Double Bass and Violin

[PommyBadger]

Hello everyone,
Just wanted to ask this question to see your opinions. I m a double bassist and am struggling a bit with pitch and getting the note spot on and my teacher is a stickler for perfection with the notes. He has been telling me to practice pitch by playing on a guiatr because the frets will guide me however the problem i find with this is that the because the guiatr is tuned and the right note is hit i am not training my ear very well and get lazy and just say yeah its that note a f sharp or a c. Anyway i was thinking of asking him next lesson if i could try a violin to play as it is similar to a bass although the tuning of strings is the other way round to hear the pitch as the spacings are a lot closer so i could hear the note change better. Also so i can keep practising my bowing instead of plucking like on guitar. And also is it good just to learn both in mu opinion i think learning both with compliment both instruments.

Thanks for all your feedback everyone, this is my first posts and i appriciate any tim you take to help me

[ninnlangel]

To me the violin idea sounds totally useless.

The whole point of using a guitar is helping you create a mental grid (fretboard) so that you have a clearer picture of the note you are aiming for. Tuning has a lot to do with how sharp your mind is (i.e. no hesitation, you know what you're going for), and ear training, which is something better done by singing IMHO (along with the perfectly tuned guitar).

I think another vital part of playing with good tuning is being honest with yourself. The fact is, most of the students I have who can't play in tune are perfectly capable of hearing pitch in very fine detail, but they've grown accustomed to their own out of tune playing and they don't notice it anymore. Using a computer to program some piano comping, or CDs or whatever you want to help keep you on your toes will do a lot for your tuning!

Cheers

NL

[PommyBadger]

Thanks for your feedback i will take it on board, i suppose my teacher wants me to get so good at my pitch so that i too do not fall into hearing my own pitch thats not the right one

[Jake deVilliers]

The best way for me to improve my intonation is by playing with a drone. There's just no mistaking when you're out of tune!

[Matt Ides]

Practice, practice, and practice. I know I need to usully slow things way down if I am always playing something out of tune. Etudes in C# will keep you honest. I'll spend more time than I should on shifts and making sure techique is right. It always pays off.

Drones or tempered instruments help a lot as well.