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The double bass, also called bass VIOL or
contrabass, is the largest and lowest-pitched member of the
orchestral string section. The standard double bass has four
strings and a range from E just over an octave below the bass
staff, upwards for nearly three octaves, although some instruments
may have five strings in order to extend the range downward.
Some early double basses had only three strings. The instrument
is played with a heavy bow and sounds an octave lower than
its written notes. Its body shape differs from the other members
of the violin family in having sloping rather than rounded
shoulders and usually having a flat rather than a convex back.
Although rarely heard as a solo instrument or in chamber music,
the double bass is used effectively in Franz Schubert's Trout
Quintet.
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