This is probably going to try the patience of folks who don't play bass,
but since bass players are never as trying as -- god forbid -- banjo
players for example and since it's Friday and since this could not
possibly generate much followup email,* I'll plunge in to add that (as I
understand it) if the upright bass were scaled twice as big as your
standard cello in order to really kick some bass a$$ then it would need to
be eight feet tall. I think I once saw a reproduction of an etching
showing experimental full-scale basses being played by gentlemen in
Victorian-era garb perched atop platforms in order to reach those
all-important Fs, B-flats, E-flats, and A-flats lurking at the top of the
fingerboard. With a scale like that there would be few humans indeed with
the hand stretch required to span more than a major second in first position.

=============
* Unless some banjo player decides to take issue with that statement.

--
Mike "Rocket J Squirrel" Elliott
71 Type 2: the Wonderbus
84 Westfalia: Mellow Yellow ("The Electrical Banana")
74 Utility Trailer. Ladybug Trailer, Inc., San Juan Capistrano
KG6RCR

On 5/23/2008 3:07 PM Jay Brown wrote:

> Hey Mike,
>
> It is sometimes known as a double bass because of the standard 4 string
> tuning with E @ ~40Hz being one octave lower than the cello  It is not
> related to it's physical size.
>
> I generally just call mine an Upright Bass or String Bass to indicate that I
> am not talking about bass guitar...
>
> Hope that helps.
> Jay Brown
> '85 Zetec Westfalia
> '72 Riviera
> http://www.geocities.com/vwcamper72
>
>
>
>
> Date: Fri, 18 Apr 2008 09:10:23 -0700
>
> From: Mike Miller <mwmiller@CWNET.COM>
>
> Subject: NVC double bass question
>
> I was emailing with someone on the list who made string instruments and I
>
> forgot to ask the primary question:
>
> How come a stand up bass is called a double bass?
>
> Mike
>