Strings · Viol lineage
Double Bass
The lowest bowed string instrument. It sounds an octave lower than written and is tuned in fourths, a trace of its descent from the viol family.
- Family
- Strings · Viol lineage
- Classification
- Chordophone · bowed
- Transposition
- Written an octave higher
- Clefs
- Bass; tenor and treble for high passages
- Sounding range
- E1 – C4
- Open strings
- E1 A1 D2 G2
Parts of the double bass
Front and side view, with a German bow. Photo: AndrewKepert, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Labels added by Musicians Tools.
Range
Many orchestral basses have a C extension down to C1. Solo playing and harmonics reach far higher. Playback uses a neutral tone, not the instrument's own sound.
Writing for the double bass
- Sounds an octave lower than written.
- Tuned in fourths: E1 A1 D2 G2. Five-string basses add a low B0 or C1.
- Low notes need time to speak; very fast passages in the bottom register turn muddy.
- Pizzicato is resonant and long and is the foundation of jazz bass playing.
History
The double bass combines features of the viol family (sloping shoulders, tuning in fourths) and the violin family. It became a fixed part of the orchestra in the 18th century, usually doubling the cello line an octave lower. Players use either the French (overhand) or the German (underhand) bow.
Listen
Key works featuring the double bass. Each link opens a YouTube search, so you can pick the recording you like.
- Saint-Saëns – The Carnival of the Animals, The Elephant
- Bottesini – Double Bass Concerto No. 2
- Mahler – Symphony No. 1, 3rd movement (opening)
- Dittersdorf – Double Bass Concerto in E