How long did it take you guys to become competent with double bass?

[Roger Davis]

Competent, no time at all really, in fact I was playing bass before I owned one. When I got my own bass I fell in with some local groups who were playing bebop and a great piano player who played very fast and some of his tunes lasted 30 mins. So that was great training; I learnt stamina and good walking lines. That was 45 years ago. HaHa. Now, am I good? Well, probably not; my technique is not pretty to behold and as I was self-taught I can be a bit of a train wreck. However, on balance I would not have traded my early days experiences for formal lessons.

To answer your supplementary question, surely your experience as a EB player should stand you in good stead, I'm sure that you must already have a head for bass lines.

On a PS, I'll have to own up to what did it for me. When we were at school we were starting to enjoy HiFi stereo discs; we listend to anything that went round at 33.33 rpm. One of the guys had the new soundtrack disc of My Fair Lady which had some pretty tunes on it. Then Andre Previn brought out his jazz piano take on all the MFL tunes, with Shelly Mann on drums and Leroy Vinegar on bass. That man taught me how to take a good walking bass line off a standard tune and turn it into something magic. We all start somewhere and that is what did it for me. I do an average of 3 gigs a week at age 67 and next to my wife the bass is the only other love in my life. It has given more than I can ever give back.

[jgbass]

Roger,

Nice post! It is always inspiring to read about bassists in their 60's and beyond who are out there doing gigs. I am in my 50's, got a late start in bass, and I just know there is still plenty of time to become good at playing bass with my perseverence.

[brayjas]

The answer is the same. Long tones, long tones, long tones. On a double bass you are teaching your muscles where the notes are, so switching instruments has a learning curve. It does come back to constant ear training.
Playing double bass is like wrestling a gorilla,he's always gonna be stronger that you but you can build your strength and learn new ways to get around on him. A teacher is crucial to pointing out flaws in your technique which is how you'll beat the gorilla. Start doing finger-tip push-ups. Really is about strength and fortitude. When it gets to accidentals that's where the ear training will count.

[Eric Swanson]

Originally Posted by clink

The DB is just a bitch to play. The truth is the longer I play it, the less I suck at it. A good teacher in invaluable at showing me my weak spots. With very few exceptions, the good players have been at it for several years and work very hard at it. It is well worth a lifetime of dedication as it is a magnificent instrument.

+1.

[MIKMAN]

The responses in this thread are a treasure and resemble a good company of friends around the fireplace sharing opinions.

When i started my DB adventure my friends and my wife never believed that i could continue "the struggle with the beast". Some others claimed that for me, a musician used to play the leading instruments in a band for tree decades, it would be very hard to stand in the back row playing a supporting role. All of them placed bets for the earliest possible time that i would quit.

To my own delight i proved all of them wrong. I'm in the third year in my DB playing and i study with the zeal and vigor of a teenager. I also enjoy my DB gigs much more than everything. It is a wonderful quest in a new world for me and i don't mind if and when i will be in the same competence with my DB as with my saxophones, my clarinets and my trumpets. I study each one of my DB solo lines with the utmost care and when i play it
and hear the audience's response i am again in my twenties.
The voyage is delightful and now, in my 50's i am going to continue it for the rest of my life.
Mike

[damonsmith]

It all depends on what you mean by competence. It doesn't take long to get the low notes of a blues down, but it takes a lifetime to play Bach flawlessly at 'cello pitch.
Most of us live somewhere in between.
The great thing is having something to work on forever.