Professional Documents
Culture Documents
1
2 4 TERMINOLOGY
5 Design
Jazz bassist Ron Carter pictured playing with his Quartet at Altes
Pfandhaus in Cologne
5.1 Construction
neck, ribs), spruce (top), and ebony (ngerboard, tail- out by players.
piece). The tailpiece may be made from other types of
wood or non-wood materials. Exceptions to this include
less-expensive basses that have laminated (plywood) tops, 5.1.1 Travel instruments
backs, and ribs, and some 2010-era lower- to mid-priced
basses made of willow. Fully laminated plywood basses As of 2016, several manufacturers make travel instru-
are resistant to changes in heat and humidity and acciden- ments, which are double basses that have features which
tal droppage or impacts, which can cause cracks in carved reduce the size of the instrument so that the instrument
wood tops and bodies (a crack is most serious on the top). will meet airline travel requirements. Travel basses are
designed for touring musicians. One type of travel bass
Laminated (plywood) basses, which are widely used in has a much smaller body than normal, while still re-
music schools, youth orchestras, and in popular and folk taining all of the features needed for playing. While
music settings (including rockabilly, psychobilly, blues, these smaller-body instruments appear similar to electric
etc.), are very resistant to humidity and heat, as well to upright basses, the dierence is that small-body travel
the physical abuse they are apt to encounter in a school basses still have a fairly large hollow acoustic sound
environment (or, for blues and folk musicians, to the haz- chamber, while many EUBs are solid body, or only have a
ards of touring and performing in bars). Another option small hollow chamber. A second type of travel bass has a
is the hybrid body bass, which has a laminated back and hinged or removable neck and a regular sized body. The
a carved or solid wood top. It is less costly and some- hinged or removable neck makes the instrument smaller
what less fragile (at least regarding its back) than a fully when it is packed for transportation.
carved bass. In 2015, the least expensive entry-level new,
fully carved basses range from $2,750[10] to $4,950[11]
USD, although a higher-end new carved instrument may 5.2 Strings
cost from $9,000 to $24,000 USD.[12] In 2015, bassists
in top professional orchestras may have antique carved
instruments valued at hundreds of thousands of dollars.
In 2015, new fully laminated basses are sold for about
$1,350[10] to $4,500[13] USD. New hybrid basses range
from $3,000[11] to $6,400[13] USD.
The soundpost and bass bar are components of the in-
ternal construction. All the parts of a double bass are
glued together, except the soundpost, bridge, and tail-
piece, which are held in place by string tension (although
the soundpost usually remains in place when the instru-
ments strings are loosened or removed, as long as the bass
is kept on its back. Some luthiers recommend chang-
ing only one string at a time to reduce the risk of the
soundpost falling). Basic bridges are carved from a single
piece of wood, which is customized to match the shape
of the top of each instrument. Professional bassists are
more likely to have adjustable bridges, which have a metal
screw mechanism. This enables the bassist to raise or
lower the height of the strings to accommodate chang-
ing humidity or temperature conditions. The metal tun-
ing machines are attached to the sides of the pegbox with
metal screws. While tuning mechanisms generally dier
from the higher-pitched orchestral stringed instruments,
some basses have non-functional, ornamental tuning pegs
projecting from the side of the pegbox, in imitation of the
tuning pegs on a cello or violin. Detail of the bridge and strings
Famous double bass makers come from around the world The history of the double bass is tightly coupled to the
and often represent varied national characteristics. The development of string technology, as it was the advent[9]
most highly sought (and expensive) instruments come of overwound gut strings, which rst rendered the instru-
from Italy and include basses made by Giovanni Paolo ment more generally practicable, as (over) wound strings
Maggini, Gaspar da Salo, the Testore family (Carlo An- attain low notes within a smaller overall string diameter
tonio, Carlo Giuseppe, Gennaro, Giovanni, Paulo Anto- than non-wound strings.[14] Professor Larry Hurst argues
nio), Celestino Puolotti, and Matteo Gofriller. French that had it not been for the appearance of the overwound
and English basses from famous makers are also sought gut string in the 1650s, the double bass would surely have
6 5 DESIGN
5.3 Bows
frog while the other ngers drape on the other side of the
bow. Various styles dictate the curve of the ngers and
thumb, as do the style of piece; a more pronounced curve
and lighter hold on the bow is used for virtuoso or more
delicate pieces, while a atter curve and sturdier grip on
the bow sacrices some power for easier control in strokes
such as detach, spiccato, and staccato.
German-style bow
5.3.4 Rosin
The bass (or F) clef is used for most orchestral double bass music.
7.2 C extension
Double bass player Vivien Garry playing a show in New York A low-C extension with wooden mechanical ngers that stop
City in 1947. the string at C, D, E, or E. For orchestral passages which only
go down to a low E, the nger at the nut is usually closed.
The double bass is generally tuned in fourths, in contrast
to other members of the orchestral string family, which In Britain, the USA and Canada, most professional or-
are tuned in fths. The standard tuning (low to high) is chestral players use four-string double basses with a C ex-
EADG, starting from E below second low C (concert tension. This is an extra section of ngerboard mounted
pitch). This is the same as the standard tuning of a bass on the head of the bass. It extends the ngerboard under
guitar and is one octave lower than the four lowest-pitched the lowest string and gives an additional four semitones
strings of standard guitar tuning. Prior to the 19th- of downward range. The lowest string is typically tuned
century, many double basses had only three strings; Gio- down to C1 , an octave below the lowest note on the cello.
vanni Bottesini (18211889) favored the three-stringed More rarely this string may be tuned to a low B0 , as a
instrument popular in Italy at the time,[7] because the few works in the orchestral repertoire call for such a B,
three-stringed instrument [was viewed as] being more such as Respighi's The Pines of Rome. In rare cases, some
10 7 TUNING
players have a low B extension, which has B as its lowest the bass in the same tuning approach. Fifth tuning pro-
note. There are several varieties of extensions: vides a bassist with a wider range of pitch than a stan-
In the simplest mechanical extensions, there are no me- dard EADG bass, as it ranges (without an extension)
chanical aids attached to the ngerboard extension except from C1 to A2 . Some players who use fths tuning who
a locking nut or gate for the E note. To play the exten- play a ve-string bass use an additional high string (thus,
sion notes, the player reaches back over the area under from lowest to highest: CGDAE). Some fth tun-
the scroll to press the string to the ngerboard. The ad- ing bassists who only have a four string instrument and
vantage of this ngered extension is that the player can who are mainly performing soloistic works use the G
DAE tuning, thus omitting the low C string but gain-
adjust the intonation of all of the stopped notes on the
extension, and there are no mechanical noises from metal ing a high E. Some fth tuning bassists who use a ve-
string use a smaller scale instrument, thus making n-
keys and levers. The disadvantage of the ngered ex-
tension is that it can be hard to perform rapid alternations gering somewhat easier. The BerliozStrauss Treatise on
Instrumentation (rst published in 1844) states that, A
between low notes on the extension and notes on the reg-
ular ngerboard, such as a bassline that quickly alternates good orchestra should have several four-string double-
basses, some of them tuned in fths and thirds. The book
between G and D.
