vacation practicing

[Humph]

I was wondering if other people practiced while on vacation away from their double basses. If so, with what instrument or any specific exercise that don't involve using the db?
I asked my teacher and he said he takes a cello with him. He also mentioned finger streaches.
It is hard for me to go away for a week or so and then come back to the db. It feels like it takes a day or more to get back to prevaction practice.

[Alexi David]

Originally Posted by Humph

I was wondering if other people practiced while on vacation away from their double basses. If so, with what instrument or any specific exercise that don't involve using the db?
I asked my teacher and he said he takes a cello with him. He also mentioned finger streaches.
It is hard for me to go away for a week or so and then come back to the db. It feels like it takes a day or more to get back to prevaction practice.

Well, I play a lot of piano - in fact more than the DB because of my RSI. I run through scales, learning tunes, etc. Away from ANYY instrument, I run through exercises in my head - like singing modes from scales, that kind of stuff. Singing walking lines. I even write away from instruments - there is SO much you can do without an instrument to learn! There's another thread on this if you use the search function.

[Marcus Johnson]

For me, it's a vacation,so no, I don't practice. There's usually a DB around when I head home to Wisconsin, and I might do a jam with my family. But I don't play when I'm vacating, any more than a plumber would bring along a bunch of copper and do some practice soldering in the hotel room.

[Pete G]

Because I travel a lot on business, I acquired a detachable-neck Eminence with the same mensure as my DB to use as a practice instrument while on the road. It certainly isn't a perfect solution to the problem, but it does keep the chops from going too stale.

[Humph]

I was looking at the detachable eminence, it looks pretty nice & is really a double bass.
I also was considering the dean pace EUB, because the price was so low($600) but, I don't like the fact that it has a flat fingerboard. It is more like an bass guitar.
I do have a bass guitar which I feel is a totally different animal than the db, though practicing with it would help keep the fingers limber
I didn't think of singing, that is a good idea. I have cd's of scale I could practice with.

[Daniel Baskin]

I bring my BG with me but not my UB. For me, the shortened scale length for EUB doesn't necessarily mess with my technique, but it just doesn't come naturally for me. I don't understand the cello concept either. IMHO the cello is more of a different animal than the BG is, even though I can understand because he can play cello and wants to enrich that. The scale lengths or techniques, even on cello, aren't the same anyway.

I dunno, for me, BG allows me to practice my theory and comfortability notes and note patterns for both basses.