Contrabass
Encyclopedia
Contrabass refers to a musical instrument
of very low pitch; generally those pitched one octave
below instruments of the bass register. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass
(which is the bass instrument in the orchestral string family, tuned lower than the cello
), many other instruments in the contrabass register exist.
The term "contrabass" is relative, usually denoting a very low-pitched instrument of its type rather than one playing in a particular range. For example, the contrabass flute
's lowest note is approximately an octave higher than that of the contrabass clarinet
. Instruments tuned below contrabass instruments, such as the double contrabass flute
or subcontrabass saxophone
, may be referred to as "double contrabass," "triple contrabass," "subcontrabass," or "octocontrabass" instruments. On the other hand, the "contrabass" classification is often taken to include such instruments as well.
Musical instrument
A musical instrument is a device created or adapted for the purpose of making musical sounds. In principle, any object that produces sound can serve as a musical instrument—it is through purpose that the object becomes a musical instrument. The history of musical instruments dates back to the...
of very low pitch; generally those pitched one octave
Octave
In music, an octave is the interval between one musical pitch and another with half or double its frequency. The octave relationship is a natural phenomenon that has been referred to as the "basic miracle of music", the use of which is "common in most musical systems"...
below instruments of the bass register. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass
Double bass
The double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
(which is the bass instrument in the orchestral string family, tuned lower than the cello
Cello
The cello is a bowed string instrument with four strings tuned in perfect fifths. It is a member of the violin family of musical instruments, which also includes the violin, viola, and double bass. Old forms of the instrument in the Baroque era are baryton and viol .A person who plays a cello is...
), many other instruments in the contrabass register exist.
The term "contrabass" is relative, usually denoting a very low-pitched instrument of its type rather than one playing in a particular range. For example, the contrabass flute
Contrabass flute
The contrabass flute is one of the rarer members of the flute family. It is used mostly in flute ensembles. Its range is similar to that of the regular concert flute, except that it is pitched two octaves lower; the lowest performable note is two octaves below middle C...
's lowest note is approximately an octave higher than that of the contrabass clarinet
Contrabass clarinet
The contrabass clarinet is the largest member of the clarinet family that has ever been in regular production or significant use. Modern contrabass clarinets are pitched in BB, sounding two octaves lower than the common B soprano clarinet and one octave lower than the B bass clarinet...
. Instruments tuned below contrabass instruments, such as the double contrabass flute
Double contrabass flute
The double contrabass flute is the largest and lowest pitched metal flute in the world...
or subcontrabass saxophone
Subcontrabass saxophone
The subcontrabass saxophone is a type of saxophone that Adolphe Sax patented and planned to build but never constructed. Sax called this imagined instrument saxophone bourdon...
, may be referred to as "double contrabass," "triple contrabass," "subcontrabass," or "octocontrabass" instruments. On the other hand, the "contrabass" classification is often taken to include such instruments as well.
Brass
- Contrabass bugleContrabass BugleThe contrabass bugle, usually shortened to contra, is the lowest-pitched instrument in the drum and bugle corps hornline. It is essentially the drum corps' counterpart to the marching band's sousaphone: the lowest-pitched member of the hornline, and a replacement for the concert tuba on the...
, a variant tuba used in drum and bugle corps - Contrabass héliconHeliconMount Helicon is a mountain in the region of Thespiai in Boeotia, Greece, celebrated in Greek mythology. With an elevation of , it is located just off the Gulf of Corinth.-Greek mythology:...
- Contrabass sackbutSackbutThe sackbut is a trombone from the Renaissance and Baroque eras, i.e., a musical instrument in the brass family similar to the trumpet except characterised by a telescopic slide with which the player varies the length of the tube to change pitches, thus allowing them to obtain chromaticism, as...
- Contrabass serpentSerpent (instrument)A serpent is a bass wind instrument, descended from the cornett, and a distant ancestor of the tuba, with a mouthpiece like a brass instrument but side holes like a woodwind. It is usually a long cone bent into a snakelike shape, hence the name. The serpent is closely related to the cornett,...
