Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Double Bass 5 great rabbath videos
- Thread starter bassist14
- Start date
neat!
I don't like that rabbath writes a lot of his pieces revolving around his open strings. It just seems a little bit limiting and gimmicky sometimes.
I expect to get thrashed for saying this. What do you guys think though? Do his compositions really speak to you? He is a master no doubt
I don't like that rabbath writes a lot of his pieces revolving around his open strings. It just seems a little bit limiting and gimmicky sometimes.
I expect to get thrashed for saying this. What do you guys think though? Do his compositions really speak to you? He is a master no doubt
well, most music written specifically for bass (or any other particular instrument) takes advantage of the things that work on the instrument. That's why most jazz tunes, written by horn players, are in F, Bb or Eb. Its part of composing music that is idiomatic for a particular instrument. Think of concertos written for the bass.... Dragonetti in G maj, Koussevitzky in Em, Bottesini in Am, the list goes on. No one writes a concerto for double bass in F# major....
- Jan 24, 2002
- 2,117
- 950
- Disclosures
- NS Design / AER Endorsing Artist
A large part of Rabbath's compositions are etudes. They are meant to focus on a particular technique or concept, so anything that makes it easier to focus makes it a better etude.
I'm semi-hijacking this thread.
You can count the number of videos of Rabbath on Youtube with your fingers, but they're all fascinating. Whenever I listen to Rabbath, I always hear him playing Carmen Fantasy or one of his own pieces. So when I happened upon this video, it was a pleasant surprise. This video in particular was shot far away from him, but the sound quality is still pretty good. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHy2SbpLAK0
You can count the number of videos of Rabbath on Youtube with your fingers, but they're all fascinating. Whenever I listen to Rabbath, I always hear him playing Carmen Fantasy or one of his own pieces. So when I happened upon this video, it was a pleasant surprise. This video in particular was shot far away from him, but the sound quality is still pretty good. Enjoy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WHy2SbpLAK0
I remain unimpressed. His music IS gimmicky, revolving ad nauseum around his little licks. There's another Youtube video called Rabbath plays Breiz which is indicative of this type of music. Blech. IMNSHO.
I kinda enjoy it, it has this folk ethnic style to it which is pretty inventive
and really unique sounding. I don't aspire to sound like Francois, but he's a lovely person who can really play the bass incredibly well. You may not agree with his sound or technique, but he is a master at conveying emotion and a brilliant bass player.
Silvio Dalla Torre is awesome. I really enjoyed getting to see him play when he came to Texas a few years ago...not to mention getting to see Paul Ellison play too!
After that I got turned onto Torre's 4-finger technique right away, and for me it helped to solve a lot of problems I was having with the whole/half step 1-2-4 fingering strategy. I do it 1-3-4 instead, and it's much easier for me to get in tune that way. I think his 4 finger technique is great.
As far as Rabbath goes, I think he's wonderful and I think his technical ideas are brilliant. For me, Torre's fingering ideas near the nut would be impossible without Rabbath's pivoting technique.
Anyway, thanks for the vids!
After that I got turned onto Torre's 4-finger technique right away, and for me it helped to solve a lot of problems I was having with the whole/half step 1-2-4 fingering strategy. I do it 1-3-4 instead, and it's much easier for me to get in tune that way. I think his 4 finger technique is great.
As far as Rabbath goes, I think he's wonderful and I think his technical ideas are brilliant. For me, Torre's fingering ideas near the nut would be impossible without Rabbath's pivoting technique.
Anyway, thanks for the vids!
He makes me cry when he plays Bach. 
I think he is a very emotional player and his compositions reflect that also.
His compositions are mostly programmatic it seems, based on his life experience, so the music is very individualized for him, but I just don't have a problem with that.
His range of timbre is very wide and he really does play everything with meaning. His bowing and fingering are very beautiful and we can all learn a lot. Thank you for the videos.
I think he is a very emotional player and his compositions reflect that also.
His compositions are mostly programmatic it seems, based on his life experience, so the music is very individualized for him, but I just don't have a problem with that.
His range of timbre is very wide and he really does play everything with meaning. His bowing and fingering are very beautiful and we can all learn a lot. Thank you for the videos.
I found the Roelofsen-Dalla Torre videos quite interesting, as well. I had always wanted to see the New Dutch School technique in action and it's pretty interesting. That being said it almost looked like the implementation of fourth finger in some of the solo pieces was forced in just to show that they use it. It looks impractical and feels impractical.
I'm in agreement with this.
The very first bowed note in the second video, "Oblivion", is out of tune, so what problem does using his fourth finger there solve?
I did like the active use of all four fingers in the middle of the fingerboard. That actually looked as if it solved some double shifts and general awkwardness. The fourth finger stops there, Hans!
*Wait just a minute!* Speaking of double shifts, Mr. Roel not only played the first note out of tune, but he double shifted to another 4! Double trouble.
*Wait just a minute!* Speaking of double shifts, Mr. Roel not only played the first note out of tune, but he double shifted to another 4! Double trouble.
Ya it was unfortunately quite out of tune, but he does have a very nice rich sound. Does he tune in fifths?
does anyone have a clear idea of what they are trying to do in thumb position? The oblivion video looked like he was just replacing 3rd finger with 4th. he did use 3rd sometimes, but not very much.
That's what I'm trying to figure out. Change in technique should only be made to advance it, not make it more difficult.
Is anyone else in awe from the incredible emotions in Concerto No. 3 by Rabbath?! Unbelievable playing
