Editing Double bass (section)

==Playing and performance considerations==

===Body and hand position===
[[File:Renaudgarciafons.JPG|thumb|right|upright=0.9|French double-bass player and composer [[Renaud Garcia-Fons]] during a performance]]
Double bassists either stand or sit to play the instrument. The instrument height is set by adjusting the endpin such that the player can reach the desired playing zones of the strings with bow or plucking hand. Bassists who stand and bow sometimes set the endpin by aligning the first finger in either first or half position with eye level, although there is little standardization in this regard. Players who sit generally use a stool about the height of the player's trousers inseam length.

Traditionally, double bassists stood to play solo and sat to play in the orchestra or opera pit. Now, it is unusual for a player to be equally proficient in both positions, so some soloists sit (as with [[Joel Quarrington]], [[Jeff Bradetich]], Thierry Barbé, and others) and some orchestral bassists stand.

When playing in the instrument's upper range (above G<sub>3</sub>, the G below middle C), the player shifts the hand from behind the neck and flattens it out, using the side of the thumb to press down the string. This technique—also used on the cello—is called ''[[thumb position]]''. While playing in thumb position, few players use the fourth (little) finger, as it is usually too weak to produce reliable tone (this is also true for cellists), although some extreme chords or extended techniques, especially in contemporary music, may require its use.

===Physical considerations===
Rockabilly style can be very demanding on the plucking hand, due to rockabilly's use of "slapping" on the fingerboard.
Performing on bass can be physically demanding, because the strings are under relatively high tension. Also, the space between notes on the fingerboard is large, due to scale length and string spacing, so players must hold their fingers apart for the notes in the lower positions and shift positions frequently to play basslines. As with all non-fretted [[string instrument]]s, performers must learn to place their fingers precisely to produce the correct pitch. For bassists with shorter arms or smaller hands, the large spaces between pitches may present a significant challenge, especially in the lowest range, where the spaces between notes are largest. However, the increased use of playing techniques such as thumb position and modifications to the bass, such as the use of lighter-gauge strings at lower tension, have eased the difficulty of playing the instrument.

Bass parts have relatively fewer fast passages, double stops, or large jumps in range. These parts are usually given to the cello section, since the cello is a smaller instrument on which these techniques are more easily performed.

===Volume===
Despite the size of the instrument, it is not as loud as many other instruments, due to its low musical [[pitch (music)|pitch]]. In a large orchestra, usually between four and eight bassists play the same [[bassline]] in unison to produce enough volume. In the largest orchestras, bass sections may have as many as ten or twelve players, but modern budget constraints make bass sections this large unusual.

When writing solo passages for the bass in orchestral or chamber music, composers typically ensure the [[orchestration]] is light so it does not obscure the bass. While amplification is rarely used in classical music, in some cases where a bass soloist performs a concerto with a full orchestra, subtle amplification called [[acoustic enhancement]] may be used. The use of microphones and amplifiers in a classical setting has led to debate within the classical community, as "...purists maintain that the natural acoustic sound of [Classical] voices [or] instruments in a given hall should not be altered".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://harada-sound.com/sound/handbook/intro2.html |title=Sound Systems- Why?! |publisher=Harada-sound.com |access-date=21 July 2012}}</ref>
[[File:Jimbo Wallace.JPG|thumb|[[Psychobilly]] bassist [[Jimbo Wallace]] onstage with [[Reverend Horton Heat]]; note his large [[bass stack]] consisting of a 15-inch cabinet, a quadruple 10-inch cabinet, and an amplifier "head".]]
In many genres, such as jazz and [[blues]], players use amplification via a [[bass instrument amplification|specialized amplifier]] and loudspeakers. A piezoelectric pickup connects to the amplifier with a {{1/4}}-inch cable. Bluegrass and jazz players typically use less amplification than blues, [[psychobilly]], or [[jam band]] players. In the latter cases, high overall volume from other amplifiers and instruments may cause unwanted [[audio feedback|acoustic feedback]], a problem exacerbated by the bass's large surface area and interior volume. The feedback problem has led to technological fixes like electronic feedback eliminator devices (essentially an automated [[notch filter]] that identifies and reduces frequencies where feedback occurs) and instruments like the [[electric upright bass]], which has playing characteristics like the double bass but usually little or no soundbox, which makes feedback less likely. Some bassists reduce the problem of feedback by lowering their onstage volume or playing further away from their bass amp speakers.

In rockabilly and psychobilly, percussively slapping the strings against the fingerboard is an important part of the bass playing style. Since piezoelectric pickups are not good at reproducing the sounds of strings being slapped against the fingerboard, bassists in these genres often use both piezoelectric pickups (for the low bass tone) and a miniature [[condenser mic]] (to pick up the percussive slapping sounds). These two signals are blended together using a simple [[audio mixer|mixer]] before the signal is sent to the bass amp.

