This work is intended to disseminate
the fundamentals of playing the double bass. Mastering the fundamentals
of the instrument will allow the student to play any music.
This work primarily evolved out of observing a need for teacher education:
Most elementary and secondary school orchestra teachers do not know how to teach double bass, hence there
are a lot of crippled bass players around. The fundamentals of bass
playing are very different than violin. They are most similar to cello,
but there are still vast differences.
If you teach in a string program, please take a moment to glance through
this page.
If you have any comments or questions, please contact me.
Philosophy
>Playing music is a physical (psychomotor), emotional (lymbic), mental
(cognitive) and spiritual process.
>Learn to work the instrument, not just to learn a piece of music.
> Learn how to practice.
>All nerve cells have the capacity to learn.
>Anything you learn, whether theoretical or practical, can become part
of your musical vocabulary, to be called upon at any time, just as
any other word, thought, or idea.
>Learn the vocabulary and conventions of many styles of music so you can
say yes to many calls for work. Everyone needs a bass
player.
Cognitive
Objectives:
>Know what notes are under every finger in every position.
>Know the intervals between each finger position within one hand
position.
Psychomotor
Objectives:
>Relaxed and proper approach to the instrument
>Relaxed and proper bow rest (right hand and arm)
>Relaxed and proper left hand position (left hand and arm)
>Bow Control (tone production and articulation)
>Shifting
About
instrument selection:
Seek the advice of a knowledgeable professional bassist, teacher, instrument
(bass) maker or repair person about any particular instrument. You can buy
a good instrument from a manufacturer or you may find one at a garage sale.
A variety of woods can be used for the parts of the instrument, either being
carved and shaped from a single piece of wood or formed out of plywood. Plywood
basses are generally less expensive ranging in average cast from $500 - $1500.
You may find one in the classified for $200. "Real wood" basses generally
range in price from $1,000 - $2,500 and up to ten or forty thousand dollars.
Beware: the price of an instrument does not necessarily determine the quality
of its sound. A well set up, $350 plywood bass may sound better than a damaged
or ill set up $7,000 "real wood" instrument.
All wood instruments are susceptible to damage, such a cracks or the opening
of seems. Many problems are easily repaired to render a fine, playable
instrument. Some damage to be particularly concerned about, though, are cracks
on the front or back that may grow and cross the sound post, just under the
right foot of the bridge.
Search far and wide, ask around, and be patient.
The Bow:
Bows are made of wood (usually pernumbucco or xxxxx ) or fiberglass and have
bleached or unbleached hair. The are two types of bass bows, French, similar
to a cello bow using a similar grip, and German, with a larger frog to
accommodate an underhand grip. Bow selection is personal. The choice between
German and French bow is arguable and boils down to physical comfort and
bow control. After that, the main concern in bow selection is to choose a
bow that has a comfortable weight and balance and that is straight (not warped).
Again, seek the assistance of someone knowledgeable about any particular
bow.
Select quality strings (recommended: Flexocore Original or Flexocore `92)
for all purpose playing, xxxxxx for strictly classical playing and Spirocore
for strictly jazz or amplified playing).
Also, select a quality rosin (recommend Carlson or xxxxxx); it should be
sticky, not powdery and you should be able to leave a fingerprint in the
face of it if you press on it with your thumb.
Again, a $350 plywood bass set up with good strings, a decent bow and good
rosin can perform as well as an investment of thousands of dollars.
Holding the
instrument:
There are two postures for holding the bass, standing and sitting. I strongly
recommend that students sit, particularly younger students.
Some players feel that they have greater freedom of movement be standing.
If you choose to begin students standing, be sure to spend generous amounts
of time teaching the students to support and balance the instrument with
the body, NOT with the left hand. Allowing the student to use the left hand
to support the weight of the bass will have devastatingly crippling effects
on the students ability to develop any left hand technique. In the sitting
posture, the instrument is automatically supported and balanced by the body
enabling the young player to have more freedom of arm movement and preventing
the early development of detrimental left hand habits.
