Piccolo bass
Encyclopedia
Piccolo bass can refer to two string instrument
s, the acoustic piccolo bass and the electric piccolo bass.
Carl Thompson and Stanley Clarke
collaborated on the electric piccolo bass and Ron Carter
invented the first upright piccolo bass.
, but with a range exactly one octave higher. It is featured on Henry Threadgill
's 1979 album X-75 Volume 1
, played by Brian Smith.
Ron Carter
uses a piccolo bass that he tunes a fourth higher than a normal double bass (low to high: A-D-G-C). http://www.jazzreview.com/forum/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=114&topic_id=13&mesg_id=13&page=
, but usually tuned one whole octave
higher than a normal bass. This results in the lowest note from a piccolo bass usually being equal to the E found on the seventh fret
of the A string on a standard bass. To allow such an uptuning, the strings can be thinner, or the length of the neck (the scale) can be shorter. The first option is the most common, and several companies manufacture piccolo sets that can be put on any regular bass, thereby converting any bass into a piccolo bass. Because of the thinner strings, a new nut may be required to hold the strings. Some people prefer a slightly shorter scale, such as 30" or 28".
The tuning varies with the personal tastes of the artist, as does the number of strings. Joey DeMaio
from the heavy metal band Manowar
plays with eight strings on his piccolo bass. Jazz bassist John Patitucci
used a six-string piccolo bass, unaccompanied, on his song "Sachi's Eyes" on his album One More Angel. Michael Manring
has used a five-string piccolo bass in several altered tunings. Michael uses D'Addario EXL 280 piccolo bass strings on his four-string hyperbass, made by Zon Guitars
.
String instrument
A string instrument is a musical instrument that produces sound by means of vibrating strings. In the Hornbostel-Sachs scheme of musical instrument classification, used in organology, they are called chordophones...
s, the acoustic piccolo bass and the electric piccolo bass.
Carl Thompson and Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke
Stanley Clarke is an American jazz musician and composer known for his innovative and influential work on double bass and electric bass guitar as well as for his numerous film and television scores...
collaborated on the electric piccolo bass and Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
invented the first upright piccolo bass.
Acoustic piccolo bass
The acoustic piccolo bass is an instrument similar to the double bassDouble 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...
, but with a range exactly one octave higher. It is featured on Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill
Henry Threadgill is an American composer, saxophonist and flautist. Threadgill came to prominence in the 1970s leading ensembles with unusual instrumentation and often incorporating a range of non-jazz genres....
's 1979 album X-75 Volume 1
X-75 Volume 1
X-75 Volume 1 is the debut album by Henry Threadgill released on the Arista Novus label in 1979. The album and features four of Threadgill's compositions performed by Threadgill with Douglas Ewart, Joseph Jarman, Wallace McMillan, Leonard Jones, Brian Smith, Rufus Reid, Fred Hopkins and vocals by...
, played by Brian Smith.
Ron Carter
Ron Carter
Ron Carter is an American jazz double-bassist. His appearances on over 2,500 albums make him one of the most-recorded bassists in jazz history, along with Milt Hinton, Ray Brown and Leroy Vinnegar. Carter is also an acclaimed cellist who has recorded numerous times on that...
uses a piccolo bass that he tunes a fourth higher than a normal double bass (low to high: A-D-G-C). http://www.jazzreview.com/forum/dcboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=114&topic_id=13&mesg_id=13&page=
Electric piccolo bass
The electric is a string instrument very similar to a four-stringed electric bass guitarBass guitar
The bass guitar is a stringed instrument played primarily with the fingers or thumb , or by using a pick....
, but usually tuned one whole 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"...
higher than a normal bass. This results in the lowest note from a piccolo bass usually being equal to the E found on the seventh fret
Fret
A fret is a raised portion on the neck of a stringed instrument, that extends generally across the full width of the neck. On most modern western instruments, frets are metal strips inserted into the fingerboard...
of the A string on a standard bass. To allow such an uptuning, the strings can be thinner, or the length of the neck (the scale) can be shorter. The first option is the most common, and several companies manufacture piccolo sets that can be put on any regular bass, thereby converting any bass into a piccolo bass. Because of the thinner strings, a new nut may be required to hold the strings. Some people prefer a slightly shorter scale, such as 30" or 28".
The tuning varies with the personal tastes of the artist, as does the number of strings. Joey DeMaio
Joey DeMaio
Joey DeMaio is an American bass player and main songwriter for the heavy metal band Manowar which he co-founded in 1980. He is also the founder and CEO of Magic Circle Music....
from the heavy metal band Manowar
Manowar (band)
Manowar is an American heavy metal band from Auburn, New York. Formed in 1980 the group is known for its lyrics based on fantasy and mythological topics along with their "loud and bombastic" sound...
plays with eight strings on his piccolo bass. Jazz bassist John Patitucci
John Patitucci
John Patitucci is an American Grammy-winning jazz double bass and jazz fusion electric bass player.-Biography:Patitucci is of Italian descent and was born in Brooklyn, New York, where he began playing the electric bass at age ten, composing and performing at age 12, as well as the acoustic bass at...
used a six-string piccolo bass, unaccompanied, on his song "Sachi's Eyes" on his album One More Angel. Michael Manring
Michael Manring
Michael Manring is an American electric bassist from the San Francisco Bay Area, .-Biography:...
has used a five-string piccolo bass in several altered tunings. Michael uses D'Addario EXL 280 piccolo bass strings on his four-string hyperbass, made by Zon Guitars
Zon Guitars
Zon Guitars is a manufacturer of bass guitars founded in 1981 by Joseph Zon.-Background:The company is known for its bass guitar models which feature non-traditional designs and materials. The brand is most closely associated with endorser and player Michael Manring, who collaborated with the...
.
External links
- R.M. Mottola's Mezzaluna electric bass family includes both a piccolo and a piccolino electric bass.