double bass
Tall stringed instrument
The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched instrument in the string family, standing about six feet tall and played upright while the musician stands or sits on a high stool.
It forms the foundation of orchestral string sections and is equally essential in jazz, where it's often called an upright bass or standup bass to distinguish it from the electric bass guitar.
Players typically bow the strings for classical music and pluck them for jazz and popular styles.
Largest bowed string instrument
- four-stringHaving four courses
- fingerboardString instrument's pitch surface
- tailpieceConcluding addition to text
- scrollWound document of parchment
tuning pegs · bridge · f-holes · soundboard · strings · fretless · shoulder · bout
Play with bow
- pizzicatoString-plucking technique
- bowRespectful forward inclination
- rosinSolidified conifer sap
- vibratoOscillating pitch effect
glissando · legato · staccato · portamento · spiccato · sul tasto · tremolo · shifting
Extended composition for orchestra
- philharmonicLarge orchestra organization
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- conductorOne who directs musicians
- stringsThin flexible lines
violin · viola · cello · chamber music · concerto · score · classical · section
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
- timbreSound's distinctive character
- warmthHeat you feel
- depthDistance below surface
- overtonesImplicit secondary meanings
sustain · tone · rumble · thunder · woody · rich · sonorous · low register
Spontaneous, unplanned creation
- bebopFast, complex jazz style
- swingSuspended recreational seat
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- jam sessionInformal improvisational music gathering
gig · combo · standards · syncopation · slap · thumping · cool jazz · fusion
Rhythmic pulse or strike
- tempoRate of musical performance
- pulseArterial blood throb
- grooveNarrow cut or routine
- timeMeasured passage of moments
meter · backbeat · syncopation · downbeat · upbeat · ostinato · subdivision · foundation
contrabass
Largest bowed string instrument
- four-stringHaving four courses
- fingerboardString instrument's pitch surface
- tailpieceConcluding addition to text
scroll · tuning pegs · bridge · f-holes · soundboard · strings · fretless · shoulder · bout · nut
arco
Play with bow
vibrato · glissando · legato · staccato · portamento · spiccato · sul tasto · tremolo · shifting · harmonics
symphony
Extended composition for orchestra
- philharmonicLarge orchestra organization
- ensembleUnified group or outfit
- conductorOne who directs musicians
strings · violin · viola · cello · chamber music · concerto · score · classical · section · tutti
resonance
Amplified oscillation at natural frequency
overtones · sustain · tone · rumble · thunder · woody · rich · sonorous · low register · boom
improvisation
Spontaneous, unplanned creation
jam session · gig · combo · standards · syncopation · slap · thumping · cool jazz · fusion · big band
beat
Rhythmic pulse or strike
time · meter · backbeat · syncopation · downbeat · upbeat · ostinato · subdivision · foundation · anchor
- instrumentsguitar, guitars, piano, pianos, drum
- stringsviolin, guitar, viola, cello, string section
- Bass
- Bowed Stringsviolin, viola, cello, fiddle, contrabass
- bass instrumentstuba, contrabass, bassoon, contrabassoon, sousaphone
- chamber orchestrastrings, violins, violas, cellos, concertmaster
double, bass, doubled, doubling, redouble, double-check, redoubled, redoubling, doublespeak