Questions & Answers

Before the late 1900s, double bass strings were usually made from gut, but since that period, steel strings have mostly replaced gut strings, due to the fact that steel strings keep their pitch much better plus they project a more substantial volume when played with the bow.[5[]|] Gut strings are more susceptible to variations of humidity and warmth, and they also break a lot more easily than steel strings. Gut strings are these days mainly used by bassists who perform in baroque ensembles, rockabilly bands , traditional blues bands, and bluegrass. Gut strings, because they create a "thumpy," deeper tone when they are played pizzicato (plucked), which better approximates the sound heard on 1940s and 1950s recordings. Rockabilly and bluegrass bassists as well choose gut since it is much easier to perform the "slapping" upright bass style (in which the strings are percussively slapped and clicked against the fingerboard) with gut strings than with steel strings. (For more information on slapping, read the sections below on Modern playing styles, Double bass in bluegrass music, Double bass in jazz, and Double bass in popular music).

The change from gut to steel has also affected the instrument's playing technique over the last hundred years, because playing with steel strings allows the strings to be set up closer to the fingerboard, and, additionally, steel strings can be played in higher positions on the lower strings and still produce clear tone. The classic 19th century Franz Simandl method does not utilize the low E string in higher positions because with older gut strings set up high over the fingerboard, the tone was not clear in these higher positions. However, with modern steel strings, bassists can play with clear tone in higher positions on the low E and A strings, particularly when modern lighter-gauge, lower-tension steel strings (e.g. Corelli/Savarez strings) are used.

The double bass bow also comes in two distinct forms. The "French" or "overhand" bow is comparable in form and execution to the bow used on the other members of the orchestral string instrument family, while the "German" or "Butler" bow is usually wider and shorter, and it is held with the right hand grasping the frog in a loose fist.

Both of these bows provide for different ways of moving the arm and distributing pressure on the strings. The French bow, due to the angle the hand holds the bow, is suggested to be more manoeuvrable and provide the player with better control of the bow. The German bow is believed to enable the player to make use of more arm weight- and therefore a lot more force- on the strings. The differences between the two, nonetheless, are minute for a skillful player trained in utilizing his/her respective bow. Either bows are being used by modern day players, and the selection between the two is dependent on individual choice.

The German bow Dragonetti is the older of the two models. The bowing style was passed down from the time when the bows of all stringed instruments played had to be held in that fashion (middle three fingers between the stick and the hair) to keep tension of the hair before screw threads were put to use. The German bow is easier to use for bow strokes such as staccato, spaccato, and detache. A German Bow user can also create a larger, and even louder sound, and has a better control of the bow.

The French bow was not broadly popular until its adoption by 19th-century virtuoso Giovanni Bottesini. This style is a lot more similar to the traditional bows of the smaller string family instruments. It is held as if the hand is resting comfortably by the side of the performer using the palm facing toward the bass. The thumb rests at the edge of the U-curve in the frog while the other fingers drape on the other side of the bow. Numerous designs determine the bend of the fingers and thumb, just like the style of piece- a more noticable curve and lighter hold on the bow is used for virtuosic or more delicate pieces, while a flatter curve and sturdier hold on the bow offers more power for vibrant orchestral passages.

Pernambuco is regarded by many players as the very best stick substance, but because of its scarcity and expense, other materials are employed in more affordable bows these days. Less expensive student bows can be made of solid fiberglass, or of less valuable types of brazilwood.

Snakewood and carbon fiber are as well utilised in bows of a number of different characteristics. The frog of the double bass bow is commonly made out of ebony, even though Snakewood and buffalo horn are used by some luthiers. The wire wrapping is gold or silver in quality bows, and the hair is usually horsehair. Some of the lowest-quality student bows feature synthetic fiberglass "hair". Double bass bows differ in length, but average around 24" (70 cm).

The double bass bow is strung with either white or black horsehair, or a mix of the two (known as "salt and pepper"), as as an alternative to the normal white horsehair used on the bows of other string instruments. The somewhat rougher black hair is considered by some to "grab" the heavier strings better; in the same way, some bassists and luthiers believe that it is easier to create a finer sound with the white choice.

String players apply rosin to the hair of their bows so that the hair will "grip" the string and ensure it vibrates. Double bass rosin is usually much softer and stickier than violin rosin to let the hair to grab the thicker strings more effectively, but players use numerous rosins that cover anything from quite hard (like violin rosin) to quite soft, depending on the weather, the humidity, and the skill and preference of the player. The quantity used normally is dependent upon the type of music being performed and also upon the personal preferences of the player. The majority of bassists apply more rosin in works for large orchestra (e.g., Brahms symphonies) than for fine chamber works. Popular brands include Pop's Double Bass Rosin, which is softer and is prone to melting, and Nyman Double Bass Rosin, which is harder.

The bass (or F) clef is employed for most orchestral double bass music.The lowest note of a double bass is an E1 (on standard four-string basses) at 41.20 Hz or a B0 (when five strings are used) at 30.87 hertz, and the highest notes are almost down at the bridge.

In many double bass concertos harmonic tones are used. The use of natural harmonics (a technique often used by Giovanni Bottesini) and often even "incorrect" harmonics, where the thumb halts the note and the octave or other harmonic is triggered by lightly touching the string at the relative node point, extend the double bass' range substantially.

The double bass parts from most orchestral music hardly ever exceed three octaves. Nevertheless, a virtuoso solo player could cover five or six octaves in solo bass repertoire, using natural and artificial harmonics.