then shows a tuning of (EGDA) from bottom to top
The simplest type of mechanical aid is the use of wooden string. Together with the other double-basses tuned in
ngers or gates that can be closed to press the string fourths, a combination of open strings would be available,
down and fret the C, D, E, or E notes. This system which would greatly increase the sonority of the orches-
is particularly useful for basslines that have a repeating tra.
pedal point such as a low D, because once the note is
locked in place with the mechanical nger the lowest In classical solo playing the double bass is usually tuned
string sounds a dierent note when played open (e.g., a a whole tone higher (FBEA). This higher tuning is
low D). called solo tuning, whereas the regular tuning is known
as orchestral tuning. Solo tuning strings are gener-
The most complicated mechanical aid for use with ex- ally thinner than regular strings. String tension diers so
tensions is the mechanical lever system nicknamed the much between solo and orchestral tuning that a dierent
machine. This lever system, which supercially resem- set of strings is often employed that has a lighter gauge.
bles the keying mechanism of reed instruments such as Strings are always labelled for either solo or orchestral
the bassoon, mounts levers beside the regular ngerboard tuning, and published solo music is arranged for either
(near the nut, on the E-string side), which remotely acti- solo or orchestral tuning. Some popular solos and con-
vate metal ngers on the extension ngerboard. The certi, such as the Koussevitsky Concerto are available in
most expensive metal lever systems also give the player both solo and orchestral tuning arrangements. Solo tun-
the ability to lock down notes on the extension nger- ing strings can be tuned down a tone to play in orchestra
board, as with the wooden nger system. One criticism pitch, but the strings often lack projection in orchestral
of these devices is that they may lead to unwanted metal- tuning and their pitch may be unstable.
lic clicking noises.
Some contemporary composers specify highly special-
Once a mechanical nger of the wooden nger ex- ized scordatura. Berio, for example, asks the player
tension or the metal nger machine extension is locked to tune their strings EGDG in Sequenza XIVb and
down or depressed, it is not easy to make microtonal pitch Scelsi asks for both FADE and FAFE in Nuits. A
adjustments or glissando eects, as is possible with a variant and much less-commonly used form of solo tun-
hand-ngered extension. ing used in some Eastern European countries is (ADG
While the most common type of extension is the C exten- C), which uses three of the strings from orchestral tuning
sion, in rare cases, owners of ve-string basses, in which (ADG) and then adds a high C string. Some bassists
the lowest string is normally a low B, may use either a two with ve-string basses use a high C string as the fth
semitone extension, providing a low A, or the very rare string, instead of a low B string. Adding the high C
low G extension. string facilitates the performance of solo repertoire with
a high tessitura (range). Another option is to utilize both
a low C (or B) extension and a high C string.
7.3 Other tuning variations
7.3.1 Five strings
A small number of bass players tune their strings in fths,
like a cello but an octave lower (CGDA low to high). When choosing a bass with a fth string, the player may
This tuning was used by the jazz player Red Mitchell and decide between adding a higher-pitched string (a high
is used by some classical players, notably the Canadian C string) or a lower-pitched string (typically a low B).
bassist Joel Quarrington. Advocates of tuning the bass Six-stringed instruments are generally regarded as im-
in fths point out that all of the other orchestral strings practical. To accommodate the additional fth string,
are tuned in fths (violin, viola and cello), so this puts the ngerboard is usually slightly widened, and the top
8.2 Physical considerations 11
slightly thicker, to handle the increased tension. Some ing in thumb position, few players use the fourth (lit-
ve-stringed instruments are converted four-string instru- tle) nger, as it is usually too weak to produce reliable
ments. Because these do not have wider ngerboards, tone (this is also true for cellists), although some extreme
some players nd them more dicult to nger and bow. chords or extended techniques, especially in contempo-
Converted four-string basses usually require either a new, rary music, may require its use.
thicker top, or lighter strings to compensate for the in-
creased tension.
8.2 Physical considerations
8.3 Volume
Despite the size of the instrument, it is not as loud as many
other instruments, due to its low range. In a large orches-
tra, usually between four and eight bassists play in the
same bassline in unison to produce enough volume. In
the largest orchestras, bass sections may have as many
as ten or twelve players, but modern budget constraints
make bass sections this large unusual.
When writing solo passages for the bass in orches-
tral or chamber music, composers typically ensure the
orchestration is light so it does not obscure the bass.
While amplication is rarely used in classical music, in Psychobilly bassist Jimbo Wallace onstage with Reverend Horton
Heat; note his large bass stack consisting of a 1x15 cabinet, a
some cases where a bass soloist performs a concerto with
4x10 cabinet, and an amplier head.
a full orchestra, subtle amplication called acoustic en-
hancement may be used. The use of microphones and
ampliers in a classical setting has led to debate within
the classical community, as "...purists maintain that the
natural acoustic sound of [Classical] voices [or] instru-
ments in a given hall should not be altered.[21]
In many genres, such as jazz and blues, players use am-
plication via a specialized amplier and loudspeakers.
A piezoelectric pickup connects to the amplier with a
1
4 -inch patch cable. Bluegrass and jazz players typi- Double bass is the standard bass instrument in bluegrass. The
cally use less amplication than blues, psychobilly, or Norwegian band Ila Auto, shown here, shows that the bass can
jam band players. In the latter cases, high overall vol- be a head taller than the bassist (Kristoer Iversen).
ume from other ampliers and instruments may cause un-
wanted acoustic feedback, a problem exacerbated by the
basss large surface area and interior volume. The feed- ping sounds). These two signals are blended together us-
back problem has led to technological xes like electronic ing a simple mixer before the signal is sent to the bass
feedback eliminator devices (essentially an automated amp.
