h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Thats a very very BIG fish indeed.

A big fish, but very fun to play!
There are so many styles you can do with it, and it has a pleasant sound.

The bass is a cruel mistress, but greatly rewards the persistent. It is definitely one of the hardest, most strenous instruments to play.

for a very short time (6 months) i was learning to play the double bass , the problem is the double bass i learnt on had 6 strings, can anyone explain this??

50% extra free?

There *are* 6-string double basses, although rather rarely seen (or heared). They usually have an extra low B and an extra high C string.

Jeremy

I played double bass for 2 years when I was in sixth form at school. Not many people actually know this, but very few people actually play full size double basses... I played a 3/4 sized one, and it was big enough. It used to get a little tricky, taking it home from school to practice required a military precision operation, and as I was short, I learned very quickly that the best way to carry it was on the top of my head. The most important thing I had to remember was to not have the spike out when i was walking around, and to always make sure I didn't walk too close to people. The sitting down playing style for the double bass is similar to the cello...being female I somehow always managed to get away with wearing trousers for concerts. But the double bass is a really fun instrument to play. Cause no one else plays it, you always get picked for orchestras, other musicians think it's the coolest thing to be able to play, and well, it's big. I have seen 5 string basses, I have also seen 4 strings with the lowest string (normally an e) replaced with a B string, the string instead of terminating at the nut (top of fingerboard) goes on a little bit higher up.

I play Double Bass at school and because I'm only 5ft 4ins, I only have a half size Double Bass. It's amazing how big they are - My half size only just fits into the back of a Range Rover. It's a really fun instrument to play because it can play any style of music that you want it to. But I really love playing it because nobody else does - I'd only been playing it for one term and I was asked to play in the school orchestra. The Double Bass is one of the most awkward instruments to carry around - especially getting it up the three flights of stairs to the music room at school. That's the only drawback - it's size. I once got it stuck trying to get it through a small room doorway and it took me, two of my friends and my DT teacher to get it out!

See A5700638

You mention that the easiest way to carry it is by putting it on your head.

I thought I would clarify, slightly. What one does is he hooks the scroll on to the back of the neck and cantilevers the body of the bass up using his own body as a fulcrum. It's quite neat.