The Contrabass is a bowed string (chordophone) musical instrument. Its average length is 1.8 metres and it has four strings that are tuned in fourths (E-A-D-G). Earlier versions of the contrabass were three-stringed, and five string models also exist. For the sake of playing technique, the Contrabass retains certain features of the Viola De Gamba, from which it evolved – via the Violoncello – during the 16th century. It is the largest and the lowest-pitched of the string instruments family. The bow is used across the lower part, and the instrument is supported by means of a metal endpin. There are two types of Contrabass bows: the French, which resembles the bow used on the Violoncello, but is smaller and sturdier, and the German, which descends from the bow used on the Viola De Gamba, and musicians hold it with the palm angled upwards. The Contrabass is also one of the basic instruments of jazz orchestras, where musicians typically play it with their fingers (pizzicato), without using a bow.