Double Bass vs Cello: What’s the Difference?

String instruments are the largest family of instruments and they make sound by vibrating their strings, and in order to do that, you should pluck or bow them. Generally speaking, they come in four sizes and out of them all, the double bass is the biggest. Professionals and aspiring musicians favour this big, bold and beautiful string instrument because of its sound, but the truth is that a lot of people think it’s the same instrument as the cello. While the bass instrument doesn’t have pointed corners resembling a lot of viols , cellos do have pointed corners, making them look like violins and violas.

What Is Double Bass?

This string instrument is also known as contrabass and is one of the most essential and versatile instruments in the family. It has an important part in the music foundation and it’s the largest and lowest-pitched string instrument. It is believed that these instruments evolved in the 15th century and they have played a huge role in the creation of some of the most dazzling music pieces from the past. Nowadays, it is considered that well-designed and beginner-friendly double basses are versatile instruments that can be used in different music genres. It can be used as a solo instrument because of its deep and powerful sound.

What Is Cello?

The cello, mainly known as the violoncello, is another member of the string family that looks like a contrabass, but in reality, it’s quite different. These stringed instruments can be used both solo and as a part of a choir. It’s believed that it appeared in the 16th century, looking a lot like a big and giant violin.

What’s the Difference?

Size

The first and biggest difference that can be seen with the naked eye is the size of these instruments. It cannot be unseen that double basses are twice the size of cellos and a lot of people believe that this is the reason for its name. Given the fact that it is a super large string instrument, adults can only play on a ¾ size instrument, which isn’t the case with the cello. In fact, it’s quite rare to see an adult playing a cello smaller than 4/4. How so? Well, a ¾ size contrabass is around 186cm tall, and a full-size contrabass is about 2 metres of height, which can be played only by tall musicians with super large hands.

Range

Another great difference between these two instruments is that the larger member of the string family has deeper tones than the cello. The lowest string on it is usually an ‘E,’ which is a minor 6th below the cello’s lowest string ‘C’.

On the other hand, cellos have a higher range and musicians can easily play up to an ‘F’ four ledger lines above the treble clef stave. The upper range of a contrabass is around ‘G’ on the 3rd line of a treble clef, which is about one octave higher than the lowest violin string.

Strings and Tuning

The one thing both of these instruments have in common is the four strings they have, and that’s it.

Tuning a cello is done in its fifth (between each string), but they can also be tuned an octave below the viola, which is C – G – D – A.

Basses, on the other hand, are tuned in fourths E – A – D – ,G which significantly reduces the instrument’s range. However, it’s said that this makes it easier for musicians to perform quick scalic passages without having to shift around the fingerboard.

Sound

As you can assume by now, cellos can pitch higher than basses, however, it is said that both of them can be bowed and plucked. Both of them can produce lyrical bowed passages, where the cello can produce brighter tones and the bass offers lower and darker tones.

Given the fact that basses are known for their ability to be plucked, it isn’t strange to see them used in different music genres. While being an instrument of the orchestra, music is its main deal, this iconic instrument is mainly popular and used for creating jazz music. However, it isn’t strange seeing it in different music genres like the folk ensemble.

Playing Positions

Both of these instruments are played in their upright position with their bodies resting against your chest. Because of its height, the double bass can be played either standing or sitting on a higher stool, which is basically like standing. The cello, on the other hand, is played sitting down.

As you can see, both instruments are quite different. While the cello plays higher-pitched sounds, the bass plays deeper sounds, which makes it more convenient for use across different music genres.