Height of Bass?

[johnfowles]

Hi,
Just wondered where everyone has their bass set in relation to height. I know it's a bit of a personal thing, but my bass tutor always try to get me to keep my elbow flat (45deg to body) and I figured height of bass would effect this.

Any advice?

[bejoyous]

Everyone's proportions are different, but this is what I tell my students.

Stand directly behind your bass so that the bass is vertical and you are staring at the back of the neck. Adjust the end pin so that the heel of the scroll is just at the top of your forehead.

Then when standing and playing in 1/2 position, your left middle finger should be about opposite of your left ear. When bowing, your bow should naturally fall on the ideal bowing spot on the strings.

If your arms are long or your legs are short, etc. you may have to change this a bit. Ideally the bow needs to be in the best spot on the string for the best sound without an awkward reach.

[nickbass]

Sounds like good elbow advice (for maximum downward pressure on string from arm weight), but if you have the bass set too low your default bowing and plucking position can end up too far away from the bridge, so you end up with a weak sound from that! Hard to give general rules, I suppose, other than aim for best position for both arms for specific bass/body combination.
nick

[EggyToast]

I sit on a stool, and the nut is at my forehead, near my own interpretation of where my eyebrows are. If I'm playing everything flat or sharp, I usually glance over and see that the bass has shifted.

It keeps my left hand at a good place for half position (not too high) and my bowing hand can comfortably bow in two spots while staying flat. My teacher taught me this, both on an electric upright and his acoustic upright, and it's been a good match for me as I've moved on to an acoustic upright.

[David Potts]

A shorter person has less options and has to compromise the comfort of each arm a bit. I am 5'7''. When sitting for orchestral playing and practicing I have the nut just higher than the top of my left ear and the finger board about level with the front of my face. An arrow pointing from my chest will be close to pointing at the bridge. The bass leans across my body towards my left knee and the top back (where the shoulder is lower) is under my right ribs, so I am not right behind the bass but slightly off to one side. Any bending I do tries to avoid slumping. I try to bend forward from low in the waist progressively along the spine like a long corkscrew.

My own guiding principles are (1) never have the left elbow higher than your shoulder (2) never pull your elbow backwards past level with your back (3) raise your left hand from your side to find half position as naturally as possible (4) both feet on the floor, sit forward on the stool to meet the bass with thighs angled down about 45 degrees (5) bow with a "long arm" to reach desired contact point (6) no " crane" muscles holding the bow arm away from resting the bow on the string for on-string mf playing (7) both arms resting back towards the body.

I set the end pin of any bass to achieve these principles. If you are taller you will have more latitude. If you are very tall and playing on a smaller bass you may encounter other problems!!

[SnowMore]

It seems to me the pertinent point is:

Originally Posted by bejoyous

When bowing, your bow should naturally fall on the ideal bowing spot on the strings.

Any positioning based on your height, or where your head matches up with the instrument, is dubious. You play with your arms and hands, so the instrument should be placed in relationship to them.

Your fingering hand is always moving up and down the neck anyway, so I think the bow hand is the one to focus on. You don't want the constant strain of holding the bow higher, or stooping to get it lower. See where your natural arm swing is and adjust the height of the bass accordingly.

[chicagodoubler]

Easy. Standing naturally, the second joint of your middle finger should touch the bridge when the bass is straight up and down and (obviously) the top is facing your body. Yet another Hurst-ism. More and more I realize how heavy his legacy is for the US bass community.

[Andy Mopley]

Could you kindly post a picture or link, cd, so I can have a look? Thanks

[Greg Clinkingbeard]

I've also heard that when playing in 1/2 position you should be able to put your left thumb into your ear. In the end, these kinds of things are guides. Be comfortable.