Upright bass

Upright bass
Name	Upright bass
Classification	String instrument
Related	Cello, Viola da gamba, Double bass, Contrabass

Upright bass The upright bass is a large, low-pitched bowed and/or plucked orchestral instrument used across orchestral, jazz, folk, and popular music traditions. It serves as the principal bass voice in ensembles ranging from symphony orchestras and chamber groups to jazz combos and bluegrass bands, and it appears in film scores, Broadway productions, and studio recordings.

History

The instrument traces roots to early bowed basses and large viol family members associated with the courts of Antonio Vivaldi, Johann Sebastian Bach, Arcangelo Corelli, Domenico Scarlatti and ensembles in Venice, Vienna, Paris, and London. Development continued through contributions by luthiers and performers connected to Antonio Stradivari, Giuseppe Guarneri, Jacobus Stainer, Gasparo da Salò, and workshops in Cremona. The double bass’s role evolved during the Classical and Romantic periods with orchestral forces led by conductors such as Ludwig van Beethoven, Gioachino Rossini, Hector Berlioz, and Richard Wagner, and solo repertoire expanded via virtuosi influenced by composers like Franz Schubert and Felix Mendelssohn. In the 20th century the instrument moved into popular spheres through figures and contexts tied to Duke Ellington, Louis Armstrong, Charlie Parker, Miles Davis, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Count Basie, and the Broadway productions of Gershwin, Rodgers and Hammerstein, and Stephen Sondheim. Folk and regional variations emerged in traditions associated with Bluegrass, Celtic music, Klezmer, and Latin American styles linked to performers in Buenos Aires, Havana, and New Orleans.

Construction and design

Physical designs were refined in workshops influenced by makers associated with Stradivari, Amati family, Guarneri family, and later luthiers such as Giovanni Battista Guadagnini and modern shops in Germany and France. The instrument’s body, neck, fingerboard, and tailpiece interact with fittings produced by craftsmen connected to houses in Milan, Florence, Lyon, Berlin, and Moscow. Variants include orchestral forms used in ensembles led by orchestras like the Berlin Philharmonic, Vienna Philharmonic, New York Philharmonic, and chamber groups such as the Juilliard String Quartet and Guarneri Quartet. Contemporary innovations link to builders and shops exemplified by names associated with William C. Retford and firms providing instrument setups for conservatories like Royal Academy of Music, Curtis Institute of Music, Royal College of Music, and Conservatoire de Paris.

Tuning and strings

Standard tuning derives from practices codified in conservatories associated with institutions like Juilliard School, Curtis Institute of Music, Royal Conservatory of The Hague, and professors who influenced pedagogy in cities such as New York City, London, Paris, and Vienice. String technologies evolved via manufacturers with links to companies and trade fairs in Germany, Japan, United States, and Italy, influencing repertoire performed in halls like Carnegie Hall, Royal Albert Hall, Sydney Opera House, and Lincoln Center. Alternate tunings and scordatura have been used by soloists in recital series curated by organizations such as Carnegie Hall and festivals including Montreux Jazz Festival, Newport Jazz Festival, Glasgow International Jazz Festival, and early music programs at Aix-en-Provence Festival.

Playing techniques

Techniques of arco and pizzicato were developed and disseminated through pedagogues and performers connected to conservatories, orchestras, and ensembles affiliated with Yehudi Menuhin, Leonard Bernstein, Itzhak Perlman, Yo-Yo Ma, and jazz bassists such as Ray Brown, Charles Mingus, Paul Chambers, Milt Hinton, Ron Carter, and Scott LaFaro. Slap bass and percussive approaches grew within communities around New Orleans musicians, Blue Note Records sessions, and venues like Village Vanguard, Birdland, Preservation Hall, and Cotton Club. Extended techniques and contemporary notation appear in works premiered by ensembles associated with Béla Bartók, Igor Stravinsky, John Cage, Elliott Carter, and contemporary festivals like Tanglewood and Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Genres and repertoire

The instrument occupies central roles in symphonic programming of orchestras such as Los Angeles Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, and in chamber repertory performed by groups like Orpheus Chamber Orchestra and solo cycles showcased at festivals tied to Aix-en-Provence and Salzburg Festival. In jazz, it anchors tradition through recordings on labels like Blue Note Records, Verve Records, Columbia Records, and Impulse! Records with artists appearing at Monterey Jazz Festival and North Sea Jazz Festival. Folk and world repertoires connect to ensembles and artists associated with The Chieftains, Carolina Chocolate Drops, Buena Vista Social Club, and regional scenes in Ireland, Scandinavia, Mexico City, São Paulo, and Buenos Aires.

Amplification and electronics

Amplification techniques proliferated alongside technological developments from companies like Fender Musical Instruments Corporation, Rickenbacker, Ampeg, Randall, Gallien-Krueger, Shure, Neumann, and Sennheiser. Pickup systems and microphones are used in venues ranging from Madison Square Garden to jazz clubs like 55 Bar and recording studios such as Abbey Road Studios and Sun Studio. Electro-acoustic designs and effects processing have been explored by performers on stages at Coachella, Glastonbury Festival, and electronic music venues in Berlin and Tokyo, sometimes in collaborations with producers affiliated with labels like Ninja Tune and Warp Records.

Maintenance and care

Conservation practices follow standards promoted by institutions such as Smithsonian Institution, Getty Conservation Institute, and museum departments at Metropolitan Museum of Art and Victoria and Albert Museum. Regular maintenance procedures used by luthiers trained at workshops linked to Cremona and repair centers serving orchestras like the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and Metropolitan Opera include humidity control, bridge adjustments, soundpost setting, and restoration techniques discussed in guilds and associations such as International Society of Bassists and Association of String Instrument Artisans.

Category:String instruments