2 finger Pizz Exercises??

[Darrenmcbass]

Just wondered if there were any exercises out there you could recommend? I really liked the i/m/imim/mimi exercise on Chris Fitzgerald's videos on YouTube. Any more? Many thanks

[pedulla-2007]

Check out Francis Rocco Prestia on youtube! OOPs, Apologies! Thought there might be some similarities in the pizzicato technique. Are they anything alike, or is is speed and fluidity a factor in "DB" plucking ?

[Les Fret]

Pedulla this is a double bass forum!

You can use any scale or arpeggio and practice alternating finger patterns. You can use strictly alternating or using rakes when descending (when using Eddie gomez' style hand setting). Just use your imagination and you can come up with tons of exercises.

[bassist1962]

Check out Notreble.com. Donovan Stokes has a wealth of information in his articles and lessons.

[longfinger]

You can make your own. It's no mystery.

open strings only

i m going from skinny to fat strings. string skip as well.
m i going from skinny to fat strings. string skip as well. *


i m going from fat to skinny strings. string skip as well. *
m i going from fat to skinny strings. string skip as well.

* harder to do on URB.

fatter strings need more energy to play than do thinner strings in order to keep the volume and timing consistent. Use the metronome, and try out different rhythm patterns.

[Ed Fuqua]

Maybe let's call this the Moveable Accent exercise - you can use this while working on your two octave major, natural, harmonic and melodic minor scales.
First you need to be able to execute the following, strictly alternating index and middle finger:
Start with the nome on qnote=60bpm
play the two octave scale in quarter notes ascending and descending
when you can do this for every key with no mistakes/sloppiness/etc. move the nome up two clicks and repeat. Continue the exercise until you are playing two octave scales in quarter notes at qnote=120 bpm.
Then take the nome back to 60bpm and play your two octave scales in 8th notes (which is really the same as quarter notes at 120bpm, right?) and do the same thing, slowly taking the tempo up to 8th notes at 120bpm.
Then take the nome back down to 60bpm and play your two octave scale in 8th notes, but place the heavy accent on the FIRST 8th note of every four 8th note grouping, as follows: ONE and two and THREE and four and ONE and two and THREE and four and. Remember to pay strict attention to alternating your fingers. Slowly take the nome up to 120bpm, until you are playing the exercise with no mistakes, every time.
Then take the nome back down to 60 and perform the exercise by accenting the SECOND 8th note in each four note grouping, as follows: one AND two and three AND four and. Up to 120.
Then back down to 60 and accent the THIRD eighth note, up to 120.
Then back down to 60 and accent the FOURTH 8th note. up to 120
Then back to 60 and then the exercise becomes :
ACCENT 1 for the first group of 4
ACCENT 2 for the second group of 4
ACCENT 3 for the 3rd group
ACCENT 4 for the 4th group
Using the capital letters as the accented 8th note, the 2 octave C major scale would be this:
C d e f g A b c d e F g a b c D E f g a b C b a g f E d c
The do the same thing with triplets, Accent 1, Accent 2 Accent 3.

Pay attention to strictly alternating, by the time you get finished with this, you will no longer be reliant on accenting phrases with only one dominant finger AND you'll also be working on being able to hear syncopated phrasing...

[Darrenmcbass]

Sounds pretty mental Ed, great tho. Would you be able to post a video? Would you do something like that in Db or Gb , I don't think I could at the drop of a hat..

[Ed Fuqua]

You do it in all keys. It's not an "all at one sitting" exercise, you don't move the nome up until you nail the exercise in every key, every time you do it. It took me about 6 months to work through this, if I'm remembering correctly. Major, natural minor, harmonic minor and (jazz) melodic minor.

[chicagodoubler]

Ed,

It's porkchop, but that's a lot like Alain Caron's 16th note exercise, which is friggin golden.

[Darrenmcbass]

Originally Posted by chicagodoubler

Ed,

It's porkchop, but that's a lot like Alain Caron's 16th note exercise, which is friggin golden.

Would you care to share it Chicago Doubler?

Thanks for all the great knowledge everyone!

[Anonymatt]

Ed, that is the ****. Kinda looks like a cluster**** there on the thread, but that's gotta be the fastest, dead simplest way to get the results. Even if it took six months to get through that, you'd probably feel bad as heck before that. You're right about hearing the syncopation and all. The musical results from that approach would go way beyond dexterity.

[Ed Fuqua]

Like Joe says, the SLOW way IS the fast way...

[sludgelord3000]

The Caron/accented 8th (or 16th) exercise works *really* well for developing 3 finger, NHOP style pizz as well.

[chicagodoubler]

Alain Caron's 16th Exercise