- Contrabass saxhornSaxhornThe saxhorn is a valved brass instrument with a conical bore and deep cup-shaped mouthpiece. The sound has a characteristic mellow quality, and blends well with other brass.-The saxhorn family:...
in EE♭ - Contrabass saxhorn in BB♭
- Subcontrabass saxhorn in EEE♭
- Subcontrabass saxhorn in BBB♭
- Contrabass trombone, a fourth below the trombone
- Contrabass trumpetTrumpetThe trumpet is the musical instrument with the highest register in the brass family. Trumpets are among the oldest musical instruments, dating back to at least 1500 BCE. They are played by blowing air through closed lips, producing a "buzzing" sound which starts a standing wave vibration in the air...
- Subcontrabass tubaSubcontrabass tubaThe subcontrabass tuba is an extension of the tuba family below the modern contrabass tuba. At least five known examples have been created, all pitched in BBBb, sounding a full octave lower than standard BBb contrabass tubas...
in BBB♭
Woodwind
- Contrabass clarinetContrabass clarinetThe contrabass clarinet is the largest member of the clarinet family that has ever been in regular production or significant use. Modern contrabass clarinets are pitched in BB, sounding two octaves lower than the common B soprano clarinet and one octave lower than the B bass clarinet...
, two octaves below the B♭ soprano clarinetSoprano clarinetThe soprano clarinets are a sub-family of the clarinet family.The B clarinet is by far the most common type of soprano clarinet - the unmodified word "clarinet" usually refers to this instrument... - Octocontra-alto clarinet, two octaves below the alto clarinetAlto clarinetThe alto clarinet is a wind instrument of the clarinet family. It is a transposing instrument pitched in the key of E, though instruments in F have been made. It is sometimes known as a tenor clarinet; this name especially is applied to the instrument in F...
- Subcontrabass clarinet, four octaves below the B♭ soprano clarinetSoprano clarinetThe soprano clarinets are a sub-family of the clarinet family.The B clarinet is by far the most common type of soprano clarinet - the unmodified word "clarinet" usually refers to this instrument...
- Octocontra-bass clarinet, three octaves below the B♭ soprano clarinet
- Contrabass fluteContrabass fluteThe contrabass flute is one of the rarer members of the flute family. It is used mostly in flute ensembles. Its range is similar to that of the regular concert flute, except that it is pitched two octaves lower; the lowest performable note is two octaves below middle C...
, two octaves below the C concert fluteWestern concert fluteThe Western concert flute is a transverse woodwind instrument made of metal or wood. It is the most common variant of the flute. A musician who plays the flute is called a flautist, flutist, or flute player.... - Subcontrabass fluteSubcontrabass fluteThe subcontrabass flute is one of the largest instruments in the flute family, measuring over long. The instrument can be made in the key of G, pitched a fourth below the contrabass flute in C and two octaves below the alto flute in G; which is sometimes also called double contra-alto flute, or in...
, two octaves below the alto fluteAlto fluteThe alto flute is a type of Western concert flute, a musical instrument in the woodwind family. It is the next extension downward of the C flute after the flûte d'amour. It is characterized by its distinct, mellow tone in the lower portion of its range... - Double contrabass fluteDouble contrabass fluteThe double contrabass flute is the largest and lowest pitched metal flute in the world...
, three octaves below the C concert flute - Hyperbass fluteHyperbass fluteThe hyperbass flute is the largest and lowest pitched instrument in the flute family, with tubing reaching over 8 metres in length. It is pitched in C, four octaves below the concert flute , with its lowest note being C0), one octave below the lowest C on a...
, four octaves below the C concert flute - Contrabass oboeContrabass oboeThe contrabass oboe is a double reed woodwind instrument in the key of C or F, sounding two octaves lower than the standard oboe.Current research, in particular that by hautboy specialist Bruce Haynes, suggests that such instruments may have been developed in France as part of an original attempt...
