im thinking of starting DB(need advice!!!)

fivaras · #1 09-13-2009, 08:08 PM

hello everyone, i play BG for some years now and since im totally into jazz, swing and rockabilly i was thinking of getting a double bass. I nedd to know
1. How hard is it?
2. do i need a teacher or a dvd would do the job?
3. which model would be suitable for a beginner and how much money should i spend for it? I've seen on thomann some models and they are really cheap and im wondering if they are reliable(http://www.thomann.de/gr/thomann_kon...kabilly_01.htm).
4. Would i get a good one with 1000 euros? (that's my limit)

thank you guys

MDEbass · #2 09-13-2009, 08:58 PM

How hard is it? --Compared to DB, its much much harder. No skills from playing EB will help you on DB, except for reading. The physical aspects are a totally different ball game...

You MUST get a teacher. MUST MUST MUST. for many reasons....this has been covered in a million other threads so check some out if you need more info on this topic....

1000 euros should get you started with a plywood bass. It won't be the greatest thing ever, but its a start. Do make sure you take it to a luthier to get a proper setup. If your getting a cheaper student bass, the setup will most likely be terrible. Make sure you have some money left over to sink into a good setup. Nothing is worse than learning on an improperly setup bass. It makes learning it a million times more difficult, and you may hurt yourself.

Good luck!

sevenyearsdown · #3 09-14-2009, 05:27 AM

Get a luthier.
Get a bass.
Get a teacher.
Get ready to be frustrated for a while.
Get ready to not want to play BG anymore.
Get a car that can transport a bass.

Andrew McGregor · #4 09-14-2009, 06:23 AM

How hard? Hard as any worthwhile instrument. Different difficulties to BG. However, it is physically hard, so there's a big aspect of building the strength and flexibility to do it, which doesn't come into BG much if at all. Aside from reading and knowing the patterns of the fingerboard, not much transfers from BG.

You need a teacher. Mostly because you need someone to help figure out how to apply your body to the task of playing the instrument, in the physical sense. It is simply impossible to figure that out for yourself (you can't stand back and see yourself, for one), you can't do it by copying someone on a DVD because your body is unique, and that's what teachers do. And because learning the bow (do this, even if you won't use it much) is a big subject and can only really be trained by someone who knows how to analyse your bow stroke.

Do take the physicality seriously... you can really badly injure your hands or your back if you get into the habit of doing things wrong. Just about anyone can learn bass, if they are taught properly and motivated, but it's close to impossible to learn without injury unless you have a good teacher (or even better several).

€1000 is enough for a basic instrument, even if you have to include the cost of a setup, but get a teacher first and go find an instrument and luthier together.

Greg Clinkingbeard · #5 09-14-2009, 07:26 AM

Get a teacher.

drurb · #6 09-14-2009, 07:50 AM

...and read the newbie links!

Welcome, and it would be nice to have another member of the dark side.

3029

fivaras · #7 09-14-2009, 11:42 AM

ok guys thanks for the help but what about the thomann bass(http://www.thomann.de/gr/thomann_kon...illy_01.htm)?? Any thoughts about that? Cause its really cheap and its good looking too, quite tempting i might say. Oh, and is anyone here a DB player from Greece? Cause I'm from Athens and i haven't found a teacher yet...

Phil Rowan · #8 09-14-2009, 11:55 AM

I'll repeat what the other guys said.. read the newbie links, please.

Also, read through this thread, as you might find a certain TalkBass member who it might be good to get in touch with: What basic "luthery" do you perform yourselves?

MDEbass · #9 09-14-2009, 11:56 AM

I've never played a bass by thomann. I know with EB, there are all different models and stuff by certain brands, but DB is very different in this way. With DB, there will be a maker, and even though some might have a "model name," they will all be different. Every DB is different. So since your starting out, find a bass you think might work, and see if you know an experienced DB player, ask them to play it and see if its something you want to buy.

MDEbass · #10 09-14-2009, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sevenyearsdown

Get ready to not want to play BG anymore.

Very true in my case. After the first months of frustration on DB, my EB's got less and less use. Then I sold them to upgrade my bow. So all I can tell you, is once you get hooked on DB, your hooked.

sevenyearsdown · #11 09-14-2009, 12:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

...and read the newbie links!

Welcome, and it would be nice to have another member of the dark side.

3029

6 posts later...and I thought you were slackin'.

Paul Warburton · #12 09-14-2009, 12:18 PM

And for the 3029th time......don't injure yourself by not getting a teacher!!! The death toll mounts even as we speak.

You may never be able to have children.

PinkFloydDan · #13 09-14-2009, 12:29 PM

Why does he need a teacher? It's the same notes. The chief differences are no frets and you are playing the fingerboard sideways. It's still the bass.

Just find the G and A and you should be good to go. You don't need a teacher

Eric Swanson · #14 09-14-2009, 12:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

...and read the newbie links!

Welcome, and it would be nice to have another member of the dark side.

3029

DRURB, thanks for keeping count.

To the OP:

DB is a gas. Getting a teacher who already knows how to really get around on the bass will save you an incalculable amount of time. Getting someone who can really use the bow will open up yet another world to you. Spending time shopping and learning before you buy will save you much pain and teeth gnashing, later. Don't forget to leave money in your budget for a bow/rosin setup, strings, and a couple of trips to the luthier for setup.

Welcome. It is the real deal.

drurb · #15 09-14-2009, 12:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

Why does he need a teacher? It's the same notes. The chief differences are no frets and you are playing the fingerboard sideways. It's still the bass.

Just find the G and A and you should be good to go. You don't need a teacher

Hahahahahahaha... Good one!

What's that? You weren't joking? Uh... wait a sec... do you play the DB?

I consider BG and DB to be two related, but very different, instruments that require different sets of techniques. By the way, it cuts both ways. While I can pick up a BG and thump around, it's obvious that I'm a DB player trying to make his way. Were I to get serious about the BG, I'd get a BG teacher. I admire folks who can play both the DB and the BG well but, don't kid yourself, it's not a simple transfer at all.

Paul Warburton · #16 09-14-2009, 12:55 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

Why does he need a teacher? It's the same notes. The chief differences are no frets and you are playing the fingerboard sideways. It's still the bass.

Just find the G and A and you should be good to go. You don't need a teacher

Far be it of me to be redundant, however......

PinkFloydDan · #17 09-14-2009, 12:59 PM

I do play DB and although it did take awhile to get used to, I didn't need a teacher at all.

drurb · #18 09-14-2009, 01:01 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

I do play DB and although it did take awhile to get used to, I didn't need a teacher at all.

I couldn't help but notice that your profile doesn't list a DB. I guess then, that I could say I play BG. I just don't play it well.

Then again, perhaps you are one of those extraordinarily talented musical geniuses who has been able to pick up and excel at the DB without instruction. If so, my hat's off to you. Still, that's no reason to expect that the OP or anyone else can.

sevenyearsdown · #19 09-14-2009, 01:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

Just find the G and A and you should be good to go. You don't need a teacher

I think this is what the kids call the LOL?

CamMcIntyre · #20 09-14-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PinkFloydDan

I do play DB and although it did take awhile to get used to, I didn't need a teacher at all.

I tried the same thing and thought the same thing.

Want to know what happened when i got to school (conservatory) for bass?

I spent the first year or so, unlearning and relearning technique. It would have been a much better use of time, and money, to get a teacher from the start.