Talk:Octavia/@comment-4060028-20110812220357/@comment-4126310-20110812232737

There are actually a number of instruments with more or less the same shape, and they're differentiated by size, range and tone: the violin is the smallest, the double bass the tallest, and the violoncello is in between. Slight variations in design exist, so just because the shoulders of Octavia's instrument don't have quite as steep a slope as most modern basses doesn't mean it isn't one. If we assume that all the instruments are sized proportionally (i.e. not for human use), then Octavia's instrument is a double bass, because she has to stand upright in order to play it, and even standing it is taller than she is.