Contrabass
Contrabass (from Italian: contrabbasso) refers to several musical instruments of very low pitch—generally one octave below bass register instruments. While the term most commonly refers to the double bass[citation needed] (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 in a particular range. For example, 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 often includes such instruments.
Wind
Brass
- Contrabass bugle, a variant tuba used in drum and bugle corps
- Contrabass hélicon
- Contrabass sackbut
- Contrabass serpent[1]
- Contrabass saxhorn in EE♭
- Contrabass saxhorn in BB♭
- Subcontrabass saxhorn in EEE♭
- Subcontrabass saxhorn in BBB♭
- Contrabass trombone, in F or BB♭ below the bass trombone
- Contrabass trumpet[2]
- Subcontrabass tuba in BBB♭
Woodwind
- Contrabass clarinet, two octaves below the B♭ soprano clarinet
- Octocontralto clarinet, two octaves below the alto clarinet
- Subcontralto clarinet, alias of an octocontralto clarinet
- Octocontrabass clarinet, three octaves below the B♭ soprano clarinet
- Subcontrabass clarinet, alias of an octocontrabass clarinet
- Contrabass flute, two octaves below the C concert flute
- Subcontrabass flute, two octaves below the alto flute
- Double contrabass flute, three octaves below the C concert flute
- Hyperbass flute, four octaves below the C concert flute
- Contrabass oboe, two octaves below the oboe
- Contrabass ocarina, one octave below the bass ocarina in C
- Great contrabass pommer
- Contrabass rackett
- Contrabass recorder, in F, two octaves below the alto/treble recorder
- Subcontrabass recorder, in C, three octaves below the soprano/descant recorder
- Sub-subcontrabass recorder, in F, three octaves below the alto/treble recorder
- Contrabass sarrusophone, range similar to the contrabass saxophone
- Contrabass saxophone, two octaves below the alto saxophone
- Subcontrabass saxophone, two octaves below the tenor saxophone
- Contrabass tin whistle[3]
- Contrabass tubax, a saxophone-like instrument two octaves below the alto saxophone
- Subcontrabass tubax, two octaves below the tenor saxophone
- Contrabassoon, an octave below the bassoon
- Contraforte, a recently invented proprietary wide-bore variant of the contrabassoon with a more powerful tone and an upward pointing bell
- Reed contrabass
- Contrabassophone[4]
- Slide reed subcontrabass[5]
Other
- Contrabass harmonica
- Contrabass singer, basso profondo or oktavist, a rare sub-bass, classical singer who performs notes in the contrabass octave
String
Bowed
- Double bass, a contrabass violin
- Violone, or contrabass viol
- Octobass
- Triple contrabass viol
- Dalaruan, used in the modern Chinese orchestra
- Dadihu, used in the modern Chinese orchestra
Plucked
- Acoustic bass guitar
- Bass guitar
- Contrabass guitar
- Subcontrabass guitar
- Contrabass balalaika, a large triangular lute used in traditional Russian folk music
- Mexican acoustic bass guitar used in mariachiensembles
- Chitarrone moderno, a plucked bass type designed around 1900 by Italian luthiers for use in a mandolin orchestra
- Contrabass ukulele, typically marketed as the Kala U-Bass
Notes
- ^ "Contrabass Serpent". Edinburgh University Collection of Historic Musical Instruments. Archived from the original on 2007-03-13. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ^ "Bass and Contrabass Trumpet". Contrabass Mania. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ^ "Sub-Contrabass Whistle Profundo". Chiff and Fipple Forums. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ^ "The Contrabassophone". Contrabass Mania. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
- ^ "Slide Reed Subcontrabass". Contrabass Mania. Retrieved 2007-03-12.
External links
- www.contrabass.com, the "Contrabass Mania" site dedicated to low instruments