notch lter that identies and reduces frequencies where
feedback occurs) and instruments like the electric up-
8.4 Transportation
right bass, which has playing characteristics like the dou-
ble bass but usually little or no soundbox, which makes The double basss large size and relative fragility make it
feedback less likely. Some bassists reduce the problem cumbersome to handle and transport. Most bassists use
of feedback by lowering their onstage volume or playing soft cases, referred to as gig bags, to protect the instru-
further away from their bass amp speakers. ment during transport. These range from inexpensive,
In rockabilly and psychobilly, percussively slapping the thin unpadded cases used by students (which only pro-
strings against the ngerboard is an important part of the tect against scratches and rain) to thickly padded versions
bass playing style. Since piezoelectric pickups are not for professional players, which also protect against bumps
good at reproducing the sounds of strings being slapped and impacts. Some bassists carry their bow in a hard bow
against the ngerboard, bassists in these genres often use case; more expensive bass cases have a large pocket for a
both piezoelectric pickups (for the low bass tone) and a bow case. Players also may use a small cart and end pin-
miniature condenser mic (to pick up the percussive slap- attached wheels to move the bass. Some higher-priced
13
padded cases have wheels attached to the case. Another with a cylindrical metal sleeve which also has a slot on the
option found in higher-priced padded cases are backpack side. The metal cylinder has a screw and a nut that fas-
straps, to make it easier to carry the instrument. tens the device to the string. Dierent placements of the
Hard ight cases have cushioned interiors and tough exte- cylinder along the string inuence or eliminate the fre-
riors of carbon ber, graphite, berglass, or Kevlar. The quency at which the wolf tone occurs. It is essentially
cost of good hard casesseveral thousand US dollarsand an attenuator that slightly shifts the natural frequency
the high airline fees for shipping them tend to limit their of the string (and/or
[22]
instrument body) cutting down on
use to touring professionals. the reverberation. The wolf tone occurs because the
strings below the bridge sometimes resonate at pitches
close to notes on the playing part of the string. When the
intended note makes the below-the-bridge string vibrate
8.5 Accessories sympathetically, a dissonant wolf note or wolf tone
can occur. In some cases, the wolf tone is strong enough
to cause an audible beating sound. The wolf tone often
occurs with the note G on the bass.[23][24]
In orchestra, instruments tune to an A played by the
oboist. Due to the multiple octaves between the oboists
tuning A and the open A string on the bass (for example,
in an orchestra that tunes to 440 Hz, the oboist plays an
A at 440 Hz and the open A of the bass is 55 Hz) it can
be dicult to tune the bass by ear during the short pe-
riod that the oboist plays the tuning note. Violinists, on
the other hand, tune their A string to the same frequency
as the oboists tuning note. To ensure the bass is in tune,
some bassists use an electronic tuner that indicates pitch
on a small display. Bassists who play in styles that use a
bass amp, such as blues, rockabilly, or jazz, may use a
stompbox-format electronic tuner, which mutes the bass
pickup during tuning.
A double bass stand is used to hold the instrument in place
and raise it a few inches o the ground. A wide variety of
stands are available, and there is no one common design.
playing was known all the way from his homeland Italy
to the Tsardom of Russia and he found a prominent place
performing in concerts with the Philharmonic Society
of London. Beethovens friendship with Dragonetti may
have inspired him to write dicult, separate parts for the
double bass in his symphonies, such as the impressive
passages in the third movement of the Fifth Symphony,
the second movement of the Seventh Symphony, and last
movement of the Ninth Symphony. These parts do not
double the cello part.
Dragonetti wrote ten concertos for the double bass and
many solo works for bass and piano. During Rossini's
stay in London in the summer of 1824, he composed
his Duetto for cello and double bass for Dragonetti and
the cellist David Salomons. Dragonetti frequently played
on a three string double bass tuned GDA from top to
bottom. The use of only the top three strings was pop-
ular for bass soloists and principal bassists in orchestras
in the 19th century, because it reduced the pressure on
the wooden top of the bass, which was thought to create
a more resonant sound. As well, the low E-strings used
during the 19th century were thick cords made of gut,
which were dicult to tune and play.
9.1.2 1800s
Scelsi wrote two double bass pieces called Nuits in 1972, sky has a solo bass part that includes many unconven-
and then in 1976, he wrote Maknongan, a piece for any tional methods of playing. The German composer Claus
low-voiced instrument, such as double bass, contrabas- Khnl wrote Oene Weite / Open Expanse (1998) and
soon, or tuba. Vincent Persichetti wrote solo works Nachtschwarzes Meer, ringsum (2005) for double bass
which he called Parablesfor many instruments. He and piano.
wrote Parable XVII for Double Bass, Op. 131 in 1974. In 2004 Italian double bassist and composer Stefano Sco-
Soa Gubaidulina penned a Sonata for double bass and danibbio made a double bass arrangement of Luciano Be-
piano in 1975. In 1976 American minimalist composer rio's 2002 solo cello work Sequenza XIV with the new title
Tom Johnson wrote Failing - a very dicult piece for
Sequenza XIVb.
solo string bass in which the player has to perform an
extremely virtuosic solo on the bass whilst simultaneously
reciting a text which says how very dicult the piece is 9.2 Chamber music with double bass
and how unlikely he or she is to successfully complete the
performance without making a mistake. Since there is no established instrumental ensemble that
In 1977 Dutch-Hungarian composer Geza Frid wrote includes the double bass, its use in chamber music has not
a set of variations on The Elephant from Saint-Sans' been as exhaustive as the literature for ensembles such as
Le Carnaval des Animaux for scordatura Double Bass the string quartet or piano trio. Despite this, there is a
and string orchestra. In 1987 Lowell Liebermann wrote substantial number of chamber works that incorporate the
his Sonata for Contrabass and Piano Op. 24. Fer- double bass in both small and large ensembles.
nando Grillo wrote the Suite No. 1 for double bass There is a small body of works written for piano quin-
(1983/2005). Jacob Druckman wrote a piece for solo tet with the instrumentation of piano, violin, viola, cello,
double bass entitled Valentine. US double bass soloist and and double bass. The most famous is Franz Schubert's
composer Bertram Turetzky (born 1933) has performed Piano Quintet in A major, known as The Trout Quintet"
and recorded more than 300 pieces written by and for for its set of variations in the fourth movement of Schu-
him. He writes chamber music, baroque music, classical, berts Die Forelle. Other works for this instrumentation
jazz, renaissance music, improvisational music and world written from roughly the same period include those by
music Johann Nepomuk Hummel, George Onslow, Jan Ladislav
US minimalist composer Philip Glass wrote a prelude fo- Dussek, Louise Farrenc, Ferdinand Ries, Franz Limmer,
cused on the lower register that he scored for timpani and Johann Baptist Cramer, and Hermann Goetz. Later com-
double bass. Italian composer Sylvano Bussotti, whose posers who wrote chamber works for this quintet include
composing career spans from the 1930s to the rst decade Ralph Vaughan Williams, Colin Matthews, Jon Deak,
of the 21st century, wrote a solo work for bass in 1983 Frank Proto, and John Woolrich. Slightly larger sex-
entitled Naked Angel Face per contrabbasso. Fellow Ital- tets written for piano, string quartet, and double bass
ian composer Franco Donatoni wrote a piece called Lem have been written by Felix Mendelssohn, Mikhail Glinka,
for contrabbasso in the same year. In 1989, French com- Richard Wernick, and Charles Ives.
