Exploring the
ORCHESTRA
Double Bass
Musical Section:
Strings (Instruments that produce sound by means of vibrating strings. Other instruments in this family include: violin, viola, cello, double bass, harp, guitar.) . Other instruments in this family: Cello, Harp, Viola, Violin
About the Double Bass
What it looks like
A double bass is a very big, tall instrument that makes deep, low sounds.
It looks like a giant violin and stands taller than most people, so you usually have to stand up or sit on a tall stool to play it.
Because the bass makes very low, deep notes, you feel it in your body and through the floor. It can literally shake the room!
Did you know? Because the bass is so big, players always have to consider how to transport their giant instrument. Doors, taxis, elevators, and staircases all become big challenges!
How to Play
Both Maestros
To play the double bass, you must stand behind it or sit on a tool stool. Resting the bass on the floor using its endpin (the metal stick at the bottom), you lean the bass gently against your body. You play it by either using a bow to slide across the strings or by plucking them with your fingers.
The double bass is the biggest string instrument in a band or orchestra, and it helps make the music feel big and powerful, like a big thunder rumble!
Hey, I Can Do That!
For centuries, the double bass was the orchestra’s gentle giant. It stood in the background and played the bass line, hoping not to be noticed. Then along came Giovanni Bottesini. In his Concerto No. 2, the bass leaps and runs and has to play really fast and high. It’s like watching a bear dance ballet.
At first, audiences were stunned. What the heck? Bottesini’s proved the bass could do so much more than what people thought. So let’s all be like the double bass and never let anyone tell you what you can or can’t do!
