Up Close With A Curator: Octobasse

Join curator Colin Pearson on a descriptive journey of one of the most famous objects at the Musical Instrument Museum in Phoenix, Arizona, USA.

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Phoenix, Arizona USA

[Dan_Brandybuck]

"You know what the world needs? A musical instrument that plays notes outside of the range of human hearing."

[toasteggs]

Assert your dominance in your Highschool orchestra by showing up with one of these bad boys

[dangerbirb]

I want this in my house, for those 3AM jam sessions in the dark. Also fun to play in the woods at night.

[reeepingk]

Octobass, good for when you need an instrument AND a home.

[aribardsley]

Neighbor 1: so many construction noises late at night
Neighbor 2: Actually thats just me practicing my octobass

[jaye]

Sadly, he never got around to his true masterpiece, the Hexdecobasse. It stood 3 stories tall and required four to play it, two on the bow, and two working from the fret bridge, an actual bridge in front of the neck of the instrument. I hear there was even a song written to feature it called "The Coming Earthquake."

[MrSkinnyWhale]

"Let's put some strings on a boat!" -guy who invented the octobasse

[edenjohnson]

Imagine being in a band full of octobasses and contrabassoons

[LucasKingPiano]

How do we know you're not just an elf playing a cello.

[janeilnold]

I would love to hear this being played in an orchestra! I want to hear that that "low rumble" adds to a song.

[Rickzenbackzer]

0:17 He's actually holding an octobass in that photo. People just aren't as tall as they used to be.

[owenf]

Violins, what do you play? The Melody!
Violas, what do you play? The Harmony!
Basses, what do you play? The Bass Line!
Percussion, what do you play? The Rhythm!
Octobasse, what do you play? The RuMbLe!

[PickleJar]

It must be horrific when a string snaps

[djharmlss]

Elephants can fully appreciate the sound of that instrument.

[tomasgarciafunes]

So

Play "Flight of the Bumblebee"

[bigtimbolim]

Is this what they use in the SFX department to make "ships creaking" noises in pirate movies? This is awesome

[weirdface]

Expectations: Beautiful sounds lower than a double bass
Reality: **sound of broken laptop**
**motor engine noises**
**creepy hell noises**

[Intellectual_Overlord]

I remember going on a field trip to this museum as a child, and thinking it was pretty boring, but now that I'm older, i appreciate all the instruments and find it fascinating

[jaimekozak]

Expectation: rich, deep sound
Reality: lawnmower starting

Jokes aside this is a lovely instrument wow

[turtlemouth]

I played the octobasse once. Now I've got some whale who won't stop calling me.