In the standing posture, the players legs should be straight. The instrument
is supported by the left leg and hip/groin area. The bass is tilted back
slightly, similar to the angle of the fingerboard, leans slightly into the
player and is twisted slightly clockwise towards the player.
In the sitting posture, choose a stool that is approximately the same height
as the length of the players inseam. It should have rungs so that the player
can elevate the left foot slightly. The right foot should rest flat on the
ground. The bass is held in a position similar to the standing posture, however,
slightly more accentuated. It is supported by the inside left thigh and groin
area, and slightly by the left knee. The bass is tilted slightly back, similar
to the angle of the fingerboard, leans slightly into the player and is twisted
slightly clockwise towards the player. The left knee can be used to slightly
adjust the angle at which the bass faces towards or away from the player.
With the player's right foot comfortably flat on the floor, the fingerboard
should be about parallel to the right thigh.
The Right Arm and
Hand
The right hand holds the bow.
Though there is a choice between German and French bows, most students who
are converted from other string instruments will feel most comfortable with
a French bow.
While most people refer to the hold on the bow as the "bow grip", this
phraseology carries a connotation that evokes a visual image and a psychomotor
response that is detrimental to effective bow technique. A more appropriate
phrase, resonant with the desired result is "bow rest".
The bow rest for the bass bow is similar to that of the cello bow, with some
slight differences. There are, however, more pronounced differences from
that of the violin or viola right hand.
Holding the bow:
1. Have the student, sitting or standing up straight, let their right arm
and hand at rest.
2. If the student's arm seem tense and not relaxed, have them gently shake
out the tension from their arm and hand and let them come to
rest.
3. This natural, relaxed hand position is the proper bow rest.
The hand should be in a relaxed, curved position, palm facing the hip.
4. Place the frog of the bow in the right hand, the front curve of the frog
at the tip of the thumb. The thumb should remain curved and rest gently in
the front curve of the frog. It should not bend backwards or stick through
to the other side of the bow. The left side of the fleshy part of the index
finger near the furthest knuckle should reach slightly forward on the stick.
The other three fingers should remain slightly curved with the fleshy part
of the fingertips resting on the frog. The hand and should remain relaxed.
Placing the Bow
on the String:
1. Supporting the weight of the bow and the relaxed student's hand and arm,
place the middle of the bow on the D-string just above the halfway point
between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. The stick of the bow should
tilt slightly towards the player. The full weight of the arm, the hand and
the bow should rest on the string. Furthermore, in the sitting posture, the
angle of the strings provides enough support so that there is no real need
to "grip" the bow and the right hand can remain completely relaxed. In the
standing posture, the angle of the strings is more vertical, thus requiring
more support from the hand to keep the bow from sliding towards the bridge.
1a. If the student's arm and hand are not relaxed, the full weight of the
arm an hand will not provide the necessary energy to make the instrument
work properly. This energy is supplanted by muscle pressure which corrupts
the sound, hinders technique and can be physically damaging to the player.
Practice relaxation exercises to relax the right arm and hand and to develop
a psychomotor understanding of the feeling of allowing the right arm and
hand to be "dead weight".
Allow the student to hold the dead weight of your hand and arm so that they
Explain that this weight is all that is necessary and that there is no need
to "press" the bow onto the string. Have the student allow you to support
the weight of their arm and hand until they can fully relax their arm and
hand to the point of being dead weight. Then repeat step (1). Repeat steps
(1) and (1a) as necessary.
Moving the
Bow Across the String:
The energy to move the bow across the string comes from the larger muscles
in the upper arm, thus movement initiates in the upper arm. A psychomotor
simulation to this feeling can be created by having the student hold their
right arm and hand at rest at their side as they did to prepare the bow rest.
