Double Bass 5-string (or extension) excerpts

[BassFalcon]

What are some good excerpts to say to a committee or whomever you are auditioning for “welcome to my extended range”?

 

[LouisF]

Beethoven 6 - storm. Good luck.

 

[BassFalcon]

Beethoven 6 - storm. Good luck.

Lol, any others?

 

[LouisF]

Seriously -- some Richard Strauss, but I'm not too familiar with them. I'm not sure it's usually a focus of an audition but I may be wrong.

 

[BassFalcon]

Thanks!
I don’t believe, in my case, at least, it would be a focus at all, but if there exists a good excerpt that also contains a little extended low range, I’d like to include that in my selections. Just to show them everything I’m bringing to the table. My specific case is community orchestra auditions where extended range is less common, not pro level where it would be nearly required to at least have an extension.

 

[LouisF]

This might be helpful:

 

[Notaluthier]

Ein Heldenleben.

 

[PaulCannon]

Beethoven 3, first movement. The bit before letter L.

If you have a chromatic gated extension, this is where that comes in extra useful.

 

[slappahdabass]

Heldenleben, Shostakovich 5, Brahms 2 if you do some of the traditional octavizations, Beethoven 5 scherzo are the really really commonly asked ones in the last few years

 

[Mark_T]

Do you get to pick the excerpts as the person taking the audition? Usually I pick the excerpts that I ask people to prepare.

There's a nice little bit at the beginning of Mozart 39 that dips down to a D flat, it may well show up on the next list of audition excerpts, but I'm actually not concerned about whether candidates have or do not have an extension at this point.

 

[Mark_T]

If you do get to pick your excerpts, that part at the beginning of Mozart 39 is nice because you can show off some polish without having to be a virtuoso. Specifically, I'm talking about this:

Double Bass: Mozart Symphony 39, Mvt. I (mm. 13-21) – Orchestra Excerpts

I'd be listening for:

• good choice of tempo
• steady tempo
• clear distinction between the different rhythms
• good intonation
• careful attention to the accidentals
  
• range of dynamics (make the p really p and the f really f)
  
• plus you get a tricky but not too tricky lick down on the extension

The whole thing is not that hard and I think you can demonstrate an awful lot in just a few bars.

 

[BassFalcon]

Wow, thank you for such thoughtful insight!

 

[ILIA]

Also Sprach Zarathustra.

 

[the_Ryan]

Heldenleben, Shostakovich 5, Brahms 2 if you do some of the traditional octavizations, Beethoven 5 scherzo are the really really commonly asked ones in the last few years

Shostakovich 5 is probably my one excerpt where in a section I'd play it as written but in an audition I'd play that one lick an octave up.