Double Bass
Bass Viol
Bull Fiddle
Contrabass
String Bass

Strings

Musical Theory and Technique

This Side of Sanity

    The double bass is a string instrument.

    The double bass is the largest member of the violin family, shaped like a cello, played usually with a bow, and having a deep range of about three octaves. Also called “bass viol”, “bull fiddle”, “contrabass”, and “string bass”.

    The word “bass” comes from the Middle English word “bas” meaning low.

    Range: The double bass has a range of E1 to middle C (approximately 41 Hz to 260 Hz, with overtones to 7 KHz).

    General MIDI Level 1 Sound Set Program Channel Number: decimal 44 or hexadecimal 0x2B. (See General MIDI Level 1 Sound Set.)

    The word “bass” comes from the Middle English word “bas” meaning low.