poser Pascal Dusapin (born 1955) wrote a solo piece In the genre of string quintets, there are a few works
called In et Out for double bass. In 1996, the Sorbonne- for string quartet with double bass. Antonn Dvok's
trained Lebanese composer Karim Haddad composed Ce String Quintet in G major, Op.77 and Wolfgang Amadeus
qui dort dans l'ombre sacre (He who sleeps in the sacred
Mozart's Serenade in G major, K.525 ("Eine kleine
shadows) for Radio Frances Presence Festival. Renaud Nachtmusik") are the most popular pieces in this reper-
Garcia-Fons (born 1962) is a French double bass player toire, along with works by Darius Milhaud, Luigi Boc-
and composer, notable for drawing on jazz, folk, and cherini (3 quintets), Harold Shapero, and Paul Hin-
Asian music for recordings of his pieces like Oriental Bass
demith. Another example is Alistair Hintons String
(1997). Quintet (196977), which also includes a major part for
Two signicant recent works written for solo bass in- solo soprano; at almost 170 minutes in duration, it is al-
clude, Mario Davidovsky's Synchronisms No.11 for dou- most certainly the largest such work in the repertoire.
ble bass and electronic sounds and Elliott Carter's Fig- Slightly smaller string works with the double bass include
ment III, for solo double bass. The German composer six string sonatas by Gioachino Rossini, for two violins,
Gerhard Stbler wrote Co-wie Kobalt (198990), "...a cello, and double bass written at the age of twelve over
music for double bass solo and grand orchestra. Charles the course of three days in 1804. These remain his most
Wuorinen added several important works to the reper- famous instrumental works and have also been adapted
toire, Spino trio for double bass, violin and conga for wind quartet. Franz Anton Homeister wrote four
drums, and Trio for Bass Instruments double bass, tuba String Quartets for Solo Double Bass, Violin, Viola, and
and bass trombone, and in 2007 Synaxis for double Cello in D Major. Frank Proto has written a Trio for Vio-
bass, horn, oboe and clarinet with timpani and strings. lin, Viola and Double Bass (1974), 2 Duos for Violin and
The suite Seven Screen Shots for double bass and pi- Double Bass (1967 and 2005), and The Games of October
ano (2005) by Ukrainian composer Alexander Shchetyn- for Oboe/English Horn and Double Bass (1991).
9.4 Double bass ensembles 17
Larger works that incorporate the double bass include tional cases, bass sections may have as many as ten mem-
Beethoven's Septet in E major, Op. 20, one of his most bers. If some double bassists have low C extensions, and
famous pieces during his lifetime, which consists of clar- some have regular (low E) basses, those with the low C
inet, horn, bassoon, violin, viola, cello, and bass. When extensions may play some passages an octave below the
the clarinetist Ferdinand Troyer commissioned a work regular double basses. Also, some composers write di-
from Franz Schubert for similar forces, he added one vided (divisi) parts for the basses, where upper and lower
more violin for his Octet in F major, D.803. Paul Hin- parts in the music are often assigned to outside (nearer
demith used the same instrumentation as Schubert for his the audience) and inside players. Composers writing
own Octet. In the realm of even larger works, Mozart in- divisi parts for bass often write perfect intervals, such as
cluded the double bass in addition to 12 wind instruments octaves and fths, but in some cases use thirds and sixths.
for his "Gran Partita" Serenade, K.361 and Martin used
The basses play the theme from the fourth movement of
the double bass in his nonet for wind quintet, violin, viola, Beethovens Ninth Symphony.
cello and double bass.
Where a composition calls for a solo bass part, the prin-
Other examples of chamber works that use the double cipal bass invariably plays that part. The section leader
bass in mixed ensembles include Serge Prokoev's Quin- (or principal) also determines the bowings, often based
tet in G minor, Op. 39 for oboe, clarinet, violin, vi- on bowings set out by the concertmaster. In some cases,
ola, and double bass; Erwin Schulho's Concertino for the principal bass may use a slightly dierent bowing than
ute/piccolo, viola, and double bass; Frank Proto's Afro- the concertmaster, to accommodate the requirements of
American Fragments for bass clarinet, cello, double bass playing bass. The principal bass also leads entrances for
and narrator and Sextet for clarinet and strings; Fred Ler- the bass section, typically by lifting the bow or plucking
dahl's Waltzes for violin, viola, cello, and double bass; hand before the entrance or indicating the entrance with
Mohammed Fairouz's Litany for double bass and wind the head, to ensure the section starts together. Major pro-
quartet; Mario Davidovsky's Festino for guitar, viola, fessional orchestras typically have an assistant principal
cello, and double bass; and Iannis Xenakis's Morsima- bass player, who plays solos and leads the bass section if
Amorsima for piano, violin, cello, and double bass. There the principal is absent.
are also new music ensembles that utilize the double bass
such as Time for Three and PROJECT Trio. While orchestral bass solos are somewhat rare, there are
some notable examples. Johannes Brahms, whose father
was a double bass player, wrote many dicult and promi-
9.3 Orchestral passages and solos nent parts for the double bass in his symphonies. Richard
Strauss assigned the double bass daring parts, and his
symphonic poems and operas stretch the instrument to
its limits. The Elephant from Camille Saint-Sans' The
Carnival of the Animals is a satirical portrait of the double
bass, and American virtuoso Gary Karr made his tele-
vised debut playing The Swan (originally written for
The opening of Beethovens Symphony No. 5, third movement is the cello) with the New York Philharmonic conducted
often used as an orchestral excerpt during bass auditions. by Leonard Bernstein. The third movement of Gustav
Mahler's rst symphony features a solo for the double
In the baroque and classical periods, composers typically bass that quotes the childrens song Frere Jacques, trans-
had the double bass double the cello part in orchestral posed into a minor key. Sergei Prokoev's Lieutenant Kij
passages. A notable exception is Haydn, who composed Suite features a dicult and very high double bass solo
solo passages for the double bass in his Symphonies No. in the Romance movement. Benjamin Britten's The
6 Le Matin, No. 7 Le midi, No. 8 Le Soir, No. 31 Young Persons Guide to the Orchestra contains a promi-
Horn Signal, and No. 45 Farewellbut who otherwise nent passage for the double bass section.
