

In jazz, blues, and rockabilly, pizzicato is the norm, except for some solos and occasional written parts in modern jazz that call for bowing. In orchestral repertoire and tango music, both arco and pizzicato are employed. When employing a bow, the player can either use it traditionally or strike the wood of the bow against the string. Like other violin and viol-family string instruments, the double bass is played either with a bow (arco) or by plucking the strings ( pizzicato). However, the resonance of the wood, combined with the violin-like construction and long scale length gives the double bass a much richer tone than the bass guitar, in addition to the ability to use a bow, while the fretless fingerboard accommodates smooth glissandos and legatos. The notes of the open strings are E 1, A 1, D 2, and G 2, the same as an acoustic or electric bass guitar. While the double bass is nearly identical in construction to other violin family instruments, it also embodies features found in the older viol family. It is uncertain whether the instrument is a descendant of the viola da gamba or of the violin, but it is traditionally aligned with the violin family. It is typically constructed from several types of wood, including maple for the back, spruce for the top, and ebony for the fingerboard.
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These sizes do not reflect the size relative to a full size, or 4⁄ 4 bass a 1⁄ 2 bass is not half the length of a 4⁄ 4 bass, but is only about 15% smaller. However, other sizes are available, such as a 1⁄ 2 or 3⁄ 4, which serve to accommodate a player's height and hand size. The double bass stands around 180 cm (6 feet) from scroll to endpin.

The bass is a standard member of the orchestra's string section, as well as the concert band, and is featured in concertos, solo, and chamber music in Western classical music. The Double bass has a similar structure to the cello. The double bass, also known simply as the bass (or by other names), is the largest and lowest-pitched bowed (or plucked) string instrument in the modern symphony orchestra (excluding unorthodox additions such as the octobass). Sample of a double bass playing a walking bassline.
