Ancient 5 string!

TheMightyQuinn · #1 06-22-2006, 03:28 PM

I just got back from a trip to Italy. I loved it, the whole country is gorgeous. There was one thing in particular that I wanted to share with everyone here at TB.

When I was in Florence I was able to see the Galleria Academia. Inside, there was an exhibit on ancient instruments. The thing in there that really caught my eye was a five string upright bass!

Cool, huh?

gottawalk · #2 06-22-2006, 09:00 PM

OH!, Man!!! Pics??????

TheMightyQuinn · #3 06-22-2006, 10:12 PM

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the bad news...

Pictures are not allowed in the Academia! I was extremely bummed and very tempted to play dumb and take a quick shot of the bass, but I thought it was best to obey their rules.

Man, I guess now it doesn't exsist

I swear I'm telling the truth, though!

The BurgerMeister · #4 06-22-2006, 10:19 PM

it exists. i've played one. a friend had one in college.

as a matter of fact, in one of shostakovich's symphonies (#13, i think), the notes say that the double-basses must ALL be 5-string. (most people interpret that as: all basses must be 5-string OR have a low c extension.)

they are very cool, though. hard to find, but cool.

funk_dat_jazz · #5 06-23-2006, 01:17 AM

just imagine how big that b string would be

fish slapper · #6 06-23-2006, 01:21 AM

There are plenty of 5 strings in the DB world today. Not as common but they are around. Any Double bass shop worth its salt will have one. Handy for all those classical pieces written for violin with a low D in them!

TheMightyQuinn · #7 06-23-2006, 07:03 AM

I know that 5 string uprights exsist today, what excited me was the fact that this thing was hundreds of years old and had 5 strings.

Energy · #8 06-23-2006, 07:24 AM

The history of the double bass is quite diverse. Precurors of the modern double bass came up in the late 16th century in Germany. Even in the early years of it's evolution there were instruments with 3, 4 and 5 strings, fretless and fretted (!). German luthiers mainly built 4-Strings. They became the standard, because german compsers had the biggest influence in the music business at that time.

evan_phi · #9 06-23-2006, 10:53 AM

you think that's cool?

Dragonetti played a 3-string! haha.

i really want a C-extender... sooooooooooo much GAS for one of those baby's.

mjolnir · #10 06-23-2006, 12:29 PM

I once read an article about a guy who had a five string... something. It looked like a DB but it was five strings, had seven frets in the fretboard, and was tuned differently, I think tuned to thirds instead of fourths.

Tbirdbassist · #11 06-23-2006, 07:17 PM

5 string upright's are call Bass Viol's, though I beleive the official name is "Bass Viola Da Gamba". There are 6 and 7 string versions as well. I've read up on these only so much (because i saw a picture and was like "OMG I WANT ONE NOW!!!!"), and google leads to few pictures, but here are some.

I think the 7's were tuned ADGCEAD, unusual. Like a 7 string guitar, tuned down a half step. I read somewhere that the 6 strings were tuned ADGCAD, all 4ths. but I guess it varied for the peice being played.

Lokire · #12 06-23-2006, 07:47 PM

^ Yes, those are Bass viols. But they're different from (3, 4, and 5 string) double-basses. Tuned differently, much smaller, different design....don't confuse the two

Lokire · #13 06-23-2006, 07:51 PM

Here's a 5-string double-bass:

Tbirdbassist · #14 06-23-2006, 08:46 PM

Oh man, I was starting to feel all educated and what not...

mjolnir · #15 06-24-2006, 08:18 AM

ooooooh... Pretty. I'm one of those guys who has to tape note positions on a DB to play it right (my jazz director hates that I have to do this, but puts up with it because I play right when I do) so those frets look pretty appetizing...