THE ORCHESTRA: A USER'S MANUAL

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Introduction	Orchestration	Orchestration	Resources	Historical	Andrew Hugill
					Philharmonia

DOUBLE BASS

Section: Strings
Transposing? Yes

Construction
Range
Bowing
Plucking
Left Hand
Mute/Harmonics
Chords
Extended
Player's Tips and Tricks

Extended techniques

NAME	DESCRIPTION	NOTATION	LISTEN/VIEW	COMMENTS
scordatura tuning	retuning the strings	a verbal instruction to retune, possibly with an additional staff to show new tunings	scordatura tuning the history of bass tunings 19th century 'solo' tuning	Retuning the double bass is relatively common, although most music sticks with the standard tuning (albeit with a low C extension). The tuning pegs on a bass enable very accurate retunings.
tap instrument	tap the body of the instrument with fingers or with the bow	verbal instruction, with x-shaped noteheads for extended passages	tapping	The large, hollow body of the bass makes tapping the instrument quite effective. Belly, ribs and back all produce a different sound, making the instrument resembles a tom-tom. It is best to stick to hand taps rather than using beaters.
play behind bridge	playing the strings between the bridge and the tailpiece	verbal instruction, with x-shaped noteheads if necessary	playing behind bridge	The standard bowing and plucking techniques may be used for this effect.
bow on bridge	bowing the strings directly on the bridge	verbal instruction, with x-shaped noteheads if necessary	(See 'behind bridge' clip)	This is not the same as sul ponticello which plays near the bridge.
bow tailpiece	bowing the tailpiece	verbal instruction	(See 'behind bridge' clip)	Rather uncontrollable and ugly, but fairly loud.
strike strings	striking the strings with the hand	verbal instruction	striking strings	Quite a strong effect. The left hand can be used to produce pitches, or to add more strikes.
'silent' fingering	fingering pitches with the left hand without bowing or plucking the strings	verbal instruction	'silent' fingering	A common technique, particularly in jazz.