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Double Bass 5ths friendly schools

eerbrev

eerbrev

Dec 6, 2009
1,020
297
Ottawa, ON, CAN
#1
Looking for 5ths friendly schools for my masters degree. anyone got any leads? Place is unimportant, though i would prefer to stay in north america so i don't have to ship my bass overseas.

Also, please don't turn this into a debate on 5ths. We've all heard the arguments etc before and it's not what I'm looking to talk about. I don't mean to sound short, but I feel if I don't mention it in this tone then this thread could go downhill quickly (assuming it goes anywhere at all).

Thanks for any help you might be able to give. Cheers,

Alex
 
#3
It looks like you are from Ottowa so I'm guessing you studied with Joel. Which means you've already studied with the greatest. :)
I would ask Joel for a recommendation.
I would guess that Paul Ellison at Rice would be pretty cool and I know that currently Jeff Bradetich at UNT has an Artist Diploma student who tunes in fifths.
You can also join the "Play your bass in fifths, man!" Facebook group and post the question there.

Best of luck.
 
#5
paulunger said:
It looks like you are from Ottowa so I'm guessing you studied with Joel. Which means you've already studied with the greatest. :)
I would ask Joel for a recommendation.
I would guess that Paul Ellison at Rice would be pretty cool and I know that currently Jeff Bradetich at UNT has an Artist Diploma student who tunes in fifths.
You can also join the "Play your bass in fifths, man!" Facebook group and post the question there.

Best of luck.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your response, Paul, I subconciously hoped you'd be able to chime in.

I wish I studied with Mr. Quarrington. he is, however, pretty hard to get a hold of. I'd love to do my masters with him, he even has two masters students at my school. I've had some one-off "lessons" (we call them discussions, neither he nor I want to step on anyones toes) with his masters student who tunes in 5ths and have gained a great deal. Unfortunately both of his students finish this year and I don't know if he will still be teaching here as of next year and I have no idea how to contact him.

I currently study with John Geggie, who has both classical and jazz cred (though I am a classical student, I do "dabble"). John tunes in 4ths, so I study with him in 4ths as that is what makes our student-teacher relationship work the best and is how he feels I can get the best out of him.

I'll keep your ideas re: Rice and UNT in mind. thanks so much for the help!
 
#6
Alex,

Joel doesn't teach at McGill anymore as I'm sure you know, and ppl saying Jeff B. is 5ths "friendly" is a stretch IMO. More like he is "tolerant" and the student Paul is referring to, Daniel Nix, is a fairly big time soloist in the bass world so he gets away with pretty much anything. I know from personal experience Jeff B. looks down on 5ths for anyone thinking of an orchestral career...so with that in mind I can't imagine UNT being any better than any other great bass school for 5ths players. Like others have said, just find a good teacher and then inquire within about their comfort with 5ths.

Also, if I were you, I'd stay in Canada for sure and take from Joel in whatever way possible. Mike is a great player but JQ he is not. Contacting Joel is incredibly easy...Facebook, his website, text message...pm if you need some basic contact info...why didn't you just ask Mike?
 
#7
I think the debate over 5ths and the debate over studying in them are separate. If you can't study with Quarrington, I would just find the best teacher and worry about tuning later. Otherwise, consider Mark Dresser at UCSD. He is open and experimental but studied with Petracchi in Italy and played in symphonies. He tunes in 4ths but would no doubt help you with 5ths - he learned to play music in Red Mitchell's garage!
 
#9
Illfavor said:
why didn't you just ask Mike?
Click to expand...

Thanks for the reply man, in fact, thanks everyone for their replies.

Why didn't I ask mike (a mutual friend of ours)? I don't want him to feel responsible for stuff. He's a friend, and I don't want him to feel like I'm using either his connection with joel or his friendship with me to advance myself. It's not my style, and I value my friendship with him very highly so I don't want to make anything difficult for him if it doesn't have to be. Even talking about it here feels like dragging out dirty laundry.

I dunno, I just feel like I'm imposing and stepping on peoples toes. I'll send you a PM.

Alex
 
#10
I guess if you're doing a masters degree you will have been playing fifths long enough not to nee a specific teacher to show you how it works but a great musician to complete your training...
just a thought.

I went to Robin McGee (4finger technique) for my post grad and he never made me use that system. All he taught me was how to be a better musician. I think the same applies for fifths tuning.

FC
 
#11
I recently switched to 5ths tuning. My former professor is my stand partner in a symphony I play for. He told me after my first show in 5ths tuning that he doesn't want to sit next to me anymore. Ouch. I could understand his point of view though. Oftentimes I'm on a different string or my timbre is detracting to someone trying to blend in a section tuned in 4ths. Of course most of the dissonance he heard was my mistakes when I brain fart back over to 4th's fingerings.. :scowl:

This being said, I would get a definitive perspective from the professor you intend on studying with. You stand to lose quality instruction if your professor isn't open to the idea.

Good luck!
 
#12
Upon further consideration, I am going to stick my neck out and say that who you study with and how they teach is vitally important.

Yes, as far as the bow goes there is no difference between fourths and fifths teachers.

But.... for fifths tuning your left hand technique needs to be very advanced. You will not be successful with fifths technique if you use Simandl technique. Traditional Simandl locks your left hand in a rigid position, that is at a hard right angle to the fingerboard and forces you to maintain an exaggerated spacing between the first and second finger.
This will not work because with fifths tuning you must be able to reach the distance of a minor third with the left hand. Our goal is balance and mobility at all times. Simandl technique creates tension and friction. With the new technique, the fingers of the left hand must address the string in the direction of the string with your forearm rotating the reach the notes. (Of course, when you play with your 4th finger your hand will be pulled into a right angle). This technique not only allows you to reach a farther distance in one position but it helps with rhythm and creates a better vibrato and clearer pitch center since you are landing below each pitch and vibrating up to the pitch center. (not landing on a pitch and vibrating flat and then sharp of the pitch)
This is the kind of modern technique that your teacher must be aware of, regardless if he plays tuned in fourths or fifths. They also must teach a fully integrated use of the third finger in the lower position.

I know that there are quite a few professional fifths tuned players in Canada. I would contact Joel Quarrington and get a recommendation from him. If you still want to study in the States, then I would find out, not only if the teacher accepts fifths tuning, but if they understand this post-Simandl technique I am talking about.

p.s. Post this question on Facebook (on the "Play Your Bass in Fifths, Man!" page). You will get tons more feedback.

Good luck.
 

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