grouped bass and cello parts together. Beethoven paved
the way for separate double bass parts, which became
more common in the romantic era. The scherzo and trio 9.4 Double bass ensembles
from Beethovens Fifth Symphony are famous orchestral
excerpts, as is the recitative at the beginning of the fourth
Ensembles made up entirely of double basses, though
movement of Beethovens Ninth Symphony. In many relatively rare, also exist, and several composers have
nineteenth century symphonies and concertos, the typi- written or arranged for such ensembles. Compositions
cal impact of separate bass and cello parts was that bass for four double basses exist by Gunther Schuller, Jacob
parts became simpler and cello parts got the melodic linesDruckman, James Tenney, Claus Khnl, Robert Ceely,
and rapid passage work. Jan Alm, Bernhard Alt, Norman Ludwin, Frank Proto,
A double bass section of a modern orchestra typically Joseph Lauber, Erich Hartmann, Colin Brumby, Miloslav
uses eight double bassists in, usually in unison. Smaller Gajdos and Theodore Albin Findeisen. David A. Jae's
orchestras may have four double basses, and in excep- Whos on First?,[26] commissioned by the Russian Na-
18 10 USE IN JAZZ
tional Orchestra is scored for ve double basses. Bertold etest instrument in a jazz band, many players of the 1920s
Hummel wrote a Sinfonia piccola[27] for eight double and 1930s used the slap style, slapping and pulling the
basses. Larger ensemble works include Galina Ustvol- strings to produce a rhythmic slap sound against the
skaya's Composition No. 2, Dies Irae (1973), for eight ngerboard. The slap style cuts through the sound of a
double basses, piano, and wooden cube, Jose Serebrier's band better than simply plucking the strings, and made
George and Muriel (1986), for solo bass, double bass en- the bass more easily heard on early sound recordings, as
semble, and chorus, and Gerhard Samuels What of my the recording equipment of that time did not favor low
music! (1979), for soprano, percussion, and 30 double frequencies.[39] For more about the slap style, see Mod-
basses. ern playing styles, below.
Double bass ensembles include L'Orchestre de Contre-
basses (6 members),[28] Bass Instinct (6 members),[29]
Bassiona Amorosa (6 members),[30] the Chicago Bass
Ensemble (4+ members),[31] Ludus Gravis founded by
Daniele Roccato and Stefano Scodanibbio, The Bass
Gang (4 members),[32] the London Double Bass Ensem-
ble (6 members) founded by members of the Philharmo-
nia Orchestra of London who produced the LP[33] Music
Interludes by London Double Bass Ensemble on Bruton
Music records, Brno Double Bass Orchestra (14 mem-
bers) founded by the double bass professor at Janek
Academy of Music and Performing Arts and principal
double bass player at Brno Philharmonic Orchestra
Miloslav Jelinek, and the ensembles of Ball State Univer-
sity (12 members), Shenandoah University, and the Hartt
School of Music. The Amarillo Bass Base of Amarillo,
Texas once featured 52 double bassists,[34][35] and The
London Double Bass Sound, who have released a CD on
Cala Records, have 10 players.[36]
In addition, the double bass sections of some orchestras
perform as an ensemble, such as the Chicago Symphony
Orchestra's Lower Wacker Consort.[37] There is an in-
creasing number of published compositions and arrange-
ments for double bass ensembles, and the International
Society of Bassists regularly features double bass ensem-
bles (both smaller ensembles as well as very large mass
bass ensembles) at its conferences, and sponsors the bi-
ennial David Walter Composition Competition, which in-
Jazz bassist Charles Mingus was also an inuential bandleader
cludes a division for double bass ensemble works. and composer whose musical interests spanned from bebop to
free jazz.
best known for his work with Ornette Coleman, dened size bass, but the full-size and 5 8 size basses are also used.
the role of the bass in Free Jazz.
A number of other bassists, such as Ray Brown, Slam
Stewart and Niels-Henning rsted Pedersen, were cen-
tral to the history of jazz. Stewart, who was popular with
the beboppers, played his solos with a bow combined with
octave humming. Notably, Charles Mingus was a highly
regarded composer as well as a bassist noted for his tech-
nical virtuosity and powerful sound.[40] Scott LaFaro in-
uenced a generation of musicians by liberating the bass
from contrapuntal walking behind soloists instead fa-
voring interactive, conversational melodies.[41] Since the
commercial availability of bass ampliers in the 1950s,
jazz bassists have used amplication to augment the nat-
ural volume of the instrument.
While the electric bass guitar was used intermittently in
jazz as early as 1951, beginning in the 1970s bassist Bob
Cranshaw, playing with saxophonist Sonny Rollins, and
fusion pioneers Jaco Pastorius and Stanley Clarke began
to commonly substitute the bass guitar for the upright
bass. Apart from the jazz styles of jazz fusion and Latin-
inuenced jazz however, the upright bass is still the dom-
inant bass instrument in jazz. The sound and tone of the
plucked upright bass is distinct from that of the fretted
bass guitar. The upright bass produces a dierent sound
than the bass guitar, because its strings are not stopped by
metal frets, instead having a continuous tonal range on the Upright bass used by a bluegrass group; the cable for a piezo-
uninterrupted ngerboard. As well, bass guitars usually electric pickup can be seen extending from the bridge.
have a solid wood body, which means that their sound is
produced by electronic amplication of the vibration of Early pre-bluegrass traditional music was often accompa-
the strings, instead of the upright basss acoustic rever- nied by the cello. The cellist Natalie Haas points out that
beration. in the US, you can nd "...old photographs, and even old
Demonstrative examples of the sound of a solo double recordings, of American string bands with cello. How-
bass and its technical use in jazz can be heard on the ever, The cello dropped out of sight in folk music, and
solo recordings Emerald Tears (1978) by Dave Holland became associated with the orchestra.[42] The cello did
or Emergence (1986) by Miroslav Vitous. Holland also not reappear in bluegrass until the 1990s and rst decade
recorded an album with the representative title Music of the 21st century. Some contemporary bluegrass bands
from Two Basses (1971) on which he plays with Barre favor the electric bass, because it is easier to transport
Phillips while he sometimes switches to cello. than the large and somewhat fragile upright bass. How-
ever, the bass guitar has a dierent musical sound. Many
musicians feel the slower attack and percussive, woody
tone of the upright bass gives it a more earthy or nat-
11 Use in bluegrass and country ural sound than an electric bass, particularly when gut
strings are used.
See also: List of double bassists in popular music Common rhythms in bluegrass bass playing involve (with
some exceptions) plucking on beats 1 and 3 in 4
The string bass is the most commonly used bass instru- 4 time; beats 1 and 2 in 2
ment in bluegrass music and is almost always plucked, 4 time, and on the downbeat in 3
though some modern bluegrass bassists have also used a 4 time (waltz time). Bluegrass bass lines are usually sim-
bow. The bluegrass bassist is part of the rhythm section, ple, typically staying on the root and fth of each chord
and is responsible for keeping a steady beat, whether fast, throughout most of a song. There are two main excep-
slow, in 4 tions to this rule. Bluegrass bassists often do a diatonic
4, 2 walkup or walkdown, in which they play every beat of a
4 or 3 bar for one or two bars, typically when there is a chord
4 time. The Engelhardt-Link (formerly Kay) brands of change. In addition, if a bass player is given a solo, they
plywood laminate basses have long been popular choices may play a walking bass line with a note on every beat or
for bluegrass bassists. Most bluegrass bassists use the 3 4 play a pentatonic scale-inuenced bassline.