Because the range of the double bass lies largely below the common bass clef, it is notated an octave higher (therefore sounding an octave lower than written). This transposition applies even when reading the tenor and treble clef, which are utilized to avoid excessive ledger lines when notating the instrument's upper range.

Double Bass sheet music with fingering notes written on the double bass is usually tuned in fourths, in contrast to the other members of the orchestral string family, which are tuned in fifths. This avoids too long a finger stretch (known as an "extension"). Modern double basses are usually tuned (low to high) E-A-D-G. The lowest string is tuned to E (the same pitch as the lowest E on a modern piano, approx 41Hz), nearly 3 octaves below middle C); and the highest string is tuned to G, an octave and a fourth below middle C (approx 98Hz).

A number of tunings and even numbers of strings were chosen on a variety of confusingly-named instruments through the sixteenth to the early twentieth centuries, by which time the four-stringed tuning mentioned above became almost universal.

Much of the classical repertoire has notes that fall below the range of a ordinary double bass. Notes below low E appear regularly in double bass parts in the Baroque and Classical eras, when the double bass was typically doubling the cello part an octave below. Within the Romantic era and the 20th-century, composers such as Mahler, Beethoven, and Prokofiev also requested notes below the low E.

There are two prevalent methods for making these notes attainable to the player. Major European orchestras generally use basses with a fifth string, tuned to B three octaves and a semitone below middle C.[6[]|]

A low C extensionIn the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, most professional orchestral players use four-string double basses with an "C extension" which extends the lowest string down as far as low C, an octave below the lowest note on the cello (more rarely, this string may be tuned to a low B). The extension is an extra section of fingerboard mounted up over the head of the bass, which requires the player to reach back over the pegs to play, or to use a mechanical lever system.

A small number of bass players tune their strings in fifths, like a cello but an octave lower (C-G-D-A low to high). This tuning is mostly used by jazz players, as the major tenth can be played easily without a position shift, but is increasingly used by classical players, notably the Canadian bassist Joel Quarrington. Tuning in fifths can also make the instrument louder, because the strings have more common overtones, causing the strings to vibrate sympathetically.[7[]|]

In classical solo playing the double bass is usually tuned a whole tone higher (F#-B-E-A). This higher tuning is called "solo tuning," whereas the regular tuning is known as "orchestral tuning." String tension differs so much between solo and orchestral tuning that a different set of strings is often employed that has a lighter gauge. Strings are always labelled for either solo or orchestral tuning, and published solo music is arranged for either solo or orchestral tuning. Some popular solos and concerti, such as the Koussevitsky Concerto are available in both solo and orchestral tuning arrangements.

A variant and much less-commonly used form of solo tuning used in some Eastern European countries is (A-D-G-C), which uses three of the strings from orchestral tuning (A-D-G) and then adds a high "C" string. Some bassists with five string basses use a high "C" string as the fifth string, instead of a low "B" string. Adding the high "C" string facilitates the performance of solo repertoire with a high tessitura (range).

Double bassists have the option to either stand or sit while playing the instrument. When standing, the double bass' height is set (by adjusting the endpin) so that the player may easily place the right hand close to the bridge, either with the bow (arco) or plucking (pizzicato). While personal opinions vary, often the endpin is set by aligning the first finger in either first or half position with the player's eye level. While sitting, a stool (which is measured by the player's seam length) is used. Traditionally, standing has been preferred by soloists although many now choose to play sitting down.

When playing in the upper register of the instrument (above the G below middle C), the player shifts his hand out from behind the neck and flattens it out, using the side of his thumb as a finger. This technique is called thumb position and is also a technique used on the cello. While playing in thumb position, the use of the fourth finger is replaced by the third finger, as the fourth finger becomes too short to produce a reliable tone.

Despite the size of the instrument, it does not project a loud volume, because its range is so low. When the bass is being used as an ensemble instrument in orchestra, usually between four and eight bassists will play the part in unison. In jazz and blues settings, the bass is normally amplified with a bass amplifier and loudspeakers. When writing solo passages for the bass, composers typically ensure that the orchestration is light, so it will not cover the bass.

Performing on the bass is often physically demanding since the strings of the bass are greater and thicker than those of a smaller stringed instrument. In addition, since the bass is significantly larger than other stringed instruments, the space between notes on the fingerboard is greater. Consequently, bass parts have relatively fewer fast passages, double stops, or large jumps in range. The increased use of playing techniques such as thumb position and alterations to the bass such as the use of lighter-gauge strings have diminished this problem to some degree.

Just like with all unfretted string instruments, artists should learn to place their fingers precisely to generate the proper pitch. And since the bass is larger than other string instruments, the positions for the fingers are much further apart. As a result, more shifting of position is required, which increases the likelihood of intonation errors. Likewise, for bassists with smaller hands, the big spaces between pitches on the bass fingerboard may present quite a job, particularly in the lower range, where the spaces between notes are greatest.

Before 1990s, child-sized double basses were not widely available, and the big size of the bass meant that children were not able to start the bass until their hand size and height would let them play a 3/4-size instrument (the most commonly-available size). In the 1990s and 2000s, smaller half, quarter, eighth and even sixteenth-sized instruments became more widely available, which meant that children could start at a younger age.

The double bass' large size, combined with the fragility of the wooden top and sides and the wood make securely moving the instrument challenging. Because hard cases are both expensive and heavy, most bassists use soft cases. Some players use wheeled carts or endpin-attached wheels to transport the instrument.