Hi all,

Recently I've been struggling a lot with intonation problems. I feel like I've made some good progress in the lower positions, mainly due to keeping better left hand shape and using drones and such in practice.

However, when it comes to thumb position it is very hit or miss, partially i'm sure to inconsistent hand shape.

I'm not really clear on how close to the fingerboard the body of my hand should be, should the thumb always be down? or only for harmonics? Also i have a feeling the angle that the hand makes in relation to the neck (when looking straight on) may make a big difference. I find that it is difficult to keep my fingers curved, either i have to squish my index finger back so far that the 1st knuckle pops backwards (locks) or I have to extent my 2nd or 3rd finger so far that they are no longer curved.

I know this is a tough thing to discuss in a forum thread. But can anyone describe thumb position hand shape or point me to a good resource to figure this out?

Thanks,
-Jeff

Jeff,
I have the same problem because I am double jointed.
I have given up on being a virtuoso upright player, and now I just keep my playing below the octave G.

Petracchi simplified higher technique book. Lemur usually has it.

Jeff,

The only thing I can suggest is that you get yourself to a good legit teacher who can see what you're doing and suggest some helpful fixes. This is awful hard to diagnose without seeing your specific hand on your specific bass. I'm guessing that this is not the most satisfying answer but I hope you can find someone suitable in your area.

Drones worked for you in lower positions. Try double stops with a D string(where the harmonic is but pushed down) and G, A, and B on the G string> Getting the hand shape for thumb, 1, 3 will help your intonation for all of thumb position.

I have double joints and a hefty dose of Petracchi sorted me out. It's a really good book but ideally you need a good prof who knows his way around Petracchi's stuff, otherwise the book itself is a little daunting.

Jeff,

The only thing I can suggest is that you get yourself to a good legit teacher who can see what you're doing and suggest some helpful fixes. This is awful hard to diagnose without seeing your specific hand on your specific bass. I'm guessing that this is not the most satisfying answer but I hope you can find someone suitable in your area.

Yeah, i agree. Unfortunately there's nobody suitable in my area... I've been looking for the last 7 years :(. There are a couple of good guys about a 3 hour drive from me, I'll definitely try to work with them on occasion, but the time/gas/lesson comes out to be about $90/lesson.

It's a really good book but ideally you need a good prof who knows his way around Petracchi's stuff, otherwise the book itself is a little daunting.

Yeah, i have the Petracchi book, I've used it a little, but I admit I haven't looked at it too hard. From what i remember it was a lot of exercises and not much of a description on what they are good for and such. But I will definitely dive in more in the future.


I have auditions to transfer to two music schools this weekend, hopefully my thumb position technique is good enough to get in, then maybe come next fall I can have someone decent who I can work with regularly *crosses fingers*.

Thanks for all the help.

-Jeff

Hi there - 1/ Just an opinion here on intonation. Two things impact intonation - firm contact of string to fingerboard at all times by left hand (ok, right hand for right hand players - no insult intended) as well as a constant focused sound. Then, along the lines of how Violinists use tartini tones to learn and study good intonation habits, so should we as Bassists tune our ears to achieve the same goal. That all means that developing good intonation involves right-left hand coordination in the end. Karr's 1-1 shifting excersise, for instance, is a great tool along with all the suggestions you could get. We all are challenged by the same issues, so you are not alone.
2/ Thumb position is all about consistancy, form and flexibility, so issues of being double jointed or joint strength are conquered through trial and error to achieve a consistant and balanced thumb position. No one can (or should) tell you what YOUR thumb position should be if you have any idiosyncratic (sp?) challenges of achieving a "typical" or "classic" left hand look. Let's face it, if it ain't broke, don't fix it. Some excellent suggestions have been made here - I have the original roigh draft of Petracchi's book before it went to the printer. I love that book. Streicher's books, volumes 4-5 are good too.
My two cents worth anyhow.:)
All the best,
David Ruby