The bass clef sounding octave lower; tuned to EADG corresponds to which instrument?

The bass clef sounding octave lower; tuned to EADG corresponds to which instrument?

• A. Violin Range and Tuning
• B. Cello Range and Tuning
• C. Bass Trombone Range
• D. Double Bass Range and Tuning

Answer: (D)

Understanding how written pitch relates to sounding pitch is key here. When a bass-clef part is described as sounding an octave lower than written, it points to an instrument whose standard tuning is such that the written line sits one octave above what is actually heard. The four strings tuned E, A, D, G are the standard tuning for the double bass, and in notation the parts are written in bass clef but sound one octave lower. That combination—bass-clef notation with an octave-lower sounding pitch and EADG tuning—fits the double bass. The violin and cello use different tunings (G-D-A-E for violin; C-G-D-A for cello) and aren’t notated to sound an octave lower than written in this context, and bass trombone is tuned and transposed differently.

Understanding how written pitch relates to sounding pitch is key here. When a bass-clef part is described as sounding an octave lower than written, it points to an instrument whose standard tuning is such that the written line sits one octave above what is actually heard. The four strings tuned E, A, D, G are the standard tuning for the double bass, and in notation the parts are written in bass clef but sound one octave lower. That combination—bass-clef notation with an octave-lower sounding pitch and EADG tuning—fits the double bass. The violin and cello use different tunings (G-D-A-E for violin; C-G-D-A for cello) and aren’t notated to sound an octave lower than written in this context, and bass trombone is tuned and transposed differently.