Just thought I'd introduce myself...

[f'nar f'nar]

Hey fellas!

I just thought I'd make a quick thread to introduce myself, my parents got me a double bass as a 21st birthday present and I'm really excited! I figured that seeing as I will no doubt be picking many of your brains from now on I would just say hello

I've been a member of Talkbass for a while now and I've been playing electric bass for near enough 10 years, but this is the first time I've ever even touched a double bass!

Any general tips for someone like me who's making the transition? I realise there are probably a heap of threads on the transition from electric to upright but... well... that's so impersonal!

I'm sure I'll speak to most of you soon!

[Chris Fitzgerald]

Hello, and welcome to the dark side. Here are a couple of old threads about the transition which you might find interesting reading:

Transition stories

Transition from Electric Bass to Double Bass

In short, develop a relationship with a luthier who can help you set up your bass and a teacher to get you started on the path with some decent basic technique. Most people recommend doing some work with the bow to help with intonation at the very least, while others insist that if you don't use a bow regularly, you aren't a "real" double bassist. The normal place to start with technical books to get you up and running is Simandl, but there are other options as well - your teacher can fill you in on this. Feel free to pick our brains - that's what the forum is here for.