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The Contrabass
The
contrabass, also known as the double
bass or bass viol, is the
biggest instrument in the violin family. Its
sounds are very low and for this reason it rarely plays solo in the orchestra.
For the same reason, it is not a not a member of the chamber
ensemble.
In symphonic music, the role of the contrabass players is important, and
they usually play the cello
part, an octave lower.
Beethoven
let the double bass perform the
famous theme in his 9th symphony,
and Saint-Saëns
used it to represent the elephants in "The
Animal's Carnival".
In jazz,
however, the double bass is a widely-accepted,
important instrument, and leading jazz players play it by plucking (pizzicato).
The contrabass inherited unique
qualities from its ancestor, the bass viol,
and therefore its appearance and characteristics are a little different
from other strings (the most evident difference is the instrument's shoulders,
sloping downwards).
Structure
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Relative size
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Electric
Bass
Electric
Bass Guitar
The double bass has been replaced by bass guitar
in popular music
|
Composers
Beethoven
Saint-Saëns
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