|  | | 
10-30-2005, 01:19 AM
| | crosswind downwind bass | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Tacoma WA | | | gender
We as humans seem to assign gender to inanimate objects. I have heard that musical instruments are given gender and I was wondering what it is for DB? On the one hand, it has feminine curves, and a look at Paul Warburtons icon tells volumes.  On the other hand, it is called the "bull fiddle" and has a very deep voice. Does anyone know, or have ideas?
dm
Sign in to disble this ad
|
10-30-2005, 01:15 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Houston, TX | | | The bass is an extremely masculine instrument. It's large, has a very deep sound, and is difficult to carry. It's also a challenge to manuever while playing, and can be very unwieldy. It's almost like the monster truck of the string family.
In German, it has the masculine "der" attached to it, as in "der Kontrabaß." Most instruments in German are assigned either neutral or feminine articles. The tuba, for example, is "die Tuba." |
10-30-2005, 03:20 PM
|  | Musical Anarchist | | Join Date: Apr 2005 Location: Sutton, MA | | If you want to hang around all day and night with a big burly guy, go right ahead. Me? I'm sticking with my full figured gal.  |
10-30-2005, 03:54 PM
|  | Four on the floor | | Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: 大和/Alyeska | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Freddels If you want to hang around all day and night with a big burly guy, go right ahead. Me? I'm sticking with my full figured gal. | Amen brother!! |
10-30-2005, 04:25 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Rockledge, FL | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by PaulCannon It's large, has a very deep sound, and is difficult to carry. It's also a challenge to manuever while playing, and can be very unwieldy. It's almost like the monster truck of the string family." | I dont know, kinda sounds like my ex-wife!  |
10-30-2005, 04:38 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, NY | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by PaulCannon In German, it has the masculine "der" attached to it, as in "der Kontrabaß." Most instruments in German are assigned either neutral or feminine articles. The tuba, for example, is "die Tuba." | Interestingly enough, in French (all nouns are assigned genders, as well), the bass is given a feminine connotation..."la contrebasse", "la" being the feminine definite article...
Interesting how different languages/cultures perceive the same thing in such a different way, although my personal vote goes to the DB being a masculine instrument. 
__________________
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everday life."
|
10-30-2005, 04:46 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maui | | | Well, I think the face says it all. I don't think I personally would ever make a face like this when wrapped around a masculine object. Unless I took up Ultimate Fighting or something.
Last edited by Marcus Johnson : 12-26-2007 at 08:08 PM.
|
10-30-2005, 05:03 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: New York, NY | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson Well, I think the face says it all. I don't think I personally would ever make a face like this when wrapped around a masculine object. Unless I took up Ultimate Fighting or something. | Haha...I concede, and submit to change my vote to "feminine" in order to save face 
__________________
"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everday life."
|
10-31-2005, 11:37 AM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by poptime We as humans seem to assign gender to inanimate objects. dm | Maybe you as humans, but not me as humans. My bass is an INANIMATE object. It has been the recipient of quite a bit of care and attention from animate objects (like humans, oh and cats) and it is a very special inanimate object to me. But I don't assign it qualities enjoyed by living, breathing beings.
I think the current fascination with naming things is a result of too many cartoons; fabulous though the adventures of a sponge may be, it ain't really happening.
__________________
"It takes a pretty great drummer to be better than no drummer" -Chet Baker
BECAUSE AWESOME CAT IS AWESOME!!!!!
|
10-31-2005, 12:00 PM
|  | Unprofessional TalkBass Contributor | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: Brighton, England, UK, Europe | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Marcus Johnson Well, I think the face says it all. I don't think I personally would ever make a face like this when wrapped around a masculine object. Unless I took up Ultimate Fighting or something. |
Are you implying something like this : 
??
I hear nudity is involved!
__________________
“Making the simple complicated is commonplace; making the complicated simple, awesomely simple, that's creativity.”
Charles Mingus
Last edited by Bruce Lindfield : 10-31-2005 at 12:03 PM.
|
10-31-2005, 12:13 PM
| | crosswind downwind bass | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Tacoma WA | | It was once living and breathing. And even had a gender. And in some sense, it still breathes (and sings) when you play it. But you are right, we must not lose sight of reality.
As for hugging something male, I had a male dog for many years that I loved and petted all the time.
Maybe it is best left up to each person to decide for themselves. I am inclined to consider it masculine, due to it's being called the "bull fiddle."
dm |
10-31-2005, 04:37 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maui | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Bruce Lindfield Are you implying something like this :
??
I hear nudity is involved! | Yeah, exactly like that! I gotta remember to check Netflix for that one. |
10-31-2005, 04:37 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Dec 1999 Location: NYC | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by poptime It was once living and breathing. And even had a gender.
dm | Actually most plants (and almost all trees) both pollinate and are pollinated. Besides cannabis, gingko trees have "gender". But I haven't seen any basses made out of gingko.
But I may have forgotten something....
__________________
"It takes a pretty great drummer to be better than no drummer" -Chet Baker
BECAUSE AWESOME CAT IS AWESOME!!!!!
|
10-31-2005, 04:48 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mexico City | | | hmmm a cannabis bass sounds interesting...
I wonder what kind of a tone would that bass have...
__________________
When I was a lad I was a little bit shy. Something came along and caught my eye. When I heard the jazz band strike up, I swear I had my mind made up. Boy, gotta do that thing!
|
10-31-2005, 06:40 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Nov 2001 Location: Maui | | | Smoky.
Maybe you could build beginner's basses out of it, for all those budding musicians. |
10-31-2005, 08:22 PM
|  | Journeyman Clam Artist Moderator | | Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Winnipeg, baby | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by ToR-Tu-Ra hmmm a cannabis bass sounds interesting...
I wonder what kind of a tone would that bass have... | I forget. Is that hummus?
__________________
There's a joker in every deck... |
10-31-2005, 09:53 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Jan 2002 Location: Houston, TX | | | If that's hummus, I've been smoking the wrong stuff. |
10-31-2005, 09:55 PM
| | Registered User | | Join Date: Oct 2005 Location: Mexico City | | Quote: |
I forget. Is that hummus?
| It's said that cannabis causes memory loss and some other things I can't remember right now...
__________________
When I was a lad I was a little bit shy. Something came along and caught my eye. When I heard the jazz band strike up, I swear I had my mind made up. Boy, gotta do that thing!
|
10-31-2005, 11:29 PM
| | crosswind downwind bass | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Tacoma WA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by ToR-Tu-Ra hmmm a cannabis bass sounds interesting...
I wonder what kind of a tone would that bass have... | I would expect it to be strong on the highs. |
10-31-2005, 11:45 PM
| | crosswind downwind bass | | Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Tacoma WA | | Quote: |
Originally Posted by Ed Fuqua Actually most plants (and almost all trees) both pollinate and are pollinated. Besides cannabis, gingko trees have "gender". But I haven't seen any basses made out of gingko.
But I may have forgotten something.... | LOL, no, I haven't seen any ginko basses..yet.
But poplar, ash, boxelder and cedar are all dioecious, although I've not tasted them.
dm |  | Thread Tools | Search this Thread | | | | 
Posting Rules
| You may not post new threads You may not post replies You may not post attachments You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off | | | |
