The double bass (also called the contrabass, string bass or upright bass) is the deep giant of the bowed strings: the largest and lowest instrument of the family, so tall that it is played standing or on a high stool, resting on an endpin. It shares with the cello its upright posture and its lack of frets, but it has two features that set it apart in the orchestral string family: it is tuned in 4ths (not 5ths), and it is a transposing instrument: it sounds an octave lower than written. This page gives its notes, how it is tuned and why one note can be played in several places.
| Family | Bowed strings (the lowest) |
|---|---|
| Open strings | E · A · D · G (tuned in perfect 4ths) |
| Transposition | Yes: sounds an octave lower than written |
| Sounding open strings | E1 · A1 · D2 · G2 |
| Range | From E1 (about 41 Hz) upward; lower with a fifth string or a C extension |
| How it is held | Upright, standing or seated on a high stool, resting on an endpin |
| Clef | Bass (written an octave above the sounding pitch) |
The four strings: E, A, D, G
The double bass has four strings, and here is its first big difference from the rest of the family. The violin, viola and cello are tuned in 5ths; the double bass is tuned in 4ths: E → A → D → G, each step a perfect 4th.
| String | Written note | Sounding note | Sounding frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4th (thickest) | E2 | E1 | 41.2 Hz |
| 3rd | A2 | A1 | 55 Hz |
| 2nd | D3 | D2 | 73.4 Hz |
| 1st (thinnest) | G3 | G2 | 98 Hz |
That E1 (about 41 Hz) is among the lowest notes of the whole orchestra. To tune, start from the open strings and adjust them in 4ths. You can check them with the double bass tuner.
Why it is tuned in 4ths (and not in 5ths)
It is a question of size. On a violin the hand comfortably spans a 5th on each string. On a double bass, the same 5th is a very long distance along the string: it would be impossible to stop it without shifting the hand. Tuned in 4ths, the strings are closer in pitch and the distances the hand has to cover are manageable. For the same reason, in the way it is tuned and the way you think about the fingerboard it is closer to the electric bass and the guitar (also tuned mostly in 4ths) than to the violin.
A transposing instrument: it sounds an octave lower
The double bass is the only standard orchestral string instrument that is written at a different octave from the one that sounds: it is an octave transposer (unlike the clarinet or the trumpet, which transpose to a different note, it moves by exactly one octave). Its range is so low that, written at sounding pitch, the part would be full of ledger lines below the staff. To avoid that, double bass music is written an octave higher than it sounds: the player reads an E2 and an E1 sounds.
So every note on this page has a written name (what the bassist reads) and a sounding name (what you hear). In the orchestra this means the double bass and the cello, reading almost the same music, sound an octave apart: together they form the low foundation.
How it is played: standing, with an endpin
Like the cello but bigger, the double bass is played upright, resting on the floor on an endpin, with the player standing or seated on a high stool. The bow can be held in two ways depending on the school: the French bow (overhand, like the cello) or the German bow (underhand, with a different grip). In jazz it is played mostly pizzicato, plucking the string.
Why the double bass has no frets
Like all bowed strings, it has no frets: the note is the exact spot where the finger shortens the string, and the ear decides where that is. On such a big instrument the distances between notes are large, so intonation takes a good ear and good arm control. It allows vibrato, glissando and harmonics: because the string is so long, the natural harmonics are easy to find and sound very clean, and they are often used in contemporary orchestral writing.
Positions and the thumb
As on the cello, the bassist's hand covers little distance per position (about a whole step with the fingers in the low register), so the player shifts position constantly to move up the scale. In the high register the thumb position is used: the thumb rests on the strings like a movable nut to reach the highest notes.
Try it: the double bass diagram
Pick a note and the diagram shows on the double bass where to press the string, with its written name, the note that sounds (an octave lower) and its place on the staff, in bass clef. It runs from each open string up to its octave, bowed or pizzicato. Because it has no frets, one note lives in several places: the diagram lights up all of them, and the player chooses.
The same note in several places
Since there are no frets, the same note can be found in more than one place. The written A2 (sounding A1) is played on the open A string or by going up the E string; the same goes for D3 and G3. It is the same note, but it does not sound the same: the open string is more open and powerful but allows no vibrato, while a stopped string sounds warmer. The player chooses.
The double bass in the orchestra, jazz and the band
The double bass is the low foundation wherever it plays. In the orchestra it doubles the cellos an octave lower and supports the whole harmony. In jazz it is the king of the walking bass, almost always pizzicato, marking the pulse and the bass line. In rockabilly and some jazz styles it is also played in the slap style, slapping the string against the fingerboard for a percussive effect. Unlike the other bowed strings, it is also sometimes added to the concert band, where it can reinforce the bass line alongside the tubas and euphoniums.
It belongs to the bowed-string family, but it is the odd one out: while the violin, the viola and the cello go in 5ths and do not transpose, the double bass goes in 4ths and sounds an octave lower than written. It shares its tuning in 4ths with the electric bass.
Here is the lowest string of each, from the highest to the lowest instrument:
| Instrument | Lowest open string (sounding) | Tuning |
|---|---|---|
| Violin | G3 | In 5ths |
| Viola | C3 | In 5ths |
| Cello | C2 | In 5ths |
| Double bass | E1 | In 4ths |
What about the five-string double bass?
Many orchestral basses have five strings instead of four. The fifth is added below the low E so that the player can reach the lowest notes in the repertoire (passages that go below the E on the score). The usual fifth string is a low C1 (about 32.7 Hz sounding); some players tune it to B0 (about 30.9 Hz), the same pitch as the lowest string of a five-string electric bass. A four-string bass can also reach the low C with a C extension, a mechanism that lengthens the E string so it can go down to C.
Everything else (tuning in 4ths, clef, transposition) is the same; only the lowest note changes. Those notes are below the range of most tuners (about 40 Hz), so they are tuned by octave harmonic; see the double bass tuner.
How big is a double bass?
Like the violin and cello, the double bass comes in fractional sizes, with one peculiarity: the standard adult size is not the 4/4 but the 3/4. The 4/4 (full size) exists but is very large and less common; most professionals play a 3/4. For younger players there are 1/2, 1/4, 1/8 and smaller. They are all tuned the same way (E-A-D-G). A 3/4 double bass stands roughly 1.8 m (about 6 ft) tall.
The parts of the double bass
Its parts are the same as those of the other bowed strings, starting with the endpin that rests on the floor: scroll, pegs, nut, fingerboard, f-holes, bridge, tailpiece and endpin.
Common mistakes when learning double bass notes
- Forgetting that it transposes. What you read sounds an octave lower; that is normal and correct.
- Tuning it in 5ths. The double bass goes in 4ths (E-A-D-G), like the electric bass, not like the violin.
- Expecting the violin's finger pattern. The hand covers very little distance; you shift position a lot, and the thumb enters higher up.
- Treating finger-position stickers as frets. They are a temporary reference; the ear decides the note.
Summary
- The double bass is the lowest of the bowed strings; it is played standing, on an endpin.
- It is tuned in 4ths (E-A-D-G), not in 5ths like the rest, because of its large size.
- It is a transposing instrument: it sounds an octave lower than written (the only standard orchestral string instrument that does).
- It reads in bass clef and has no frets.
- It is the bass of the orchestra and of jazz (walking bass), and sometimes of the concert band.