The Differences Between Bass and Double Bass

The difference between a bass and a double bass is, firstly, the size. Bass guitars are smaller and are commonly used with a bass amplifier. They are played using fingers or sometimes with a pick, whereas the double bass can be played with fingers or a bow.

Despite being in the same family of instruments, they do have differences between them. Some of which are fairly obvious when looking at them.

Size and Position

There are a few differences between the two. The first difference is the size. The double bass is the largest and lowest-pitched member of the standard orchestral string section. It is also used in jazz, rockabilly, country, and other styles, so its role reaches well beyond the orchestra.

The bass guitar comes with a fairly smaller size compared to the double bass. It’s usually strapped around the bass player so it can be played while standing or you can even choose to sit down and have it reside on your lap.

The double bass, however, is stood upright because it’s much larger and can also be played using the bow, whereas the bass guitar is played with a pick or using your fingers.

Shape and Hardware

They also have different shapes. The double bass almost resembles a giant violin in a way, whereas the standard bass guitar is more of an enlarged version of a regular guitar.

The main difference is in their hardware. The double bass uses something called a “Soundbox” which emanates and amplifies low frequencies when the strings are played. The electric bass guitar, on the other hand, normally uses magnetic pickups. These convert string vibration into an electrical signal for an amplifier; they work differently from a resonating wooden body. Double basses can also use pickups or microphones when amplification is needed.

Strings and Sound

They also use different strings. The double bass uses strings specifically designed for its longer vibrating length and playing techniques. Players can choose different core materials, including steel and synthetic options. A standard bass guitar also has a variety of strings, including roundwound and flatwound types, to suit the player’s preferred feel and sound.

It ultimately results in differences in sound. A plucked double bass often has a woody attack and a naturally decaying note, while bowing can sustain the sound. An electric bass guitar can give a punchier, more even amplified sound, although strings, technique, pickups, and amplifier settings all affect the result. Neither instrument is automatically lower in pitch.

In orchestral music, the double bass has often reinforced the cello line an octave lower, but it can also have its own part. A bass guitar is likewise free to play an independent bass line rather than simply copy the guitar. Standard four-string versions of both bass instruments share the same open-string pitches: E1, A1, D2, and G2.

They both serve the same purpose but for different instruments which are, to lay the foundation with low-end frequencies that are needed in a certain piece.

How They’re Played

The double bass, being the larger of the two instruments, needs to be held upright next to the player which holds it by the neck with one hand and the other hand on the strings.

Its style of playing sometimes requires a bow or simply plucking the strings with your fingers. The bow is used to rub against the strings in order to produce the sound much like a violin only way bigger.

A standard bass guitar, on the other hand, can be placed on your lap and played while sitting down while it resides horizontally, or using straps so you can stand up and carry it around your shoulders while also holding it by the neck with one hand and the other hand being on the strings.

When it comes to the difficulty of playability between the two instruments, the double bass requires a different setup and hand position, plus careful intonation on its fretless fingerboard. Its endpin supports it; you do not carry its full weight while playing. Bowing is another skill to learn if your chosen music calls for it.

Can You Play Both?

Knowing how to play one instrument can certainly help in learning how to play the other. The main difference is that the double bass doesn’t have any frets, so that can be confusing for a lot of standard bass players at first.

Standard four-string versions are, however, tuned the same, so familiar note names and string order are a big help when learning one or the other. Five-string basses and orchestral extensions can add lower notes, so compare the actual instruments.

A double bass player brings useful listening, rhythm, and left-hand experience to bass guitar, but still needs to adapt to the frets, shorter scale, amplification, and different right-hand techniques. The transition has its own challenges in either direction; one instrument is not a shortcut to mastering the other.

A standard bass player would have a few difficulties transitioning to double bass. It will take a while to get used to the positioning of the double bass because most bass players strap their bass guitar around their shoulders and are easy to carry, whereas, the positioning of the double bass requires more discipline.

Their History

The double bass developed in Europe from large bowed bass instruments, with early depictions dating from the 16th century. Its construction combines features associated with the viola da gamba and violin families. Early instruments varied in size, tuning, and string count; three strings were common in some later periods, but were never its only historical form.

The tuning was not fixed from the outset. Different regions and players used several arrangements before the modern four-string tuning became standard. In orchestras, double basses often reinforced the cello part at the lower octave, but their shared use of bass clef does not mean the instruments have identical ranges or interchangeable parts.

The standard bass guitar came way down the line. Early electric bass designs appeared before Fender made the instrument widely familiar. Leo Fender introduced the Precision Bass in 1951: a compact, fretted electric bass that could be amplified for a band. Its production helped establish the horizontally played bass guitar as a practical alternative to carrying a full-size double bass. It quickly rose to the instrument that we know today.

Summary

Double Bass and the standard bass differ in a few ways. They come in different sizes as well as their differences in positioning. They have different shapes and also don’t have the same hardware. The double bass has a soundbox and a standard bass guitar has a pickup.

They use different strings which ultimately results in a different sound. Both standard four-string instruments reach the same low E. A double bass offers its resonant body and the choice of plucked or bowed sounds, while an electric bass guitar shapes its amplified sound through pickups, playing technique, and amplifier settings.

They’re played in different ways as well. The double bass stands upright on an endpin and can be plucked or bowed. Its scale length, fretless fingerboard, and optional bow technique bring their own learning demands. The bass guitar, however, being much smaller in size, can be carried around the shoulders using straps as it dangles horizontally, which in turn is easier to play and carry.

Knowing one instrument can certainly help you learn the other. In either direction, give yourself time to adjust to the different spacing, posture, and sound. Bass guitar players moving to double bass will especially need to work on accurate fretless intonation, while double bass players must adapt their technique to the smaller, amplified instrument.