Double or string?

LowFreak · #1 01-01-2008, 12:48 AM

What is double on a double bass? I have searched to find the orgin of the word, but I've had no luck..

What does a "single" bass look like?

Some insist on using "string bass", which imo is a better word to describe the instrument (compared to the other bass-instruments).

In my language we use "kontrabass". I cannot find the orgin for that either.. Any etymologists on this forum?

EDIT : sorry, wrong thread - please move.

Istar · #2 01-01-2008, 01:54 AM

Kontrabass or Contrabass is a reference to the frequency in which our instrument sounds, The contrabass frequency. like a cello who places in the bass frequency and so on.

I can only assume that by Double bass the same thing is meant, but a lot of people here stated that this may also be because originally it was used to double the normal bass/cello part.

bassist1962 · #3 01-01-2008, 07:08 AM

What I learned was the term 'double' bass refers to (yes) doubling the cello part, but also being able to reach a third lower in notation.

The term 'string' bass came about in the twenties, as most jazz, or ragtime bands had a tuba player. If you played tuba - you played brass bass, bass violin - string bass.

LowFreak · #4 01-01-2008, 08:25 AM

Duh - I looked it up on Wikipedia (should have done that first - lol)

A person who plays this instrument is called a bassist, double bassist, double bass player, contrabassist, contrabass player, or simply bass player. The instrument's standard English name, double bass is derived from the tuning of one octave lower than the cello. It is not related to physical size. The name may derive from its alleged viol family heritage, in that it is tuned lower than the standard bass viola da gamba. The name also refers to the fact that the sounding pitch of the double bass is an octave below the bass clef.

Other terms for the instrument among classical performers are contrabass (which comes from the instrument's Italian name, contrabbasso), string bass, or simply bass. Jazz musicians often call it the upright bass to distinguish it from the electric bass guitar. Especially when used in folk and bluegrass music, the instrument can also be referred to as an upright bass, standup bass, bass fiddle, or bass violin (or more rarely as doghouse bass or bull fiddle). Other colourful nicknames are found in other languages; in Hungarian, for instance, the double bass is sometimes called nagy bőgő, which roughly translates as "big crier", referring to its large voice.

Pretty much answers my question

(I think I will call it string bass for the future)

Istar · #5 01-01-2008, 10:17 AM

you mean an electric bass doesn`t have strings ???

shostkontrabass · #6 01-01-2008, 01:14 PM

It's mostly called string bass when it's in the same context as vocalists, so as not to confuse it with the bass voice, which to my knowledge does not have strings.

moopants · #7 01-01-2008, 02:05 PM

In my experience, I'm pretty sure it's called string bass because the word "bass" means so much. Bass voice, bass drum, tubas are sometimes called basses, etc. I play in a concert band, and my director usually refers to me as string bass. Some tuba music just has the word "bass" or "basses" on top of it for the instrument, as does bass drum music. This makes it easier to pass out music, identify the instrument, etc.