20 12 USE IN POPULAR MUSIC
An early bluegrass bassist to rise to prominence was In the early 1950s, the upright bass was the standard bass
Howard Watts (also known as Cedric Rainwater), who instrument in the emerging style of rock and roll music,
played with Bill Monroe's Blue Grass Boys beginning in Marshall Lytle of Bill Haley & His Comets being but one
1944.[43] The classical bassist Edgar Meyer has frequently example. In the 1940s, a new style of dance music called
branched out into newgrass, old-time, jazz, and other gen- rhythm and blues developed, incorporating elements of
res. My all-time favorite is Todd Phillips, proclaimed the earlier styles of blues and swing. Louis Jordan, the
Union Station bassist Barry Bales in April 2005. He rst innovator of this style, featured an upright bass in his
brought a completely dierent way of thinking about and group, the Tympany Five.[48]
playing bluegrass.[44]
The upright bass remained an integral part of pop lineups
An upright bass was the standard bass instrument in tra- throughout the 1950s, as the new genre of rock and roll
ditional country western music. While the upright bass is was built largely upon the model of rhythm and blues,
still occasionally used in country music, the electric bass with strong elements also derived from jazz, country,
has largely replaced its bigger cousin in country music, and bluegrass. However, upright bass players using their
especially in the more pop-infused country styles of the instruments in these contexts faced inherent problems.
1990s and 2000s, such as new country. They were forced to compete with louder horn instru-
ments (and later amplied electric guitars), making bass
parts dicult to hear. The upright bass is dicult to
11.1 Slap-style bass
amplify in loud concert venue settings, because it can be
Slap-style bass is sometimes used in bluegrass bass play- prone to feedback howls. As well, the upright bass is large
ing. When bluegrass bass players slap the string by and awkward to transport, which also created transporta-
tion problems for touring bands. In some groups, the slap
pulling it until it hits the ngerboard or hit the strings
against the ngerboard, it adds the high-pitched percus- bass was utilized as band percussion in lieu of a drum-
mer; such was the case with Bill Haley & His Saddlemen
sive clack or slap sound to the low-pitched bass notes,
sounding much like the clacks of a tap dancer. Slap- (the forerunner group to the Comets), which did not use
drummers on recordings and live performances until late
ping is a subject of minor controversy in the bluegrass
scene. Even slapping experts such as Mike Bub say, 1952; prior to this the slap bass was relied on for percus-
sion, including on recordings such as Haleys versions of
Don't slap on every gig, or in songs where it is not ap-
propriate. As well, bluegrass bassists who play slap-style "Rock the Joint" and "Rocket 88".[49]
on live shows often slap less on records. Bub and his In 1951, Leo Fender released his Precision Bass, the rst
mentor Jerry McCoury rarely do slap bass on recordings. commercially successful electric bass guitar.[50] The elec-
While bassists such as Jack Cook slap bass on the occa- tric bass was easily amplied with its built-in magnetic
sional faster Clinch Mountain Boys song, bassists such pickups, easily portable (less than a foot longer than an
as Gene Libbea, Missy Raines, Jenny Keel, and Barry electric guitar), and easier to play in tune than an upright
Bales [rarely] slap bass.[45] bass, thanks to the metal frets. In the 1960s and 1970s
Bluegrass bassist Mark Schatz, who teaches slap bass in bands were playing at louder volumes and performing in
his Intermediate Bluegrass Bass DVD acknowledges that larger venues. The electric bass was able to provide the
slap bass "...has not been stylistically very predominant huge, highly amplied stadium-lling bass tone that the
in the music I have recorded. He notes that Even in tra- pop and rock music of this era demanded, and the up-
ditional bluegrass slap bass only appears sporadically and right bass receded from the limelight of the popular music
most of what I've done has been on the more contem- scene.
porary side of that (Tony Rice, Tim O'Brien). Schatz Photos of bassist Miroslav Vitous:
21
14 Double bassists
14.1 Historical
Domenico Dragonetti (17631846) Virtuoso, com-
poser, conductor
14.2 Modern
Gary Karr (1941 ) Virtuoso
Hauta-Aho (b. 1941), Italian composer Fernando Grillo, the upright bass and the electric bass. Terry Plumeri is
and US player-composer Edgar Meyer. For a longer list, noted for his horn-like arco uency and vocal-sounding
see the List of contemporary classical double bass players. tone.
In the 1990s and rst decade of the 21st century, one
14.3.2 Jazz of the new young lions was Christian McBride (born
1972), who has performed with a range of veterans rang-
See also: List of jazz bassists ing from McCoy Tyner to fusion gurus Herbie Hancock
and Chick Corea, and who has released albums such as
2003s Vertical Vision. Another young bassist of note is
Notable jazz bassists from the 1940s to the 1950s in- Esperanza Spalding (born 1984) who, at 27 years of age,
cluded bassist Jimmy Blanton (19181942) whose short had already won a Grammy for Best New Artist. For a
tenure in the Duke Ellington Swing band (cut short by his longer list, see the List of jazz bassists, which includes
death from tuberculosis) introduced new melodic and har- both double bass and electric bass players.
monic solo ideas for the instrument; bassist Ray Brown
(19262002), known for backing Beboppers Dizzy Gille-
spie, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum and Charlie Parker, and 14.3.3 Other popular genres
forming the Modern Jazz Quartet; hard bop bassist Ron
Carter (born 1937), who has appeared on 3,500 albums
make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz his-
tory, including LPs by Thelonious Monk and Wes Mont-
gomery and many Blue Note Records artists; and Paul
Chambers (19351969), a member of the Miles Davis
Quintet (including the landmark modal jazz recording
Kind of Blue) and many other 1950s and 1960s rhythm
sections, was known for his virtuosic improvisations.
