What instruments make up an orchestra?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul> <\/p><\/div> <\/section>
Like its smaller cousin, the cello, the bass generally has four strings, which can be played with a bow or plucked. However, the bass is the only stringed instrument tuned in fourths rather than fifths, with strings usually tuned (from the bottom up) to E, A, D and G.<\/p>\n
Traditionally used in ensemble settings, today the bass can equally be viewed as a solo instrument, as standards of playing have improved in recent decades, matched by more ergonomic instrument designs.<\/p>\n
What does the double bass look like?<\/h2>\n
A full-size bass stands at around six feet (180cm), though smaller instruments can be made to accommodate the player\u2019s stature and hand size. It is typically made from several pieces of wood, including an ebony fingerboard. Like the violin and cello, the bass has a wooden, carved bridge to support the strings, two f-holes, a tailpiece, an ornamental scroll and pegbox, and an internal soundpost, which transmits the vibrations from the top of the instrument to the hollow body.<\/p>\n
Despite being a member of the modern violin family, the bass also has characteristics of the older viol family (bowed, fretted, stringed instruments), including sloped shoulders, which allow the performer to reach further down the fingerboard to play notes in the higher register.<\/p>\n
Double bass bows come in two forms. The \u2018French\u2019 bow is similar in design to the cello bow and is held with an \u2018overhand\u2019 position, while the \u2018German\u2019 bow tends to be broader and shorter, and is held in a \u2018hand shake\u2019 position.<\/p>\n