Triple Contra - quite cool IMO

[knuckle_head]

A composition by Roscoe Mitchell who tapped a bass player named Brian Smith that had built a Triple Contra Viol. Low string on this beast is the 20 Hz E - rumor has it this triple contra is nearly 10 feet tall with a playable scale length that is at or just beyond 60"

It won't be most y'all's cup o' tea but here is the MP3

I chatted with Brian and he is digging into his old tapes to see if he can find some of his compositions that feature the triple contra - I so hope he can find them (and shares them with me when he does).

[simandlhandle]

I don't think my speakers on my laptop do it justice; it must be phenominal live. You might have to get the venue checked for structural integrity before you play those bottom notes.

[FredH]

Reminds me of the campfire scene in "Blazing Saddles"

[hdiddy]

Jeez, sounds like you're listening to a humpback whale.

[junglebike]

I'm reminded of the phrase, "a long walk for a short drink"

[jdapodaca]

that was one of the weirdest things i've heard in my life.

[Silversorcerer]

Roscoe Mitchell "Four Compositions" (1987, Lovely Music Ltd., LCD2021). This CD is mainly avant-garde classical, all composed by Roscoe Mitchell. It includes one track ("Prelude") which is a quartet for voice, bass saxophone, contrabass sarrusophone, and triple contrabass viol. The liner notes include a picture of the quartet on stage.

- This explanation of the composition from a google search. Bizarre. The B-string on my fiver sounds fuller than that thing. It makes you wonder what the Octobass sounded like. Probably better.

and here's New York Times review:http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpag...52C0A96E948260

[pklima]

Interesting... but an EUB version would probably be a lot more practical.