Bass

A. Ursyn Orchestra / Bass Player Ronald

It was hard for Ronald to see from behind his instrument while playing it. It's that he would like to watch the audience's reactions, but at the same time it would be nice to see the score. He checked on the Internet and found that someone advised making oversized copies of the music. It was easy to enlarge a copy and store an oversized score, but now he needs a new music stand for holding this enlargement.

There was a wee lass from Tenass,
Who tried her luck out on the brass.
Soon found herself failing,
Decided to go sailing
And with fisherman skills learned the Bass.

Jenn DeHayes-Rice

The Bass
The bass is the lowest of the string instruments, and like the tuba, the bass sounds an octave lower than it is shown on the music. Because the bass is so big and tall, there are high stools for players to sit on.

The bass was first used in the 16th century to play along with the organ in church. By the 18th century, it was a performer in the orchestra. Since the instrument was first introduced, it has been made in many different sizes and with different number of strings.

Big hands are useful when playing the bass because of its strong and spread out strings. Pizzicato, which is the plucking of the strings, is also used often.

To hear the bass in action, listen to:

Beethoven: Symphony #5
Saint-Saens: Carnival of the Animals