Cello vs double bass: how to tell them apart

The cello and the double bass are the two largest string instruments in the orchestra. The cello is about four feet tall, and the player sits. The double bass is about six feet tall, and the player stands or sits on a high stool. The bass plays lower, and its strings are tuned in a different pattern.

The differences at a glance

	Cello	Double bass
Height	About four feet	About six feet
Player	Sits on a chair	Stands, or sits on a high stool
Strings, low to high	C, G, D, A	E, A, D, G
Gap between strings	Five notes	Four notes
Shoulders	Round	Sloping
Tuning pegs	Wooden pegs	Metal gears
Number in an orchestra	About ten	About six to eight
Usual job	Tunes and the bass line	The bass line

Size

A cello rests on a metal spike and leans against the player’s chest. Its neck passes beside the player’s left ear.

A double bass is often taller than its player. The player reaches around its wide shoulders to press the strings.

Strings

Both have four strings. On the cello, each string is five notes above the last, as on the violin and the viola. On the bass, each string is four notes above the last. The strings of a bass are long, and the smaller gap keeps the notes within reach of the hand.

The lowest string of the bass is tuned to E. It sounds lower than the lowest string of the cello.

Sound

The cello’s sound is warm and rich. It can carry a long, singing tune, and it can play quite high.

The bass’s sound is deep and dark. Its notes sound one octave lower than they are written. You may feel its low notes as much as hear them.

Shape and parts

• Shoulders. A cello’s shoulders are round, like a violin’s. The shoulders of a bass slope down. The bass comes from an older family of instruments called viols.
• Pegs. A cello has wooden pegs. A bass has metal gears, since its strings are thick and tight.
• The bow. A bass bow is shorter and heavier than a cello bow. There are two kinds. One is held from above, like a cello bow. The other is held from the side, with the palm turned up.

Their jobs in the orchestra

The cellos sit at the front, often on the right. They play the bass line, and composers give them warm, singing tunes too.

The basses sit behind the cellos. They often play the same line as the cellos, one octave lower. That gives the orchestra its depth.

Outside the orchestra, the bass plays in jazz bands, where it is plucked.

How to tell them apart

1. Look at the player. Sitting on a normal chair means cello. Standing or perched on a tall stool means bass.
2. Look at the size. A bass is as tall as the person playing it, or taller.
3. Look at the shoulders. Round means cello. Sloping means bass.
4. Listen. If the instrument is singing a tune, it is likely a cello.

Pieces that show the difference

“The Swan” and “The Elephant,” from The Carnival of the Animals, by Saint-Saëns. The cello is the swan, gliding over two pianos. The double bass is the elephant, dancing a heavy waltz. Play one after the other. Read the guide to The Swan and the Carnival guide.

Prelude from Cello Suite No. 1, by Bach. One cello, alone, with no other instrument.

Symphony No. 1, third movement, by Mahler. A single bass begins, playing the round “Frère Jacques” in a sad, slow version.

Symphony No. 9, last movement, by Beethoven. The cellos and basses play the “Ode to Joy” tune first, soft and low, before anyone else has it.

Which one for a child?

Both come in small sizes, and a teacher or a string shop fits the size to the child.

• Cello. Children can start young on a small cello. Read cello sizes for kids.
• Double bass. Children often start in a school orchestra at about nine or ten. Most adults play a bass called three-quarter size.
• Getting it around. A cello fits in a car. A bass takes planning. Ask about a school instrument, so that one can stay at school and one at home.
• Switching. Some cellists move to the bass later. The reading carries across, and the fingering is new.

Things to do together

Swan or elephant? Play ten seconds of each piece. Your child glides for the cello and stomps for the bass.

Sit or stand. Watch an orchestra video. Count the players who stand or sit on tall stools at the back of the strings.

How tall? Mark four feet and six feet on a wall. Stand your child beside each mark.

Bow or pluck. Play an orchestra piece and a jazz piece. Ask how the bass sounds in each.

Print and play

Find both on the orchestra seating chart. Read the cello for kids, the double bass for kids, and violin vs viola. For the whole family, read string instruments for kids.