Is studying classical music vital to playing jazz?

[dkziemann]

This title is self explanitory, most everybody I talk to agrees that studying classical bass is vital to learning jazz. Learning the instrument, good techinque, etc etc. Do you guys agree?

[Lynn Seaton]

I have found that classical studies have helped me a lot. The study of Rabbath technique opened up an immense amount of freedom for me. It gave me security of pitch, showed me the entire fingerboard, and allows me to improvise with accuracy. The etudes he has written are very musical. The ability to play across the fingerboard in all positions instead of just up and down is very helpful to an improvisor. The scale and arpeggio studies in his books are very time consuming, but changed my conception for the better. Since I like to bow solos as well, his concepts for bow grip and strokes helped me too.

[fdeck]

Hi. I wonder if you could offer a word of explanation about what the Rabbath technique consists of. I've done a search, read some comments on opinions pro and con, but not an actual description of what it is. Thanks!

[Lynn Seaton]

Hello,
I will give a short description of what the technique is about.
The left hand rotates or pivots on the thumb so one position can expand to a major third on one string as opposed to a major second in other techniques. The books develop the ability to play across the strings in all positions. At times the thumb and finger movement are such that it is called the crab technique because they resemble a crab walking. Accuracy is aquired with less shifting. Thumb position can be used anywhere, even below the harmonic at the octave. French bow grip is generally fluid with a loose and flowing wrist.
There are also several posts on TalkBass if you search Rabbath. Here are a couple of other links about Rabbath and the art of the bow has a video clip of him. http://www.artofthebow.com/dvd/ http://www.liben.com/FRBio.html
Get some of his recordings and you will hear how musical he is. Hearing him and seeing him live made me want to play with his technique.
I hope this helps,

[fdeck]

It does help. Thanks. Having just picked up the bow after a long time of doing nothing but pizz jazz, I can't even get through an entire composition without a few of the muscles in my right hand needing a bit of rest. So I doubtlessly need some combination of: a) Woodshedding, and b) supervision by a teacher to make sure I am not merely perpetuating bad habits. I have no strong attachment to any particular bowing technique. When I took bass lessons in college, after playing 'cello for many years, my teacher thought that my bowing was OK, but that doesn't mean it couldn't be better.

About the left hand technique, I am guessing that I first need to get my right hand working again.