, the first commercially successful bass guitar; his invention soon made the upright bass functionally obsolete in popular music. Scott Owen of The Living End is the most famous double bassist playing in a punk rock band. Also, double bass is favored over the electric bass guitar in many rockabilly and psychobilly bands.

Double bassists

Notable classical double bass players of historical importance

Giovanni Bottesini
Domenico Dragonetti
Serge Koussevitzky
Edouard Nanny
Franz Simandl (1840-1912) author of "New Method for the Double Bass"

Contemporary classical double bass players

Fernando Grillo
Gary Karr
Franco Petracchi
Bertram Turetzky
Barry Green also author of The Inner Game of Music
François Rabbath
Allan von Schenkel
Rodney Slatford
Edgar Meyer
Mark Dresser (1952-)
Teppo Hauta-Aho
Thomas Martin
Jorma Katrama
Hal Robinson
David Walter
Homer Mensch

Double bass players in other genres

Also see List of jazz bassists, which includes both double bass and electric bass players.

References and external links

http://www.earlybass.com/ Double Bass and Violone Internet Archive
http://ebass.nl/ Site about Electric Upright Basses [EUB]
http://www.gollihur.com/kkbass/basslink.html The biggest double bass site on the world wide web.
http://www.DoubleBassGuide.com The most informative double bass site on the world wide web.
http://www.ojbr.com/ The Online Journal of Bass Research
http://www.lemur-music.com/ An online store strictly for the double bass.

@@ Line 122: / Line 122: @@
 == Strings ==
-Some basses have five strings; the additional string may be either an extra high string (tuned to B) or an extra low string tuned to C. Such basses are larger than usual, somewhat harder to play, and rare.
+Some basses have five strings; the additional string may be either an extra high string (tuned to C) or an extra low string tuned to B. Such basses are larger than usual, somewhat harder to play, and rare.
 Many four-string basses have a 'C extension' which extends the lowest string down as far as low C, a note an octave below the lowest note on the cello. This may take the form of an extra section of fingerboard mounted up over the head of the bass, which requires the player to reach back over the pegs to play, or of a mechanical lever system where keys are positioned next to the neck in the positions which the corresponding notes would occupy if the instrument had a fifth string. The extension is invaluable in classical music, because the bass often does not have a separately written part but is told to play the cello part an octave lower, a practice known as 'doubling'.  The string bass is known as the double bass because it transposes down one octave.