The lowest-pitched member of a musical instrument family, or relating to instruments pitched below the standard bass range.
From Italian 'contrabbasso,' combining 'contra' (against/opposite) and 'basso' (bass). The prefix 'contra' indicates it goes against or beyond the normal bass range, going even lower.
The word 'contra' in music literally means 'below'—so a contrabass tuba or contrabass clarinet isn't just low, it's unexpectedly, impossibly low, creating sounds so deep humans feel them more than hear them.
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