, two octaves below the oboeOboeThe oboe is a double reed musical instrument of the woodwind family. In English, prior to 1770, the instrument was called "hautbois" , "hoboy", or "French hoboy". The spelling "oboe" was adopted into English ca... - Contrabass ocarinaOcarinaThe ocarina is an ancient flute-like wind instrument. Variations do exist, but a typical ocarina is an enclosed space with four to twelve finger holes and a mouthpiece that projects from the body...
- Great contrabass pommerPommerPommer or bombard describes the alto, tenor, bass, and contrabass members of the shawm or Schalmey family, which are similar in function to the modern cor anglais, bass oboe, bassoon, and contrabassoon, although the bassoon family's direct ancestor was the dulcian/curtal family.- Overview :The...
- Contrabass rackettRackettThe rackett is a Renaissance-era double reed wind instrument.There are several sizes of rackett, in a family ranging from soprano to great bass. Relative to their pitch, racketts are quite small . This is achieved through its ingenious construction...
- Contrabass recorder, two octaves below the treble recorder
- Subcontrabass recorder, three octaves below the soprano recorder
- Sub-subcontrabass recorder, three octaves below the alto recorder
- Contrabass sarrusophoneContrabass sarrusophoneThe Eb contrabass sarrusophone was the only sarrusophone that was ever mass produced in the United States. It was made by companies such as Gautrot, Couesnon, Romeo Orsi, Rampone , Buffet Crampon , and C.G...
, range similar to the contrabass saxophone - Contrabass saxophoneContrabass saxophoneThe contrabass saxophone is the lowest-pitched extant member of the saxophone family proper. It is extremely large and heavy , and is pitched in the key of E, one octave below the baritone.-History:The contrabass...
, two octaves below the alto saxophoneAlto saxophoneThe alto saxophone is a member of the saxophone family of woodwind instruments invented by Belgian instrument designer Adolphe Sax in 1841. It is smaller than the tenor but larger than the soprano, and is the type most used in classical compositions... - Subcontrabass saxophoneSubcontrabass saxophoneThe subcontrabass saxophone is a type of saxophone that Adolphe Sax patented and planned to build but never constructed. Sax called this imagined instrument saxophone bourdon...
, two octaves below the tenor saxophoneTenor saxophoneThe tenor saxophone is a medium-sized member of the saxophone family, a group of instruments invented by Adolphe Sax in the 1840s. The tenor, with the alto, are the two most common types of saxophones. The tenor is pitched in the key of B, and written as a transposing instrument in the treble... - Contrabass tin whistleTin whistleThe tin whistle, also called the penny whistle, English Flageolet, Scottish penny whistle, Tin Flageolet, Irish whistle and Clarke London Flageolet is a simple six-holed woodwind instrument. It is an end blown fipple flute, putting it in the same category as the recorder, American Indian flute, and...
- Contrabass tubaxTubaxThe tubax is a modified saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is available in both E contrabass and B or C subcontrabass sizes...
, a saxophone-like instrument two octaves below the alto saxophone - Subcontrabass tubaxTubaxThe tubax is a modified saxophone developed in 1999 by the German instrument maker Benedikt Eppelsheim. It is available in both E contrabass and B or C subcontrabass sizes...
, two octaves below the tenor saxophone - ContrabassoonContrabassoonThe contrabassoon, also known as the double bassoon or double-bassoon, is a larger version of the bassoon, sounding an octave lower...
, an octave below the bassoonBassoonThe bassoon is a woodwind instrument in the double reed family that typically plays music written in the bass and tenor registers, and occasionally higher. Appearing in its modern form in the 19th century, the bassoon figures prominently in orchestral, concert band and chamber music literature... - Reed contrabassReed contrabassThe reed contrabass in C, otherwise known as the contrabass à anche, is a type of woodwind instrument. It is reminiscent of an ophicleide in appearance but, unlike the ophicleide, employs a double reed for the purpose of sound production...
