bottom string
 

i am just starting to play double bass in my school's jazz band. how do you put enough pressure to play the bottom string without compromising speed and volume?

The best way to get a comprehensive answer to this and similar questions is to get a good teacher and have him/her show you. The setup of the instrument is of paramount importance.

While agreeing with drurb, I see no harm in getting a preview of what a teacher might tell you. ;) Just a few threads down from this one, is one on Chris Fitzgerald's video tutorials.

The reason for the seemingly relentless "get a teacher" attitude in the DB forums is that upright bass is sufficiently demanding from a physical standpoint that attempting to figure it out on your own, or adapting electric bass technique, can lead to consequences ranging from giving up in frustration, to injuring yourself.

It's also the case that it's much easier to get these things sorted out on a face-to-face basis. So what is crucial is to see what the questioner is doing - it may be that they are doing something wrong technique-wise that could be cleared up in a few minutes by somebody standing there actually showing them and making sure they apply correct technique. Whereas it's much harder to put it all in words and you don't know what mistakes are being made and whether the other person gets what you say and then puts it into practice..? It's like working in the dark.

Precisely. Well articulated, Bruce.

I wonder if people here who shout the hardest 'ask your teacher' still have a teacher themselves?

I play the E string just like I play the other strings, the only difference being that there isn't another string to catch my finger on. For some reason I've never realized why people approach this string differently. Just my two cents.

Well that's the thing ....without seeing what is actually happening and possibly going wrong... it's impossible to comment. :confused:

A teacher might try to show you what to do, but it still will be up to you spending time with the instrument, discovering the magic, since there's no single "correct way of doing it", there are many.
Ask yourself: What sound do you have in mind which you want to reproduce through the bass bottom string? The sound must come first from the ears, then after using the hands to get it.

Try to feel and hear how the string responds differently to any minor angle, pressure, change on your right hand attack, watch videos from great bassists, not only instructional videos but live situations.
IMHO, John Clayton's right hand style is worthy a check :-D