Triple contrabass viol

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The triple contrabass viol is a modern variant of the French octobass, closely related to the double bass.

Recordings and performances of sub-contrabass string instruments are rare; over 10 feet (3 m) tall, the triple contrabass viol must be played with the performer on an elevated platform. It was originally a three-stringed baroque instrument tuned C0–G0–C1 or C0–G0–D1 with the lower C coming in at 16.35 Hz. This is equivalent to the C two octaves below the cello's lowest C.

A four-string variant of the contrabass viol is played by bassist Brian Smith on Roscoe Mitchell's recording, Four Compositions (Lovely Music, 1988). [1] It had two large circular holes in the body to facilitate recording.

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References

  1. Roscoe Mitchell (2021) [First Published in 1987?]. "Four compositions [sound recording]". searchworks.stanford.edu/. Lovely Music. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
    Peter Watrous (6 June 1988). "Reviews/Music; The Half That's Classical". New York Times . Retrieved 12 November 2022.