Double Bass

A descendant of the violone, the double bass is the largest surviving member of the viol family and has flourished across genres from classical to bluegrass, from jazz to rockabilly, and folk. Standing at nearly six feet, a full-sized double bass is often bigger than its player. Whether plucked or played with a bow, its long, thick strings allow a range of notes from the deepest orchestral rumblings to a top register rivaling that of the cello. Orchestral bass players sometimes employ an extension on the lowest string, giving them four extra-low notes. The double bass is a stalwart of many ensembles, providing a solid grounding for harmony and melody. Composers like Bottesini—a virtuoso player of the instrument himself—produced concertos in which the double bass is the star of the show. Others, like Schubert and Mendelssohn, spotted opportunities for it to round out a piece of chamber music. Reliable with more than a hint of fun, the instrument comes into its own in Saint-Saëns’ “The Elephant” from his The Carnival of the Animals and Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra. Today, adventurous bass players take on exciting new compositions while continuing to perform the old favorites and occasionally displaying musical acrobatics in arrangements of music composed for other instruments.