double bass

double bass

noun

Definition of DOUBLE BASS

: the largest and lowest-pitched of the stringed instruments tuned in fourths

— double bass·ist \-ˈbā-sist\ noun

Illustration of DOUBLE BASS

First Known Use of DOUBLE BASS

1752

double bass

noun    (Concise Encyclopedia)

Double bass, viol-shaped, side and front views.—Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Lowest-pitched of the modern stringed instruments. It varies in size, up to 80 inches (200 cm) tall. Its shape also varies; its shoulders usually slope more than those of the violin, reflecting its status as a hybrid of the viol and violin families (the name comes from the double-bass viol). It emerged from these families in the late Renaissance, and it has always been less standardized in form than its cousins in the violin family. It normally has four strings; the orchestral instrument often has a lower fifth string (more often, an extension is added to the fourth string), and the jazz instrument has a higher fifth string. Its range is an octave below that of the cello. It is normally bowed in orchestral music and plucked in jazz. In rock bands and some jazz bands, the electric bass is used instead.