===Transportation===
The double bass's large size and relative fragility make it cumbersome to handle and transport. Most bassists use soft cases, referred to as [[gig bag]]s, to protect the instrument during transport. These range from inexpensive, thin unpadded cases used by students (which only protect against scratches and rain) to thickly padded versions for professional players, which also protect against bumps and impacts. Some bassists carry their bow in a hard bow case; more expensive bass cases have a large pocket for a bow case. Players also may use a small cart and end pin-attached wheels to move the bass. Some higher-priced padded cases have wheels attached to the case. Another option found in higher-priced padded cases are backpack straps, to make it easier to carry the instrument.
[[File:Double bass flight cases, CBSO, 2013-06-23.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Hard flight cases for double basses]]
Hard flight cases have cushioned interiors and tough exteriors of [[carbon fiber]], [[graphite]], [[fiberglass]], or [[Kevlar]]. The cost of good hard cases–several thousand US dollars–and the high airline fees for shipping them tend to limit their use to touring professionals.

===Accessories===
[[File:Page 451 (A Dictionary of Music and Musicians-Volume 2).jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.7|A wooden mute attached to the bass bridge to make the tone darker (a drawing from 1900)]]
Double bass players use various accessories to help them to perform and rehearse. Three types of [[mute (music)#String|mutes]] are used in orchestral music: a wooden mute that slides onto the bridge, a rubber mute that attaches to the bridge and a wire device with brass weights that fits onto the bridge. The player uses the mute when the Italian instruction ''con sordino'' ("with mute") appears in the bass part, and removes it in response to the instruction ''senza sordino'' ("without mute"). With the mute on, the tone of the bass is quieter, darker, and more somber. Bowed bass parts with a mute can have a nasal tone. Players use a third type of mute, a heavy rubber practice mute, to practice quietly without disturbing others (e.g., in a hotel room).

A quiver is an accessory for holding the bow. It is often made of leather and it attaches to the bridge and tailpiece with ties or straps. It is used to hold the bow while a player plays pizzicato parts.

A [[wolf tone]] eliminator is used to lessen unwanted sympathetic vibrations in the part of a string between the bridge and the tailpiece which can cause tone problems for certain notes. It is a rubber tube cut down the side that is used with a cylindrical metal sleeve which also has a slot on the side. The metal cylinder has a screw and a nut that fastens the device to the string. Different placements of the cylinder along the string influence or eliminate the frequency at which the wolf tone occurs. It is essentially an [[attenuation|attenuator]] that slightly shifts the natural frequency of the string (and/or instrument body) cutting down on the reverberation.<ref>{{cite web|last=Freiberg |first=Sarah |url=http://www.allthingsstrings.com/Instruments/CARE-MAINTENANCE/How-to-Tame-Annoying-Howling-Wolf-Tones |title=How to Tame Annoying Howling Wolf Tones / CARE & MAINTENANCE / Instruments / All Things Strings |date=13 May 2005 |publisher=Allthingsstrings.com |access-date=2015-12-23}}</ref> The wolf tone occurs because the strings below the bridge sometimes resonate at pitches close to notes on the playing part of the string. When the intended note makes the below-the-bridge string vibrate sympathetically, a dissonant "wolf note" or "wolf tone" can occur. In some cases, the wolf tone is strong enough to cause an audible "beating" sound. The wolf tone often occurs with the note G{{music|#}} on the bass.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=H. |last1=Dünnwald |title=Versuche zur Entstehung des Wolfs bei Violininstrumenten |journal=Acustica |volume=41 |issue=4 |year=1979 |pages=238–45 |url=http://openurl.ingenta.com/content?genre=article&issn=1610-1928&volume=41&issue=4&spage=238&epage=245}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal |doi=10.1121/1.1913343 |title=The wolf in the cello |year=1973 |last1=Firth |first1=Ian M. |journal=The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America |volume=53 |issue=2 |pages=457–463|bibcode=1973ASAJ...53..457F }}</ref>

In orchestra, instruments tune to an A played by the oboist. Due to the three-octave gap between the oboist's tuning A and the open A string on the bass (for example, in an orchestra that tunes to [[concert pitch|440&nbsp;Hz]], the oboist plays an A<sub>4</sub> at 440&nbsp;Hz and the open A<sub>1</sub> of the bass is 55&nbsp;Hz) it can be difficult to tune the bass by ear during the short period that the oboist plays the tuning note. Violinists, on the other hand, tune their A string to the same frequency as the oboist's tuning note. There is a method commonly used to tune a double bass in this context by playing the A harmonic on the D string (which is only an octave below the oboe A) and then matching the harmonics of the other strings. However, this method is not foolproof, since some basses' harmonics are not perfectly in tune with the open strings. To ensure the bass is in tune, some bassists use an [[electronic tuner]] that indicates pitch on a small display. Bassists who play in styles that use a [[bass amp]], such as blues, rockabilly, or jazz, may use a [[effects pedal|stompbox]]-format electronic tuner, which mutes the bass pickup during tuning.

A double bass stand is used to hold the instrument in place and raise it a few inches off the ground. A wide variety of stands are available, and there is no one common design.