- ContrabassophoneContrabassophoneThe contrabassophone is a woodwind instrument, invented about 1847 by German bassoon maker Heinrich Joseph Haseneier. It was intended as a substitute for the contrabassoon, which at that time was an unsatisfactory instrument, with a muffled sound due to tone holes that were too small and too close...
- Slide reed subcontrabass
Bowed
- Double bassDouble bassThe double bass, also called the string bass, upright bass, standup bass or contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra, with strings usually tuned to E1, A1, D2 and G2...
, a contrabass violViolThe viol is any one of a family of bowed, fretted and stringed musical instruments developed in the mid-late 15th century and used primarily in the Renaissance and Baroque periods. The family is related to and descends primarily from the Renaissance vihuela, a plucked instrument that preceded the... - VioloneVioloneThe term violone can refer to several distinct large, bowed musical instruments which belong to either the viol or violin family. The violone is sometimes a fretted instrument, and may have six, five, four, or even only three strings. The violone is also not always a contrabass instrument...
, or contrabass violin - OctobassOctobassThe octobass is an extremely large bowed string instrument constructed about 1850 in Paris by the French luthier Jean Baptiste Vuillaume...
- Triple contrabass violTriple contrabass violThe triple contrabass viol is a modern variant of the French octobass, which lost favor with most classical composers since its creation in 1850. It is an acoustic string instrument belonging to the family of the violin, viola, and cello...
- DalaruanLaruanThe lāruǎn is a relatively new Chinese string instrument blending the acoustics of the ruan with that of the Western cello...
, used in the modern Chinese orchestraChinese orchestraThe term Chinese Orchestra can refer to either:* The ancient Chinese Orchestra, or* The modern Chinese Orchestra-The ancient Chinese Orchestra:... - DadihuDihuThe dihu is a large bowed string instrument from China. It has a large soundbox covered on one end with snakeskin. Like most other members of the huqin family of instruments, it has two strings and is held vertically...
, used in the modern Chinese orchestraChinese orchestraThe term Chinese Orchestra can refer to either:* The ancient Chinese Orchestra, or* The modern Chinese Orchestra-The ancient Chinese Orchestra:...
Plucked
- Acoustic bass guitarAcoustic bass guitarThe acoustic bass guitar is a bass instrument with a hollow wooden body similar to, though usually somewhat larger than a steel-string acoustic guitar...
- Bass guitarBass guitarThe bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
- Contrabass guitarContrabass guitarA contrabass guitar is a low-register plucked string instrument in the guitar family with six strings.-History:Musical instruments called contrabass guitars having existed at least since 1899, when a "Grand Concert Contra Bass Guitar" was listed in Mr. Joseph Bohmann's catalogue...
- Subcontrabass guitar
- Contrabass balalaikaBalalaikaThe balalaika is a stringed musical instrument popular in Russia, with a characteristic triangular body and three strings.The balalaika family of instruments includes instruments of various sizes, from the highest-pitched to the lowest, the prima balalaika, secunda balalaika, alto balalaika, bass...
, a large triangular lute used in traditional Russian folk music - GuitarrónGuitarrónSee also: Guitarrón ChilenoThe guitarrón mexicano or Mexican guitarron, is a very large, deep-bodied Mexican 6-string acoustic bass played in mariachi groups...
, a MexicanMexican peopleMexican people refers to all persons from Mexico, a multiethnic country in North America, and/or who identify with the Mexican cultural and/or national identity....
acoustic bass guitar used in mariachiMariachiMariachi is a genre of music that originated in the State of Jalisco, in Mexico. It is an integration of stringed instruments highly influenced by the cultural impacts of the historical development of Western Mexico. Throughout the history of mariachi, musicians have experimented with brass, wind,...
ensembles - Chitarrone moderno, a plucked bass type designed around 1900 by Italian luthiers for use in a mandolin orchestraMandolin orchestraA mandolin orchestra is an orchestra consisting primarily of instruments from the mandolin family of instruments, such as the mandolin, mandola, mandocello and mando-bass or mandolon...
.
External links
- www.contrabass.com, the "Contrabass Mania" site dedicated to low instruments