Questions regarding DBs

[Stingrayz]

Hello All,

I have been playing the Bass Guitar for about a year now, and i am deciding on taking up Double Basses.

I have a few questions:

Do you know any good luthiers/companies that make good full sized double basses ?

Does one require a bow to play the double bass ? or is it like a pick to the bass guitar.

and how does one find the notes on the double bass, is there some hidden fret marker where you can see it ? like on the side of the fret board or something ? and can you basically play say My Generation on it or something that similar ?

Thank you

[Dr Rod]

Originally Posted by Stingrayz

Do you know any good luthiers/companies that make good full sized double basses ?

Too many to mention, especially since we don't know your price range. Why don't you search the forum and the internet? at least it will give you a vague idea and we can help you narrow it down.

Originally Posted by Stingrayz

Does one require a bow to play the double bass ? or is it like a pick to the bass guitar.

It depends. What kind of music do you want to play?

In any case, no picks: bow or pizz

Originally Posted by Stingrayz

and how does one find the notes on the double bass, is there some hidden fret marker where you can see it ? like on the side of the fret board or something ?

No, you will learn how where the notes are basically with a mental map, muscle memory (if there is such a thing), spacial memory, reflexes etc....

[5stringDNA]

Please, please, please go through and read the stickied threads called "newbie links" before proceeding. There is tons of great information in those stickied threads, and you will get most of your questions answered much mroe quickly than waiting for us to go through and try to address every issue. Some of the crustier guys won't even bother with this thread because they get very tired of answering the same questions that have been stickied, for good reason.

Learning the Double Bass is VERY different from the bass guitar. In fact, it is about 50x more difficult, and if you don't REALLY want to play then you will likely give up on it. Approach it as a new instrument that only has it's tuning and string number in common with a BG. Find a shop in your area that sells DB's and try some out to get an idea of what you are getting into.

[D McCartney]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

The Board on a Guitar is called either because you do never play it with your Toes. Fingers only I think.

Usually, not always.
http://www.flyernews.com/article.php...e=30&artnum=01

[jsbarber]

Sting:

In addition to encouraging you to peruse the newbie links, I'll share some experiences/advice because I'm in a similar boat, but about 6 months ahead of you.

The double bass is a whole lot different than the bass guitar:

- Playing the double bass is an athletic endeavour. At least that is what your left hand will tell you. The strings are big, thick and much harder to press down than a bass guitar. The strength and dexterity of your hands will contribute significantly to the tone of your playing.

- With a fretted bass guitar once you tune the instrument you are pretty much guaranteed to play in tune. With the DB each and every note, (other than an open note), is only in tune if you play it in tune, which requires very precise placement of fingers. Dveloping the muscle memory to know where the right locations are to press down, and developing the ability to hear the pitch and correct when you're off will come in time.

- You don't play arcato on a bass guitar, so you have the whole concept of bowing to deal with now. When I began studying I wasn't too interested in learning to play with the bow, but my teacher told me to get one. I do more practicing with the bow than without, as it is extremely useful in developing technique. Now that I have been playing for about 6 months, I wouldn't even consider playing DB and not learning to bow. The sound of a DB being bowed is incredibly beautiful. Here's a link of my teacher, Bert Turetzky, playing:

http://kingtet.com/recordrescuers/asx/adagio.asx



While learning to play any instrument it not easy, you will find that there are many challenges that contribute to the difficulty of playing the DB that you did not have to contend with in BG. So, why bother? I had an opportunity to listen to Bob Magnusson last night, playing latin music with some other great players. His tone blew the doors off of any bass guitarist I've ever heard. If that magical DB tone is something that appeals to you, then there is no other way to get it. Roll up your sleeves and get to work. Which leads to the single biggest piece of advice. Do not try this at home!(At least not without a very competent instructor.) This instrument, especially, is not one that you want to undertake without adult supervision (IMO). It is very challenging and you want to make sure you are doing the right things, otherwise you will develop bad playing technique and perhaps even injure yourself. My advice is to find a really great DB instructor with strong classical training. Find out who plays in the symphony, or who instructs at the universities, etc. Do some homework on this and pick the right teacher.

Now to your questions:

About luthiers - because of your location you might want to check out a European luthier. I have heard that Marco Nolli makes outstanding basses. Check out www.nolliviolins.com

As I understood your question about the bow, (basically as an analogy to bass guitar picking/finger-plucking), to mean that you can either bow or pluck (arcato or pizzicato, respectively). I would say that the analogy is not really correct, because with a bass guitar the picking or plucking are largely interchangeable. Some players predominantly pluck, while others pick, regardless of the music. You would never pluck Beethoven (except as directed) and you wouldn't bow a typical jazz tune (some ballads perhaps). So, more so than with picking or plucking with a bass guitar, you will need to bow if you want to play classical music and you will need to pluck if you want to play jazz. As I said above, I think you should learn to bow in either case because it will help to develop your technique even when plucking (pizzicato).