The teacher should then initiate a back and forth swinging in the arm (similar
to walking) by pushing back and forth on the front and back of the student's
upper arm. The arm and hand should remain relaxed and the inertia of the
hand and forearm should keep the hand lagging behind the upper arm. This
is as it should be in playing. If the hand and forearm are ahead of the upper
arm, the upper arm is not acting as the driving force and the arm cannot
remain relaxed.
Start with
simple tone production.
1. Prepare with a relaxed arm and proper bow rest and place the bow, about
three inches from the frog, on the D-string, just above the half way point
between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard.
2. Be sure the arm and hand are relaxed and the full weight of the arm, hand
and bow rests at the contact point between the bow and the string.
3. The teacher can initiate tone production by firmly pulling back on the
students upper arm. Inertia and friction at the contact point should cause
the rest of the arm, hand and fingers should lag behind. The joints of the
elbow, wrist, and fingers should act as springs or shock absorbers. The extra
movement should not be exaggerated. This indicates movement that is not initiated
by the upper arm. If the arm, hand and fingers move all as one unit, without
any flexibility, the arm is not relaxed.
The attack of the sound should be clear. Draw the arm at a constant speed
and stop about two or three inches from the tip of the bow.
Repeat, always resetting the bow on the string correctly, so that the student
can learn what it is supposed to feel like when the arm draws the bow
correctly.
This movement is a "down bow".
4. Allow the student to initiate tone production themselves. Watch for signs
of appropriate relaxation and muscle movement initiating from the upper
arm.
Repeat step (3) if necessary.
--------------------------------------------
5. Repeat the process (steps 1-4) pushing the arm forward, starting about
two inches from the tip of the bow moving to about two or three inches from
the frog.
This movement is an "up bow". Again, be sure that the arm is relaxed,
the weight is in the string, movement initiates from the upper arm, the joints
act as a shock absorber for the forces of inertia and friction and the bow
moves at a constant speed.
More Fundamentals
of Moving the Bow Across the String:
Practice the tone production sequence outlined above with the following
variations:
1. Practice on each of the strings.
2. Practice moving the bow at many different speeds.
3. Practice placing the bow at various points between the bridge and the
end of the fingerboard.
4. Practice attaining different volume (dynamic) levels.
5. Practice using varying amounts of bow (full bow, half bow, about three
inches of bow).
6. Practice starting at different points in the bow (middle, down bow starting
near the tip, up bow staring near the frog).
Note: Often, due to the physics of the construction of basses, tone production
on the A-string is difficult and sounds raspy. This is called a "wolf" and
is remedied somewhat by a "wolf suppressor".
Also, a cognitive/psychomotor note: We have established that the driving
energy comes from the upper arm and that the joints act as shock absorbers.
In order to successfully execute the above variations, another concept must
be learned and several learned concepts must be integrated. The fingers have
an additional job. They are the "sensors" That is why we place the fleshy
parts of our fingers on the bow, that is where most of the nerve endings
are. The fingers sense the friction at the contact point providing information
as to what psychomotor movements are required to produce the desired sound.
The parameters that we vary to achieve different sounds (loud, soft, fuzzy,
warm) are:
bow placement, bow speed, and weight. Think of these three parameters as
a 3-way balance. If you change one, you must make adjustments in the others
to maintain an equilibrium. Be aware of subtle sound and physical feeling
differences as you vary these parameters. (When varying "weight", do not
press into the string, allow more or less of the full weight of your arm,
hand and bow to rest on the string).
Putting Up Bows and Down Bows Together:
Bow Articulations:
Crossing Strings:
Download
Bass Fingering Charts
here.
| Half Position |
|---|
| First Position |
| Between 1st and 2nd Position |
| Second Position |
| Third Position |
| Between 3rd and 4th Position |
| Fourth Position |
| Fifth Position |
| Between 5th and 6th Position |
| Sixth Position |
Double Bass
Pedagogy
ResourcesThe
String Pedagogy Notebook
Walking Bass
(a pedagogical thread)
Todd's
Bass Lessons (electric)
David's Bass Links
David's Bass Page