Of all of the genres, classical and jazz have the most es- a wide range of music.
tablished and comprehensive systems of instruction and Bachelors degrees in bass performance (referred to as
training. In the classical milieu, children can begin tak- B.Mus. or B.M.) are four-year programs that include in-
ing private lessons on the instrument and performing in dividual bass lessons, amateur orchestra experience, and
childrens or youth orchestras. Teens who aspire to be- a sequence of courses in music history, music theory,
coming professional classical bassists can continue their and liberal arts courses (e.g., English literature), which
studies in a variety of formal training settings, includinggive the student a more well-rounded education. Usu-
colleges, conservatories, and universities. Colleges oer ally, bass performance students perform several recitals
certicates and diplomas in bass performance. of solo double bass music, such as concertos, sonatas, and
Conservatories, which are the standard musical training Baroque suites.
system in France and in Quebec (Canada) provide lessons Master of music degrees (M.mus.) in double bass per-
and amateur orchestral experience for double bass play- formance consist of private lessons, ensemble experi-
ers. Universities oer a range of double bass programs, ence, coaching in playing orchestral double bass parts,
including bachelors degrees, Master of Music degrees, and graduate courses in music history and music theory,
and Doctor of Musical Arts degrees. As well, there are a along with one or two solo recitals. A Masters degree
variety of other training programs such as classical sum- in music (referred to as an M.Mus. or M.M.) is often
mer camps and orchestral, opera, or chamber music train- a required credential for people who wish to become a
ing festivals, which give students the opportunity to play professor of double bass at a university or conservatory.
15.2 Informal training 25
16 Careers
Careers in double bass vary widely by genre and by region
or country. Most bassists earn their living from a mixture
Doctor of Musical Arts (referred to as D.M.A., DMA,
of performance and teaching jobs. The rst step to get-
D.Mus.A. or A.Mus.D.) degrees in double bass perfor-
ting most performance jobs is by playing at an audition.
mance provide an opportunity for advanced study at the
In some styles of music, such as jazz-oriented stage
highest artistic and pedagogical level, requiring usually
bands, bassists may be asked to sight read printed mu-
an additional 54+ credit hours beyond a masters de-
sic or perform standard pieces (e.g., a jazz standard such
gree (which is about 30+ credits beyond a bachelors
as Nows the Time) with an ensemble. Similarly, in a rock
degree). For this reason, admission is highly selective.
or blues band, auditionees may be asked to play various
Examinations in music history, music theory, ear train-
rock or blues standards. An upright bassist auditioning
ing/dictation, and an entrance examination-recital, are re-
for a blues band might be asked to play in a Swing-style
quired. Students perform a number of recitals (around
walking bassline, a rockabilly-style slapping bassline (in
six), including a lecture-recital with an accompanying
which the strings are percussively struck against the n-
doctoral dissertation, advanced coursework, and a min-
gerboard) and a 1950s ballad with long held notes. A
imum B average are other typical requirements of a
person auditioning for a role as a bassist in some styles
D.M.A. program.
of pop or rock music may be expected to demonstrate
Throughout the early history of jazz, double bass players the ability to perform harmony vocals as a backup singer.
either learned the instrument informally, or from getting In some pop and rock groups, the bassist may be asked
classical training early on, as in the case of Ron Carter to play other instruments from time to time, such as elec-
and Charles Mingus. In the 1980s and 1990s, colleges tric bass, keyboards or acoustic guitar. The ability to play
and universities began to introduce diplomas and degrees electric bass is widely expected in country groups, in case
in jazz performance. Students in jazz diploma or Bach- the band is performing a classic rock or new country song.
elor of Music programs take individual bass lessons, get
experience in small jazz combos with coaching from an
experienced player, and play in jazz big bands. As with 16.1 Classical music
classical training programs, jazz programs also include
classroom courses in music history and music theory. In In classical music, bassists audition for playing jobs in
a jazz program, these courses focus on the dierent eras orchestras and for admission into university or Conserva-
of jazz history. such as Swing, Bebop, and fusion. The tory programs or degrees. At a classical bass audition, the
theory courses focus on the musical skills used in jazz performer typically plays a movement from a J.S. Bach
improvisation and in jazz comping (accompanying) and suite for solo cello or a movement from a bass concerto
the composition of jazz tunes. There are also jazz sum- and a variety of excerpts from the orchestral literature.
mer camps and training festivals/seminars, which oer The excerpts are typically the most technically challeng-
students the chance to learn new skills and styles. ing parts of bass parts and bass solos from the orches-
26 16 CAREERS
cannot earn a living from playing in a single group (with [7] A Brief History of the Double Bass. Oocities.org. Re-
the exception of the small number of bassists in top tour- trieved 2015-12-23.
ing bands or groups with recording contracts), so they
[8] Planyavsky 1998
work in dierent bands and supplement their income with
session playing and teaching. Due to the limited num- [9] A Brief History of the Double Bass, Lawrence Hurst,
ber of full-time orchestral jobs, many classical bassists Professor of Double Bass, School of Music, Indiana Uni-
are similarly not able to nd full-time work with a single versity. Web.archive.org. 27 October 2009. Archived
orchestra. Some bassists increase their employ-ability by from the original on 27 October 2009. Retrieved 21 July
learning several dierent styles, such as classical and jazz 2012.
or rockabilly and bluegrass. [10] Upright Basses and EUBs at Gollihur Music
In some cases, bassists supplement their performing and
teaching income with other related music jobs, such as [11] Upright Basses at Upton Bass
working as a bass repairer (luthier); as a contractor who [12] Upright Basses at Lemur Music
hires musicians for orchestras or big bands, compos-
ing music (e.g., Dave Holland), songwriting, conducting [13] Upright Basses at New Standard Basses
(e.g., David Currie), acting as a bandleader (e.g., Charles [14] Strings, standing waves and harmonics, Prof. Joe Wolfe,
Mingus), or coordinating jam sessions (e.g., John Geg- University of New South Wales
gie). Some regions may not have enough work in music
to provide a living, even if a bassist plays several styles [15] Article on bass strings by the Double Bass Workshop
and does recordings and teaching. As such, in some re- Archived 25 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
gions, bassists may have to supplement musical work with
[16] Je Sarli. Je Sarli. Retrieved 21 July 2012.
income from another eld.
[17] Viola da Gamba. musicolog.com. Retrieved 15 July
2012.
17 See also [18] Double bass. Encyclopdia Britannica. 1911 Edi-
tion [en.wikisource.org/wiki/1911_Encyclopdia_
Bach: Unaccompanied Cello Suites Performed on Britannica/Double_bass]
Double Bass
[19] Three-string double bass in the cobla band Website of
Double bass concerto Cobla Baix Llobregat
[6] A New History of the Double Bass. Paulbrun.com. Re- [28] Ocial website of L'Orchestre de Contrebasses Archived
trieved 21 July 2012. 11 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine.
