Playing is sounding harsh when I dig in, help !

[natselection]

Hey guys, I'm playing the allegro of a sonata and it just sounds harsh when I dig in and play at a moderate speed. I'm just noticing this now. I'm playing on a 1950s Kay bass with a david gage metropolitan bow with the original hair. is it the hair that came with the bow? i heard this hair isn't good.

[jallenbass]

What does your teacher say?

[dchan]

The natural reaction for just about anybody is to dig in and use more muscle force when trying to get a bigger sound when bowing. I learned that this was not the way to go from my teacher, and have had fewer problems with harsh sound than before.

But this may not be a problem of technique. It can be the strings that you use, for example. Or it might be something else in the setup. Let us know.

[ClassicalBass]

If you're thinking it's the bow, try playing on a different bass to see if you still get the same effect. Also, hand the bow to a buddy, and see if he has the same sound problem. Ask your teacher. These suggestions should help to isolate the problem, at least I hope.

[JoeyNaeger]

What kind of strings are they? If you've got a non arco friendly string on there, it could be a big part of the problem.

[moopants]

Digging in is the opposite of what you want to do. You want to play lighter, and eventually your "lighter" touch will be normal. As you progress, your volume will increase. But, digging in always results in a harsh tone, even if your strings are good. You must find the equillibrium pressure to apply to the strings. Too light results in high and usually out of tune squeaks, and too hard results in the sound of nasal people yelling.