How the octobass makes its sound
In the Hornbostel–Sachs system, which classifies instruments by how they produce sound, the octobass belongs to the lutes: strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck – the family of the guitar, violin, sitar and oud.
More broadly it is one of the chordophones (string instruments), where sound comes from vibrating strings, amplified by a resonating body.
Press play above and watch the spectrum: the evenly spaced peaks are harmonics, and their relative strength is what gives the instrument its character.
From Wikipedia
The octobass is an extremely large and rare bowed string instrument, a larger three-stringed version of the double bass, first drafted by J.A. Dubois in 1834 and built around 1850 in Paris by the French luthier Jean-Baptiste Vuillaume (1798–1875). The specimen in the collection of the Musée de la Musique in Paris - the only surviving original made by Vuillaume - measures 3.48 metres (11 ft 5 in) in length, whereas a full-size double bass is generally approximately 2 m (6 ft 7 in) in length.
The first international public appearance of the octobass was at the first world's fair, which took place in London in 1851. William Pole, an attendee of the 1851 world's fair, described the physical characteristics of the octobass and suggested some uncertainty about the instrument.
Other lutes
Frequently asked questions
What does an octobass sound like?
As one of the lutes, its sound comes from the way strings run parallel to a soundboard and along a neck.
What type of instrument is the octobass?
It is classified as lutes (Hornbostel–Sachs 321.322-71).
Sources & credits
- Wikidata Q692640 – CC0
- Wikipedia: Octobass – CC BY-SA 4.0
- Image by fr:User:Ratigan – CC BY-SA 3.0