Double Bass What Do You Call It?

[Roger Davis]

Double Bass; occasionally in context Upright Bass. Never Acoustic Bass.

 

[RustyAxe]

"The Blond" ... when I say I'm bringing the blond to the gig my friends know I'm bringing the upright bass .... or a hot date. Otherwise it depends on context, but usually "acoustic upright bass" to distinguish it from EUB's and bass guitars (which I also play).

 

[El Thumpo]

This raises an interesting side question.
I've found that saying "double bass" or even "upright bass" quite often draws only a blank look from people. I've gotten in the habit of accompanying it with a bit of mime--you know, reaching overhead for an invisible fingerboard with the left hand, making a plucking gesture with the right. For a lot of people, that's when the lightbulb goes on. Nowadays, when the subject comes up with someone for the first time, I do it almost automatically.
Anyone else do this, or something similar?

 

[Rebop]

This raises an interesting side question.
I've found that saying "double bass" or even "upright bass" quite often draws only a blank look from people. I've gotten in the habit of accompanying it with a bit of mime--you know, reaching overhead for an invisible fingerboard with the left hand, making a plucking gesture with the right. For a lot of people, that's when the lightbulb goes on. Nowadays, when the subject comes up with someone for the first time, I do it almost automatically.
Anyone else do this, or something similar?

Constantly. I'm not happy about it.

 

[Jake deVilliers]

This raises an interesting side question.
I've found that saying "double bass" or even "upright bass" quite often draws only a blank look from people. I've gotten in the habit of accompanying it with a bit of mime--you know, reaching overhead for an invisible fingerboard with the left hand, making a plucking gesture with the right. For a lot of people, that's when the lightbulb goes on. Nowadays, when the subject comes up with someone for the first time, I do it almost automatically.
Anyone else do this, or something similar?

I do it all the time. For a generation that's grown up on electric instruments, the word 'bass' or 'guitar' conjures up a mental picture of one of Leo Fender's products.

I can hardly wait to see what the Whee generation thinks when I say 'double bass'...

 

[drurb]

This raises an interesting side question.
I've found that saying "double bass" or even "upright bass" quite often draws only a blank look from people. I've gotten in the habit of accompanying it with a bit of mime--you know, reaching overhead for an invisible fingerboard with the left hand, making a plucking gesture with the right. For a lot of people, that's when the lightbulb goes on. Nowadays, when the subject comes up with someone for the first time, I do it almost automatically.
Anyone else do this, or something similar?

Yup, it's become a habit.

 

[TheSuzie]

Trans-dimensional Bassification Device

 

[Stev187]

Yup, it's become a habit.

I do this, too. For many years, I persisted in saying "string bass" because I had some idealistic notion that this was the most accurate of all the various terms (a silly notion unsupported by facts, really). Mostly I just say "bass" and depending on the context, people get the idea. If we're talking electric music, most people conjure the image of my Fender Jazz; if we're talking old-time or jazz, they get the idea that we're talking about the big one. For me, it's more a job description than an instrument, so "bass" tends to do it. Since joining this forum recently, I've taken to saying "double bass" because that's what this section of the board is called.

But pantomime helps!

--Steve

 

[Tampabass]

This raises an interesting side question.
I've found that saying "double bass" or even "upright bass" quite often draws only a blank look from people. I've gotten in the habit of accompanying it with a bit of mime--you know, reaching overhead for an invisible fingerboard with the left hand, making a plucking gesture with the right. For a lot of people, that's when the lightbulb goes on. Nowadays, when the subject comes up with someone for the first time, I do it almost automatically.
Anyone else do this, or something similar?

me, too, depending on who I'm talking with, and sometimes I'll say something like, "you know, the big bass"

 

[Tampabass]

Double Bass; occasionally in context Upright Bass. Never Acoustic Bass.

in most of the jazz magazine polls, you can vote in "acoustic bass" and "electric bass" categories.

 

[r.t.swing]

Why is it a double bass, because this is a single bass,

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[T-Bird]

Hi.

Why is it a double bass, because this is a single bass,

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WOW, that's way cool. And for a decent price as well. IMHO anyway .

Regards
Sam

 

[drurb]

Seems it should be half-price.

 

[Don Higdon]

This raises an interesting side question.
I've found that saying "double bass" or even "upright bass" quite often draws only a blank look from people. I've gotten in the habit of accompanying it with a bit of mime--you know, reaching overhead for an invisible fingerboard with the left hand, making a plucking gesture with the right. For a lot of people, that's when the lightbulb goes on. Nowadays, when the subject comes up with someone for the first time, I do it almost automatically.
Anyone else do this, or something similar?

I used to.
Now, it's my line in the sand. I refuse to. F@ck 'em.
I say "double bass", smile, and wait patiently.
I'm not going to rescue them from their ignorance.

 

[TroyK]

I'm kind of with Don on this, it comes with getting old, I suspect. I don't have a burning need to be understood.

It depends on my audience. Most of the time I say "bass" and let them either assume what they will or ask. If I'm talking to a teacher or classical musician, i say "doublebass", if I'm in a Spanish speaking country "contrabajo", French "contrabass". If I'm buying a car, I would probably say "upright bass", because I need for him to understand what I'm talking about and I don't want him trying to talk me into a VW Bug.

If someone I don't know calls me for a gig and it's not straight ahead jazz, I might say things like "upright bass or electric bass guitar?" so that there are no misunderstandings or so that we'll have that out of the way when I start explaining to them that as cool as they think it would look on stage, I'm not taking my doublebass to their rock gig. Do they want my playing or the visual?

It comes down to who I'm talking to and whether or not I really need to be understood. For jazz guys, I usually just say "bass".

 

[Don Higdon]

I'm kind of with Don on this, it comes with getting old, I suspect.

Watch yer step, kid.

It depends on my audience. Most of the time I say "bass" and let them either assume what they will or ask.
...
It comes down to who I'm talking to and whether or not I really need to be understood. For jazz guys, I usually just say "bass".

That's essentially where I am.

 

[TroyK]

Watch yer step, kid.

I was most certainly talking about myself. 15 years ago, it much more important to me that "people got me".

 

[Skabasskid]

Esperanza

 

[Mike Goodbar]

According to a vocalist I used to play with, its called a "stand-up acoustical bass," as in "Mike Goodbar on stand-up acoustical bass."

 

[AfroCubanFunkMa]

My overweight violin..

ContraBass is my favorite term, though it seems only folks with musical training and/or exposure to classical music seem to understand that one..