Bass instrument

A bass instrument (/beɪs/) is a musical instrument that produces tones in the low-pitched range C₂–C₄.^[1] Basses belong to different families of instruments and can cover a wide range of musical roles. Since producing low pitches usually requires a long air column or string, the string and wind bass instruments are usually the largest instruments in their families or instrument classes.

A difficulty in categorizing instruments is that some instruments fall into more than one category. The cello is considered a tenor instrument in some orchestral settings, but in a string quartet it is the bass instrument.^{[citation needed]}

A musician playing one of these instruments is often known as a bassist. Other more specific terms such as 'bass guitarist', 'double bassist', 'bass player', may also be used.