Bass trouble

PenCapBurntUmbe · #1 11-16-2006, 10:05 PM

I'm in a beginning orchestra class right now playing one school rented bass (at school) and one bass from a local music store. I've been playing for about 2 months, since September, and I've started shifting, and tonight we played our first concert.

I have a bit of a problem though. The bass from school is an old and worn in bass, easy to play. My bass at home is... well, new and very very hard to play. The tension on the strings is aweful and it's hard to get any good sound from the bow. This is the second bass I've rented from the same store, hoping this one would be better and it's not.

I'm really not sure if my bass at school is easy to play, and my bass at home is the standard, or my school bass is the standard and my bass at home is very hard to play. So we're looking around for another bass for me, but it seems someone snatched them all.

Any advice? It's not really worth it to practice on a bass that hurts my hands... but it's not really worth it to not practice.

Chasarms · #2 11-17-2006, 08:56 AM

It sounds like you may want to take the bass back to shop and talk to them about the setup. Maybe a tweak or two and perhaps a lower-tension set of strings. (which you may have to pay for)

If they are unsympathetic, consider renting your home bass from someone else that knows basses a little better.

drurb · #3 11-17-2006, 09:04 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PenCapBurntUmbe

I'm in a beginning orchestra class right now playing one school rented bass (at school) and one bass from a local music store. I've been playing for about 2 months, since September, and I've started shifting, and tonight we played our first concert.

I have a bit of a problem though. The bass from school is an old and worn in bass, easy to play. My bass at home is... well, new and very very hard to play. The tension on the strings is aweful and it's hard to get any good sound from the bow. This is the second bass I've rented from the same store, hoping this one would be better and it's not.

I'm really not sure if my bass at school is easy to play, and my bass at home is the standard, or my school bass is the standard and my bass at home is very hard to play. So we're looking around for another bass for me, but it seems someone snatched them all.

Any advice? It's not really worth it to practice on a bass that hurts my hands... but it's not really worth it to not practice.

Please fill out your profile.

nicklloyd · #4 11-18-2006, 10:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by drurb

Please fill out your profile.

Ironic.

toman · #5 11-18-2006, 01:16 PM

What is it with people on this forum and profiles... You want to know my life story so we can discuss rosin or something...

drurb · #6 11-18-2006, 08:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by toman

What is it with people on this forum and profiles... You want to know my life story so we can discuss rosin or something...

Here's what it is. It is helpful to know the following in oder to give useful and targeted advice:

1) Location

2) Age and/or experience

3) Type of music played

4) Other equipment with which the individual might have had experience.

In other words, the profile.

Gee, I think we can discuss rosin without knowing each other's life stories. We do it all the time.

drurb · #7 11-18-2006, 08:51 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicklloyd

Ironic.

Hmm. Where's the irony? I believe my profile is complete and up to date. What, you need to know more? You feel you need to know my DOB too? Wow, I didn't know you cared!

nicklloyd · #8 11-18-2006, 09:16 PM

If you are going to give newbies the razzing about their profile, then drop the moniker and use your real name.

drurb · #9 11-18-2006, 10:14 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nicklloyd

If you are going to give newbies the razzing about their profile, then drop the moniker and use your real name.

I didn't "razz" anyone. I asked the newbie to please fill out his profile so that I and the community could be of more help to him. I said, "Please fill out your profile." That's not razzing. I asked no more personal information of him than I and most of this community routinely provide to each other. Most of the members who post here do so under user-names that do not reveal their "real" names. Many of them have also asked newbies to fill out their profiles. Surely, you have noticed that. I do not agree that in order to be justified in requesting that the profile be completed, one must not post under a user-name. Accordingly, I will continue to request that members fill out their profiles and I will continue to post under my user-name.

In the end, my post was in an effort to be constructive. Yours was quite the opposite.

nicklloyd · #10 11-18-2006, 11:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by PenCapBurntUmbe

I'm in a beginning orchestra class right now playing one school rented bass (at school) and one bass from a local music store. I've been playing for about 2 months, since September, and I've started shifting, and tonight we played our first concert.

I have a bit of a problem though. The bass from school is an old and worn in bass, easy to play. My bass at home is... well, new and very very hard to play. The tension on the strings is aweful and it's hard to get any good sound from the bow. This is the second bass I've rented from the same store, hoping this one would be better and it's not.

It sounds like the store you are renting from is not familiar with bass setup. Do you have a private bass teacher? Maybe he/she can evaluate the setup on the bass... write down some notes, and then take this bass back to the shop and insist that they fix the setup. Many places that rent instruments don't know the little differences that can make or break the playability of a bass. Your teacher and parents should be (hopefully) able to help get this bass the attention that it deserves.