Bass 

Biology

Bass (rhyming with "mass") is a type of fish - see bass (fish). Sea bass is unrelated.

Music

As a noun, a bass is a musical instrument or singer with a low range. As an instrument, it can be:

• an abbreviated name for double bass (this is usually the instrument referred to as a "bass" in Classical music and jazz. Sometimes called a "string bass" to differentiate it from a "bass horn".)
• an abbreviated name for bass guitar (this is usually the instrument referred to as a "bass" in rock & roll)
• a bass horn, such as a tuba or sousaphone-- a wind instrument that fullfils a role similar to a string bass
• an abbreviated name for bass clarinet, bass trombone, bass saxophone, etc (less common usage)

It can also refer to a male singer with the lowest range in music. A typical bass will have a range extended from around the F one and a half ovtaves below middle C (the note at the bottom of the bass clef) to the E above middle C (on the first line of the treble clef).

In classical music, and particularly in opera, there are sometimes distinctions made between different kinds of basses. A basso profondo (or basse noble) is a singer with a particularly deep voice; they may be able to get as low as the B below the bass clef. By contrast, a basso cantate (or basse chantate) is a singer with a lighter, more lyrical voice, perhaps with a slightly higher range. Basso buffo is a term used for a comic bass.

The male voice a little higher than a bass is the baritone. Sometimes the term bass-baritone is used to mean a singer with a range and tone somewhere between a bass and a baritone.