Double bass

The double bass is a serious instrument of the family of the string instruments.

She can be played by rubbing the cords with the bow ( arco ) or by gripping them with the fingers ( Pizzicato ). The double bass is very much used in Classical music, within the Symphony orchestras, and in Jazz where it is part of the Rhythm section. The double bass is also used in the other styles like the Blues, the Rock-and-roll, the Psychobilly, the Rockabilly, the Bluegrass… the contemporary repertory is particularly abundant: acoustics, with electronics, or musical Theater.

The instrument

It generally has four cords granted in quads ( semi , the , D and ground , from serious towards the acute one). One can find sometimes a fifth cord of C (French school), granted a third under the semi (either an octave lower than the most serious note of the Violoncelle); or a " do" with the higher quad of the cord of ground (agreement used sometimes in the jazz). The Tessiture of the double bass reaches 4 then octave S, of the C 0 with the C 4. Other schools prefer to grant this 5th cord in if , for reasons of facility of the positions. Certain symphony orchestras make compulsory the use of the double bass to 5 cords. Indeed, only this one makes it possible to have the 16 feet (C engraves), essential to play the partitions such as they are written, without having to transpose.
  • to listen to the open strings (file midday)

The double bass is largest (it measures between 1,60 m and 2 m) and most serious of the instruments of the family of the rubbed cords. The double bass appeared more tardily than the other instruments of the family (Violon, viola, Violoncelle). She however kept an originality of their ancestors: the agreement in quad of the Viol S ( semi - the - D - ground ).

History of the double bass

The appearance of the double bass would go back to 1620, succeeding the Violone and the double bass of viol, but it was introduced into the orchestra only in the middle of the 17th century. Initially, it doubled the parts of the violoncellos to the lower octave, then it émancipa, and the double basses gradually obtained in the orchestras their own partitions during the romantic time.

The delay of its emancipation in the world of the music comes owing to the fact that neither the form, neither the size, neither the agreement, nor the bow were unified at the beginning, and it is necessary well to acknowledge that nothing is yet fixed today. The forms vary ad infinitum according to research of the violin makers between that of the old that and viola da gamba, that which consists in multiplying by the same number the proportions of the violoncello, identical, but recut in the upper part for a better accessibility in the acute one (form pear). It is also thought that its shoulders comes directly from the viol, contrary to the violoncello, whose silhouette takes again that of the violin directly.

Bows

There are two types of bow which are used with the double bass. The bow 'français" is similar to the bows of the other instruments of the family of the violin (violin, viola, and violoncello). The “German” bow is less long, and it is held in a different way. The German bow is much older than the French bow. The French bow was only little used before the years 1800, before it was adopted by the Italian virtuoso Giovanni Bottesini.

Modes of plays

Following the example other serious instruments, the double bass is rich of a great diversity of stamps and manner of playing (modes of plays).

Audio example of modes of play: *

Alternatives of double basses

Electric double basses

There exist electric double basses , different from the low guitars. The electric double basses resemble the double bass a little, but they often get rid of the large body out of wooden like resonator. For the place, the instrument is used of a microphone (" pickup" in English) who is connected with an amplifying . Without the large body, the electric double basses are easier to transport, and it is easier to reach the acute notes. The electric double basses are often used by the musicians of the jazz-rock'n'roll or fusion, like Medeski, Martin and Wood, and Claypool.

Contrebassine

The first musicians of Jazz in the XIXe century used the " Contrebassine " or thelow one, a primitive instrument made up of a basin or a dustbin (like Resonator), of a handle with brush and a clothes line.

Nicknames

Familiarly, the musicians call the double bass, the grandmother . It is noticed that it is the only string instrument associated with a person with female sex.

Great concertos for double bass

Concertos of Dragonetti, Bottesini, Vanhal, Dittersdorf, Koussevitzky.

Parts for double bass alone

Continuation of Marcel Bitsch, Sonata of David Ellis, Suite in a old Mode of Hans Fryba (all made up at the 20th century).

And, in the contemporary repertory: Georges Aperghis, John Cage, Sylvano Bussotti, James Dillon, Jacob, D ruckman, Pascal Dusapin, Brian Ferneyhough, Philip Glass, Kaija Saariaho, Salvatore Sciarrino, Giacinto Scelsi, Iannis Xenakis.

Double bass and jazz

The double bass is used much in the Jazz. It is especially used in Pizzicato (by gripping the cords) rather than with the bow.

In the first jazz bands, the base line was played with a tuba, or occasionally a Saxophone low. But when one started to play of the jazz in the dance halls and the nightclubs, the double bass quickly détroné these wind instruments. In traditional jazz, instrumentalists like Ray Brown, Jimmy Blanton, Scott LaFaro gave him its noble letters.

In Jazz rock'n'roll one prefers the low to him electric, swifter, and allowing more effects.

The styles of Rock'n'roll like Rockabilly and Psychobilly have also its followers of the double bass. In the style of rockabilly, there is Lee Rocker double bass player of the Stray Cats. In the United States and in England, there are groups psychobilly (a mixture of punk, rock'n'roll, and rockabilly) as Tiger Army which use the double bass.

Historical double bass

Group double basses

The orchestra of double basses is a group made up of 6 double basses, using all the possible registers of play of the instrument.

See too

double bass

Simple: Double low

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