The double bass, also known simply as the bass (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). The Double bass has a similar structure to the cello.
How would you describe the sound of a double bass?
Heavy, weighty, dark, weightless, wafting, somber, earthy, resonant, rasping, broad , hollow, dull, mighty, menacing, violent, mellow, sustaining, aspirate.
How would you describe the sound of a bass?
Heavy, weighty, dark, weightless, wafting, somber , earthy, resonant, rasping, broad, hollow, dull, mighty, menacing, violent, mellow, sustaining, aspirate.
What is unique about the double bass?
The double bass is truly a remarkable instrument. It is the largest of all the stringed instruments that feature in a modern-day symphony orchestra . Also, it has the lowest pitch amongst all stringed instruments.
What makes a bass a double bass?
A double bass is usually strung with four heavy strings pitched E 1 –A 1 –D–G ; a fifth string is occasionally added—in jazz band basses, at the top of the register to allow high notes to be played more easily; in symphony orchestra basses, below the E string, tuned to C.
What does bass mean in slang?
bass is being used metaphorically to refer to the buttocks . I think the juxtaposition of bass and treble refers to the clefs in musical notation: the bass cleff is on the bottom, the treble cleff is on the top, and bottom is another euphemism for the butt, while top is often used to refer to a woman’s breasts.
What exactly is bass?
1 : a tone of low pitch. 2 : the lowest part in harmony that has four parts. 3 : the lower half of the musical pitch range. 4 : the lowest male singing voice. 5 : a singer or an instrument having a bass range or part.
Is double bass loud or soft?
The sound of the double bass is resonant but not loud . It is capable of playing solos, but if you give a solo to a double bass, make sure the rest of the arrangement is very quiet so that the solo can be heard.
Is double bass difficult?
The double bass is a tough master – demanding strength, stamina and proper technique from its player. As the root of the orchestra, musical and rhythmic accuracy are imperative to the success of the whole – requiring plenty of practice and repetition.
What is the role of a double bass?
The double bass is the biggest string instrument in the orchestra . It emits low and muted tones, sometimes rhythmic, sometimes long, but almost always incredibly powerful. The double bass part often forms a stable foundation over which the rest of the orchestra’s notes can resound.
Is a double bass lower than a bass guitar?
The difference between a bass guitar and a double bass is that the bass guitar is smaller , it’s held perpendicular to the player’s body, it’s often amplified via a bass amplifier, and it’s played with fingers or a pick. Double basses are larger, they’re stood upright, and they can be played with a bow.
Who is a famous double bass player?
Some of the most influential contemporary classical double bass players are known as much for their contributions to pedagogy as for their performing skills, such as US bassist Oscar Zimmerman (1910–1987), known for his teaching at the Eastman School of Music and, for 44 summers at the Interlochen Music Camp in ...
What is a 3/4 double bass?
99.5% of the basses are 3/4 size. But you will find that 3/4 size is by far most common bass size. A 4/4 or full size bass is really considered more of a “jumbo” or “XXL” bass – and mostly they are used in orchestras and by very tall people.
What does bass in your face mean?
This demonic possession has many symptoms, most notably: the ‘bass face’. The bass face can take many forms: sheer ecstasy, baffling rage, confused bewilderment or something totally inexplicable.
What does it mean to feel the bass?
Standing by a sub-woofer, on the other hand, will cause you to feel very obvious vibrations through your body . This is because the frequency vibrations are much slower, so we can pickup on them with our nervous system, and they are much larger, so we pick up on them very strongly.
Why is bass pronounced base?
Base comes from the Latin word basis which means foundation and the Greek word basis which means step, pedestal. Bass, when pronounced as base, means the lowest pitch , an adult male who sings in the lowest pitch, any number of instruments that play the lowest pitch.
