bass Overview

The double bass is the largest and lowest sounding instrument of the orchestral string family.  It can be confusing to know which instrument is being referred to because it goes by several names: “double bass,” “contrabass,” “string bass,” “upright bass,” “acoustic bass,” or just “bass.”  The history of the bass is equally complex.  It's not technically a part of the violin family like the viola and cello.  It comes from an older family of bowed string instruments called the viols.  The shape and tuning system of the bass still reflects its origin as the lowest member of the viol family, called the “violone.”  Many modifications have been made to make it a more useful instrument for modern orchestral music.

Unlike the other string instruments, bass players have a choice in the style of bow to use.  There is a French style bow, which resembles the other bows closely and played overhand, but there is also a German style that is played underhand, similar to the way the violone was played.

The double bass plays accompanimental parts nearly all the time in ensembles, but many players don’t mind this due to the great opportunities playing bass provides in other styles of music.  It is a staple instrument in jazz ensembles of all kinds, Bluegrass music, many Latin music styles, and a great number of folk music styles.  Also, the bass uses strings that are tuned the same way as the electric bass guitar, meaning that transitioning from one instrument to the other is not very difficult.  This means that a bass student can pick up an electric bass and start learning rock and other music fairly easily.

Some great double bass players of the past are Domenico Dragonetti, Giovanni Bottesini, and Serge Koussevitzky.  Some of the most respected players of today are Gary Karr, Edgar Meyer, Jeff Bradetich, and François Rabbath.