Welcome to the world of DB. This forum is a great resource. There are many very helpful people here who know an awful lot about all aspects of the instrument.

Jim

[Marcus Johnson]

I used to live in Arcato, up in Northern California.

[Stingrayz]

Thanks for the replies all, im going to go and try to find a DB instructor and ask him more questions about the Double Bass and its playing techniques, i am truely intrigued by this instrument =)

[5stringDNA]

Cool. Glad you are keeping a good attitude and not throwing a fit about us bustin your chops. It is kind of an initiation . Good luck man!

[Stingrayz]

Originally Posted by 5stringDNA

Cool. Glad you are keeping a good attitude and not throwing a fit about us bustin your chops. It is kind of an initiation . Good luck man!

Lol yeah i know it was my mistake i didnt look at the newbie link first

[gomez hacienda]

Originally Posted by Stingrayz

Thanks for the replies all, im going to go and try to find a DB instructor and ask him more questions about the Double Bass and its playing techniques, i am truely intrigued by this instrument =)

That's absolutely the best thing you could do. You're on the right track. The DB is an instrument you will either fall in love with and spend a lifetime playing/learning, or walk away from immediately and say No Thanks. Either way your about to be enlightened.

[PB+J]

Double bass is a wonderful instruent--I'd rather play double bass than electric any day of the week, any gig.

but its very hard--much much harder than electric bass. Harder to play in tune, harder to get a good tone, harder to pay fast. It's WAY more expensive and it's WAY less durable. Lot of disadvatages. But eole still play grand pianos, een though they're exensive and hard to mantain and move. There's just no other way to get that sound

Don't pay attention to ken smith! Or pay some attention--He knows a ton, and can really play, but he's a snob! Even he'll admit it. He's at the very high end.

You dont have to have an expensive bass, you don't have to play with a bow--although you'll get better if you do, and it's pretty amazing to do. It's fun--harder, but fun and more rewarding

[PB+J]

ken, it was menat as a joke--sorry, no offense meant

[rdwhit]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

If that was a joke then keep you day job. You won't make it at the comedy club anytime soon..lol

Com-e-dy n.
"The sudden recognition of inconguity"

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by KSB - Ken Smith

Did I single you out? Be nice, I didn't have to give any info here at all but did do it in a knowledgable professional and jovial way.

This is by far my favorite quote from this thread! Ken Smith rules!

[D McCartney]

Hey Sting, in case you haven't figured it out, this place is like a big family.

[Stingrayz]

Originally Posted by D McCartney

Hey Sting, in case you haven't figured it out, this place is like a big family.Attachment 40062

Lol No kidding =P

but wow.. bows sell for 3-7 k ? thats a lot of money. What determines the bows price ? the Hairs ? or craftsmanship/weight ?

[5stringDNA]

A lot of factors go into bow prices, but it is a sum of the parts kind of thing. Certain luthiers are renowed for producing excellent bows, and their work demands top dollar. A lot of time goes into crafting a master-class bow, including selecting the woods, the hair, etc that goes into making it. The hair isn't quite as critical as it gets replaced regularly with wear. While finding the best possible materials for the bow, they still don't require massive overhead like a fully carved bass would; that leaves you with mostly a labor charge. I am not well briefed on the number of bows most craftsman turn out in a master-grade shop, but a good deal of time does go into the process. The funny thing is that with all things made of wood, or any organic substance, no two are perfectly the same, so one may sound and play better although built to the same standards and with the same materials. This can influence the price as well, usually on the used market.

I will probably never own a bow worth more than $1,000, as I only play arco and symphonic material for practice and grins, and rarely use a bow in performance. Ya never know though....

[5stringDNA]

Good answer Ken.. much more detailed and informative than my generalized shakedown, haha. I figured you'd be around to put some history and whatnot into it eventually. I remember that you were quite thrilled when you first picked up the Lipkins. Interesting shop. What are those going for these days?

[Stingrayz]

Hey Ken,

Thanks alot for the detailed response.. really opened my eyes to the world of bows =p.. so atleast now i have a basic information of what makes the bow expensive/cheap.. Small chance of me getting ripped off on that now..

What are most basses made of ? What kinds of woods are mostly used ? and what is the bass you recommend for a player that is going to be playing a mix of Jazz and Orchestral ? And any one care to explain to me the basic difference of Ply wood basses and Fully Carved ? what sounds they make and what they are usually played for ? and is the 7/8th size the same as the 3/4th ? because on some websites they look almost the same size.

Thank you