A double bass is the only contemporary bowed instrument tuned to the fourths. The tuning system is also different since cellos come equipped with a wooden friction peg. $292.25 $165.00 Size -Violin Viola Cello Bass Smallest to tallest! Helicore Fourths-Tuning Cello strings (tuned like a mini-bass) The Helicore Fourths-Tuning Cello Set by D’Addario is designed to be tuned in bass tuning (E, A, D, G, low to high) one octave above the double bass...read more. Bass is the biggest, then cello, then viola, and finally violin. Cellos are tuned in fifths, starting with C 2 (two octaves below middle C), followed by G 2, D 3, and then A 3.It is tuned in the exact same intervals and strings as the viola, but an octave lower.Unlike the violin or viola but similar to the double bass, the cello has an endpin that rests on the floor to support the instrument's weight. Tuning a bass guitar in fifths, however, increases string tension and can lead to a higher-than-comfortable action or even a warped neck. SKU: STR-H550. I have heard of this conversion being done, and always wanted to find a cheap cello to try it on. Most people can recognize each instrument based on their sizes. Viola is slightly bigger than the violin and looks exactly the same despite the subtle size difference. yes, I'm trying to tune the cello an octave above the bass. Learn how to tune your cello in our CelloOnline.com cello tuning section. $125 sounds like a lot for cello strings (and it is! Some cello players try tuning the bass in fifths like a cello – and actually enjoy it – either an octave below the cello (on a 34″ bass) or using the cello pitch (on a shortscale). To tune it like a bass, you'd have to tune it down to the E a sixth below, which would make the string far too loose and flabby to have any decent tone quality. Full size cello scale length is about 28 inches, so not too far off from a 30 inch short scale bass. Like similar wood-crafted instruments, the cello is susceptible to changes in humidity, temperature, and atmospheric pressure. The four strings on the cello are tuned in perfect fifths to the notes: C,G,D and A, and our free tuning sound files will help you tune your cello. And Getting Even More Technical… Let’s get even more technical in our cello vs. bass comparison, before we get to the fun stuff. First of all, if you're tuning the cello C *up* to an E a major third above, you're not tuning it like a bass, but like bottom 4 strings of a guitar. The low E of a bass is lower than the cello C. It is possible to tune a bass in fifths and a cello in fourths, but this is rarely if ever done. The bass tends to have more variants in structure than cello, like more sloping shoulders. To properly tune your cello you’ll need to be familiar with the pieces involved and how the whole instrument acts as a unit. I know because I just bought a set of Larsen A,D/Spirocore tungsten G,C for my other cello. Violin, Viola, Cello, and Bass. A cello, just like the double bass, is a bowed, four-string musical instrument which is famous for sounding closest to the human voice due to its wide range. ), but believe it or not a good set of conventionally tuned cello strings is about twice that. Cello and bass are both low instruments. Its strings are tuned in the fifths and are an octave lower than a viola. CelloOnline.com offers free cello sheet music and online cello instruction for individuals or groups of all ages. All you have to do, from what I have read, is use Fender 9050L SS flat wound electric bass strings, tuned just like a bass. However, the bass is about an octave lower than cello. A standard tuning provides much better results since it gives a wider range for the cello.