History
The double bass is generally regarded as a modern descendant of the string
family of instruments that originated in Europe in the 15th century, and as such
has been described as a bass Violin. Before the
20th century many double basses had only three strings, in contrast to the five
to six strings typical of instruments in the string family or the four strings
of instruments in the violin family. Some existing instruments, such as those by
Gasparo da Salò, were converted from
16th-century six-string contrabass
The double bass's proportions are dissimilar to those of the violin and cello;
for example, it is deeper (the distance from top to back is proportionally much
greater than the violin). In addition, while the violin has bulging shoulders,
most double basses have shoulders carved with a more acute slope, like members
of the viol family. Many very old double basses have had their shoulders cut or
sloped to aid playing with modern techniques. Before these modifications, the
design of their shoulders was closer to instruments of the violin family.
The double bass is the only modern bowed string instrument that is tuned in
fourths (like a viol), rather than fifths The issue of the instrument's
exact lineage is still a matter of some debate, and the supposition that the
double bass is a direct descendant of the
viol
family is one that has not been entirely resolved.
In his A New History of the Double Bass, Paul Brun asserts, with many
references, that the double bass has origins as the true bass of the
violin family. He states that, while the exterior
of the double bass may resemble the viola da gamba, the internal construction of
the double bass is nearly identical to instruments in the
violin family, and very different from the
internal structure of viols.
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