28 19 EXTERNAL LINKS
[29] Bass Instinct Live In Vienna by none on DVD. LOVE- [50] The Electric Guitar: How We Got From Andrs Segovia To
FiLM.com. 16 April 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2012. Kurt Cobain, Monica M. Smith
[30] bassiona-amorosa.de. bassiona-amorosa.de. Retrieved [51] In Australia, the John Butler Trio has established itself
21 July 2012. as one of the most successful independent acts in recent
history. Their U.S. debut, Sunrise Over Sea, features gritty
[31] Chicago Bass Ensemble Home. Chicagobassensem- and soulful vocals, elements of hip-hop and Appalachian
ble.com. Retrieved 21 July 2012. folk. The John Butler Trios Fresh Blends
[32] Pighi Andrea. The Bass Gang. Thebassgang.org. Re- [52] Kaizers Orchestra ocial web page. Kaizers.no. Re-
trieved 21 July 2012. trieved 21 July 2012.
[42] Looming Large: Whats a cello got to do with a famous EarlyBass.com by Jerry Fuller
ddlers tale? By Natalie Haas Archived 3 January 2011
List of chamber music pieces with double bass
at the Wayback Machine.
Polish folk music double basses
[43] Howard Cedric Rainwater Watts, Stewart Evans
20.1 Text
Double bass Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Double_bass?oldid=779711404 Contributors: Magnus Manske, JHK, The Epopt,
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30 20 TEXT AND IMAGE SOURCES, CONTRIBUTORS, AND LICENSES
20.2 Images
File:(Portrait_of_Teddy_Kaye,_Vivien_Garry,_and_Arv(in)_Charles_Garrison,_Dixons,_New_York,_N.Y.,_ca._May_1947)_(LOC)_(4976467461).jp
Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/b0/%28Portrait_of_Teddy_Kaye%2C_Vivien_Garry%2C_and_
Arv%28in%29_Charles_Garrison%2C_Dixon%27s%2C_New_York%2C_N.Y.%2C_ca._May_1947%29_%28LOC%29_
%284976467461%29.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: [Portrait of Teddy Kaye, Vivien Garry, and Arv(in) Charles Gar-
rison, Dixons, New York, N.Y., ca. May 1947 (LOC)] Original artist: The Library of Congress
File:AGK_bass1_full.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d3/AGK_bass1_full.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-
3.0 Contributors: User:AndrewKepert created this and uploaded this to the English Wikipedia. Original artist: User:AndrewKepert
File:AGK_bass_bow_grip.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/34/AGK_bass_bow_grip.jpg License: CC-
BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Bass_clef.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/61/Bass_clef.svg License: Public domain Contributors:
No machine-readable source provided. Own work assumed (based on copyright claims). Original artist: No machine-readable author
provided. Tlusa assumed (based on copyright claims).
File:Bassdiagram.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/95/Bassdiagram.jpg License: CC BY 2.0 Contribu-
tors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was [1] here. Original artist: The original uploader was Bottesini at English Wikipedia
File:Bassist_Christian_McBride.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/cc/Bassist_Christian_McBride.jpg
License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: http://www.flickr.com/photos/shinsanbc/3898914504/ Original artist: Brian Callahan
File:BeethovenSymphonyNo5Mvt3Opening.png Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/08/
BeethovenSymphonyNo5Mvt3Opening.png License: Public domain Contributors: Transferred from es.wikipedia to Commons.
Original artist: Subitosera at Spanish Wikipedia
File:BottesiniTestore.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/5e/BottesiniTestore.jpg License: Public domain
Contributors: de:File:BottesiniTestore.jpg Eines der bekanntesten Portrts des Musikers, in geringerer Qualitt z.B. auch zu nden auf der
ihm gewidmeten Hommage-Website http://www.gbottesini.com/ http://www.quintettobottesini.it/Documents/G. Bottesini.htm Orig-
inal artist: Unknown<a href='https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q4233718' title='wikidata:Q4233718'><img alt='wikidata:Q4233718'
src='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/20px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png' width='20'
height='11' srcset='https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/30px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 1.5x,
https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/ff/Wikidata-logo.svg/40px-Wikidata-logo.svg.png 2x' data-le-width='1050'
data-le-height='590' /></a> photographer
File:Bridgedetail.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c1/Bridgedetail.JPG License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Con-
tributors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: The original uploader was Sotakeit at English Wikipedia
File:Busettosolano.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/29/Busettosolano.jpg License: Public domain Con-
tributors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: Lowendgruv at English Wikipedia
File:Domenico_Dragonetti.JPG Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4b/Domenico_Dragonetti.JPG License:
Public domain Contributors: ? Original artist: ?
File:Double_Bass_during_the_break_(photo_by_Garry_Knight).jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/
9a/Double_Bass_during_the_break_%28photo_by_Garry_Knight%29.jpg License: CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: Double Bass Original
artist: Garry Knight from London, England
File:Double_bass_C_extension.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6a/Double_bass_C_extension.jpg Li-
cense: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: The original uploader was
Bottesini at English Wikipedia
File:Double_bass_gut_strings.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/Double_bass_gut_strings.jpg Li-
cense: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contributors: Own work Original artist: Timo Metzemakers
File:Eddie_y_los_Grasosos.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4d/Eddie_y_los_Grasosos.jpg License:
CC BY-SA 2.0 Contributors: https://www.flickr.com/photos/outis9366/9507660982 Original artist: Miguel Angel Huicochea Maldonado
File:Ellen_Andrea_Wang_Sentralen_Oslo_Jazzfestival_(181320).jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/
e4/Ellen_Andrea_Wang_Sentralen_Oslo_Jazzfestival_%28181320%29.jpg License: CC BY-SA 4.0 Contributors: Own work Original
artist: Tore Stre
File:F-hole.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c9/F-hole.jpg License: Public domain Contributors: Own
work Original artist: First uploaded by User:Just plain Bill
File:FClef.svg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/c/c5/FClef.svg License: CC BY 2.5 Contributors: 's le Origi-
nal artist:
File:Fiddle_bass.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e3/Fiddle_bass.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 Contribu-
tors: Own work Original artist: Artaxerxes
File:Fotothek_df_roe-neg_0006311_021_Musiker_mit_einem_Kontrabass.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/
commons/1/1c/Fotothek_df_roe-neg_0006311_021_Musiker_mit_einem_Kontrabass.jpg License: CC BY-SA 3.0 de Contributors:
Deutsche Fotothek Original artist: Roger Rssing
File:French_and_german_bows.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/55/French_and_german_bows.jpg
License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contributors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: Original uploader was
Bottesini at en.wikipedia
File:French_bow2.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/3e/French_bow2.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Con-
tributors: Originally from en.wikipedia; description page is/was here. Original artist: Original uploader was Bottesini at en.wikipedia
File:Gary_karr.jpg Source: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8f/Gary_karr.jpg License: CC-BY-SA-3.0 Contribu-
tors: ? Original artist: ?
20.3 Content license 31