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Double Bass Advantages of three string bass?

#41
eerbrev said:
From what I've read over the years, basses have had anything from three to six strings, been tuned in thirds, fourths, fifths, and various combinations thereof (including, but not limited to, from low to high: EADG ADG, CGDA GDA, FADF#A, FADF#B, DGCEad, GFCAdg, GADG, DGDG[ popular in Holst's England] and others ad nauseum). stating that there has been any kind of "Progression" aside from one to the other aside from the improvement of string technology (and modifying of the instruments to cope with the tension of the aforementioned string tech) is probably not a good idea.

All the tunings, string lengths, body sizes and body shapes have their advantages and disadvantages. Some of these we favour now, others we have favoured in the past, others we will favour later.

Advantage to a three string? less top tension, which arguably helps volume and fundamental pitch.

disadvantages? the strings are farther away, you lose all notes below A unless you retune, and if your bass is already "boomy", it might become a woofy mess (but hey, some people like that sort of thing)

as for what you do, well, if you're not in school, I assume you're big enough, old enough and ugly enough (in the words of my father) to make your own decisions, and whatever you decide, you'll never get anywhere unless you practice your buns off. I play in 4ths (out of necessity) and 5ths (by choice and preference), so I practice double the amount.

eerbrev
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I like your Dad already and I haven't even met him! :D
 
#45
Thumpie,

It has been a long while since I read the book, but as I remember it his main idea was that there was a new design of double bass that was completely in keeping with the design of the other violin family of instruments, and that these new design basses appeared at about the same time as the other violin family instruments.

In other words the "new" violin family of instruments always had a double bass family member, independant of the bass or double bass viols. Though I think I remember reading that the earliest basses of the violin family had four strings and were tuned in fifths like the rest, but that the fifths was abandoned, and as I said in an earlier post the low string was not so usefull at first.

Those viol basses were still around and were converted to function within the new ensembles and orchestras with the violin family instruments.

I don't remember him addressing the reason why in our modern instruments we still have basses that reflect the earlier viol family traits. The traits that I can remember are a lighter, flat back construction, frets and they were bowed overhand. Many had more that four strings.
 
#46
Hector Wolff said:
Thumpie,

It has been a long while since I read the book, but as I remember it his main idea was that there was a new design of double bass that was completely in keeping with the design of the other violin family of instruments, and that these new design basses appeared at about the same time as the other violin family instruments.

In other words the "new" violin family of instruments always had a double bass family member, independant of the bass or double bass viols. Though I think I remember reading that the earliest basses of the violin family had four strings and were tuned in fifths like the rest, but that the fifths was abandoned, and as I said in an earlier post the low string was not so usefull at first.

Those viol basses were still around and were converted to function within the new ensembles and orchestras with the violin family instruments.

I don't remember him addressing the reason why in our modern instruments we still have basses that reflect the earlier viol family traits. The traits that I can remember are a lighter, flat back construction, frets and they were bowed overhand. Many had more that four strings.
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All this makes sense, and is jogging my memory from what I read. Maybe the converted gambas performed well enough that makers saw a usefulness in continuing their production into the "violin age."

A fascinating discussion that makes me want to do more reading on the topic...
 
#47
Hello, I am making this post reborn, only to leave my testimony about my conversion to the world of three strings.
Some time ago I began to search the Web, on this subject, and what I have to say is this: In fact, the instrument sounds louder and clear to me, and also helped me to develop my technique of "slap", so... Which was to be only a passing curiosity, seems to definitely conquered me, let's see where this is going! : 0)
 
#50
Many years ago I put a question to that gracious gentleman, Barrie Kolstein, the answer to which was that Abraham Lincoln's bass player would have used a three-string bass while Grover Cleveland's bassist likely would have used a four. By projection then, Woodrow Wilson's bass player almost certainly would have used a four-stringer.

Lack of that fourth string can change a lot of playing habits, from walk-ups and walk-downs to string crossing boogie riffs to note selection (I don't have that note anymore; what note do I put in its place?). One is forced out of one's four-string comfort zone.
 
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#57
I just thought I'd add that three stringers were still in use as solo instruments well into the 20th century. If it isnt broken, why fix it?
3-anton-torello.jpg
 
#58
John, that has never stopped. Edicson Ruiz still uses a 3-str, and Rinat Ibragimov uses a 3-str too, from time to time. Have a look on youtube, for instance. I think these guys sound impressive.

As was explained at the beginning of this thread, several years back, the lighter load can make for a more responsive instrument, yet be more demanding on the player. Once again a choice.
 
#59
Ortsom said:
John, that has never stopped. Edicson Ruiz still uses a 3-str, and Rinat Ibragimov uses a 3-str too, from time to time. Have a look on youtube, for instance. I think these guys sound impressive.

As was explained at the beginning of this thread, several years back, the lighter load can make for a more responsive instrument, yet be more demanding on the player. Once again a choice.
Click to expand...

I am well aware of Rinat and Edicson's use of 3 strings on their basses. They are wonderful players.
Although it may in fact be the same thing, I think the philosophy behind it is very different. Both are adopting 3 strings as a kind of performance practice for playing Bottesini, just like both are adopting Viennese tuning for Viennese classical solo repertoire. They want to feel closer to the way the music was played at the time it was written.

Torello, on the other hand, used his solo bass as a three stringer his whole career. This is a conservative holdover from an older time in the tradition he learned, and although it amounts to the same practice, one is "progressive" historically informed performance practice, and the other is "conservative" to the point of being somewhat dinosauric. I think it is good to be aware of this distinction.
 
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