What is a bass viol in music?

bass viol (plural bass viols) A fretted, bowed, stringed musical instrument from the viola da gamba family. It occupies the bass range and is the lowest instrument in the family. Similar to (but smaller than) a cello.

Is a bass a viol?

The bass viol is one of several sizes that form the viola da gamba family, while the cello is the bass member of the violin family, more formally known as the viola da braccio family, literally ‘arm fiddles.

How is the bass viol played?

All members of the viol family are played upright (unlike the violin or the viola, which is held under the chin). All viol instruments are held between the legs like a modern cello, hence the Italian name viola da gamba (it. “viol for the leg”) was sometimes applied to the instruments of this family.

What is the difference between a viol and a viola?

So what are the differences between a viola and violin? The most obvious difference you’ll notice when you place a violin and viola next to each other is their size. The viola is bigger, with an average body length of between 15.5 and 16.5 inches for adults, compared to the violin which is between 13 and 14 inches.

What is a bass viol called?

double bass, also called contrabass, string bass, bass, bass viol, bass fiddle, or bull fiddle, French contrebasse, German Kontrabass, stringed musical instrument, the lowest-pitched member of the violin family, sounding an octave lower than the cello.

How big is a bass viol?

Unlike violins where a violinist typically grows into a 4/4 violin, with the bass, the standard and most popular size by far is 3/4. Few 4/4 basses are made or played.

How many strings does a bass viol have?

Retrieved 2007-11-23. VIOLONCELLO of the Italians, is properly what we call the Bass Violin with four strings, sometimes even five or six; but those are not common, the first being most used among us.

What kind of instrument is viol?

fretted string instrument
The viol (also referred to as the viola da gamba, or gamba) is a European bowed and fretted string instrument played on the leg (da gamba), used at court and in the home primarily during the Renaissance and Baroque periods.