Contrabass

[Hank74]

I'm a little perplexed over the term "contra" that we use in the tuba world context. Contra is short for the GG contrabass bugle that is used in drum and bugle corps, something which I currently own. However, I've learned that "contra" is a prefix meaning "against or preventing." Huh? I'm playing an instrument that is against the bass line? I thought I was in favor of playing bass notes. Could any of you help me with this term "contra"?

[Tubazilla]

Doing a short google search and translating the german Kontra (counterproductive) and the Spanish Contra (Against)... I'm lead to believe that it's just like the term countertenor. I think it is basically a way to differentiate voice types. The origins of the term does perplex me. Maybe a bit more research later this evening.

[PMeuph]

The term contra to describe a second line sung against another comes from Italy in the 14th or 15th century when countertenors were added to the tenor parts. In that context the word's meaning was not in "opposition" to but rather "against" it.

http://www.thefreedictionary.com/against" target="_blank Defintion #3 comes the closest.

The word was also used with several other instruments and voices to mean a part that is sung in the register right beside the one of this main part. The term became used quickly with the double bass as their roles was to provide a doubling of the bass line down an octave. The Italian name for Double bass is contrabbasso.

http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Contrabbasso" target="_blank

Note that the term contrabass is also used with the clarinet, saxophone, trumpet, trombone, tuba, etc.... It's now become a very commonly accepted term to describe an instrument with a low range.

[MikeW]

I think the contra- in "contrabass" is more like the contra- in "contrast", which implies complementing and emphasizing, as much as resisting. For instance the contrast of black ink on white paper prevents the paper from being wholly white, but you could think of white as "neutral", and black as "contra-neutral"; The contrast between the two makes the black more obviously black, and the white parts more obviously white, with each complementing the other to produce a legible document or a drawing.

In much the same way, the bass and contrabass complement each other to produce a pleasing foundation for the band sound.

[PMeuph]

I think the contra- in "contrabass" is more like the contra- in "contrast", which implies complementing and emphasizing, as much as resisting.

That would make sense, except that contrast did not take its current meaning before the 1700's. It's first meaning (in 1597) was "contention" and "strife." As you might know, or not... the instrument contrabbasso (double-bass) (contrebasse in French and Kontrabass in German) existed in the early 1600's.

Etymologically speaking, the term contrabass has the same first prefix (contra) as counterpoint does.

4. In Italian contra is used esp. in musical terms, perh. starting from contrapunto counterpoint (which in its general sense belonged to 2 or 3). Thus contrabasso, contralto, contratenore, parts marked on the stave alongside of (above or below) and opposite to the basso, alto, tenore, etc.

[Hank74]

This has been an interesting and educational discussion so far on the term "contra." I seem to understand the term in this context to mean providing a lower bass sound that is in contrast to other sounds we hear in instrumental music. Needless to say, I enjoy providing a low bass sound when I play my instruments, including my Dynasty DEG contra!

[ibr]

In brazilian portuguese, the prefix contra may be used to indicate "below". So, for us, brazilians, we can understend it as "sub bass", or below the bass tessiture.

Here, we write "contrabaixo".

For exemple: when you put 2 nuts (pt: porca)in a bolt(pt: parafuso), the second nut is called " contraporca"

[ibr]

Terry, I did not understand your question. Could you explain it, please?

[PMeuph]

In brazilian portuguese, the prefix contra may be used to indicate "below". So, for us, brazilians, we can understend it as "sub bass", or below the bass tessiture.

That makes a lot of sense as Portuguese is a romance language and would share some vocabulary with other romance languages (particularly Italian).

[ibr]

Ok!

How we are sharing "language information", here we write vice to designate the substitute that any post.

Ex:

Presidente( eng: Holder president), Vice-presidente( his substitute)

Campeão (eng: Champion), vice-campeão( 2nd place of championship)

I ask all other members, please forgive me the little deviation of the main subject, but I guess that it is valid in this case.

[ibr]

In brazilian portuguese, the prefix contra may be used to indicate "below". So, for us, brazilians, we can understend it as "sub bass", or below the bass tessiture.

That makes a lot of sense as Portuguese is a romance language and would share some vocabulary with other romance languages (particularly Italian).

I agree. Portuguese, Spanish and Italian are near languages. The people that know speak well portuguese may reasonably understand a spanish or italian text, but the pronounce is well different.

[imperialbari]

And with all due respect to the drum corps segment: they neither coined nor own the contra prefix for low brasses. There were contrabass tubas decades if not a full century before the first GG bugle.

Klaus

[Donn]

Terry, I did not understand your question.

I suspect he meant "vise" - torna morsa? pensando em espressão ingles, por os ovos numa torna morsa.

[butch]

As some mentioned earlier, a double bass is called "Kontrabass" in german. The name come from the contra octave (or first octave, I think), which are the lowest tones that can be played with a double bass. The contra octave is from C1 (32.7 Hz) to C2 (65.4 Hz).
I assume it's the same with a contrabass tuba, whose lowest tones are in the contra octave. Doe's this sound possible?

Butch

[Donn]

As some mentioned earlier, a double bass is called "Kontrabass" in german. The name come from the contra octave (or first octave, I think), which are the lowest tones that can be played with a double bass. The contra octave is from C1 (32.7 Hz) to C2 (65.4 Hz).
I assume it's the same with a contrabass tuba, whose lowest tones are in the contra octave. Doe's this sound possible?

I'm just guessing (like the rest of us, it would seem), but my guess is that the "contra" in "contra octave" simply refers to "contrabass". By itself, "contra" is an essentially relative term - in contralto and contrabass, the range in question is lower, in contratenor it's higher, in any case it's relative to something.

[imperialbari]

And the clarinetists have a special ‘reeding’ of the term of contralto. Theirs is a contrabass.

Klaus

[Donn]

And the clarinetists have a special ‘reeding’ of the term of contralto. Theirs is a contrabass.

Yes, that was actually my first band instrument. But it's usually "contra-alto", unelided, and I believe the majority opinion is that "contra-alto" is stupid and one might as well say "Eb contrabass". I think the reason we find "contra-alto" stupid is exactly that it doesn't fit the sense we've been groping towards above, the Eb contrabass isn't opposed/adjacent/whatever to the Eb alto, it just happens to be in the same key.

[Hank74]

Donn, what kind of helicon are you playing in that profile picture?

[Donn]

Lignatone (Amati) Eb, 4 clock spring valves. Same, I believe, as modern Ceverny but for the valves.