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Double Bass 5ths or 4ths

M

Mike D.

Dec 8, 2007
77
1
Montreal, QC, Canada
www.myspace.com
#1
Hey everybody,
I just wanted to hear your thoughts on tuning in 5ths (that is to say an octave lower the cello's tuning C, G, D, A) or in 4ths for traditional orchestral tuning (perhaps witht eh addition of an orchestral extension to play notes lower than the 'E' (E, A, D, G).
Joel Quarrington is teaching at McGill university, a school in my area, and he's a reknowned Canadian Bassist that tunes in 5ths. All his students are playing in 5ths too.
I'm not sure, but it seems the bass resonates differently in 5ths. Do you find the bass has a superior sonority tuned in 5ths via sympathetic vibrations for stronger funadametals? Or is it just another option and the resonance of a bass tuned in 4ths is just as delicious in the hands of a master, just different 'sound'.
I also heard of some prejudice against bassist's in 5ths in European orchestras where a lot of them specify "looking for orchestral bassist for open position in orchestra tuned in 4ths."
What do you think of all this. Thanks for the info in advance.
Mike
PS: just to clear things up, I tune my bass in 4ths.
 
#2
I have used the 'regular' EADG, the DADG, and, by changing the E string to a C, CADG and CGAG. Over the years, I found the DADG to be the most usable in many, many circumstances. I did a little booklet on the three alternate tunings just to play through 2 or 3 pages as a mental warm-up.
Tom Gale
asodb.com
 
#3
DADG is really useful if you don't have a C-machine or five strings. I know lots of people don't believe in five-string basses, but I think they're the right answer (tuned in 4ths with a low B). Trouble is, there aren't many great 5 strings out there. Clearly possible, because there are some, but not at all common.
 
#5
I've tried 5ths off and on. When it's on I love it, love the sound, love the range.

But I just couldn't get my act together when playing in Eb and Bb and so on. Maybe if I stuck it out, leveraged that low C string to move up higher on the neck than I would normally play when in those keys, or something...I don't know.

Anyway, the hardest part for me was tuning the bass to begin with. When I dropped my pride and started using a tuner to get the open strings in tune rather than using harmonics to match pitches, I solved that problem fast and I think my bass resonates nicely now.

Yet I do miss that low C! :hmm:
 
#6
CT DB said:
Does anyone know of any other instrument that composers write music for outside of its range? I have never heard of this issue in any other orchestral instrument.
Click to expand...

IIRC some bassoon parts call for going a half step below the lowest note - they're played with a different bell, or sometimes a cardboard tube to lengthen the standard bell. Bassoon's also the only other instrument with French / German variations that I can think of (different construction and keywork). And the players tend to be even weirder than us.

I've experimented with tuning in 5ths a few times - once, stuck with it for a couple of months. For me it definitely felt like there was increased resonance, volume, quicker response - more so with the bow than pizz on my bass, YMMV.

One of my reasons for not switching is that I play more contemporary music than standard repertoire - then, a lot of parts that are written with standard-tuning harmonics just won't work well with 5ths tuning. I'd say generally that as you get further into the 20th century, you get more bass parts that are written specifically for the properties of the instrument (in standard tuning) - as opposed to 'doubling the cello part.' For example, I'm thinking of some parts of Stravinsky's 'Histoire' that I'd imagine would be way harder to get under the LH in 5th tuning. Anybody have personal experience with that?

Also, playing jazz and other non-notated music was really hard for me (though people have definitely, and famously, had the opposite experience).

All that said, if I was primarily an orchestral player, I'd think seriously about it.

Imagine tuning in fifths and having an Ab extension. Oh yeah.
 
#7
Well, it depends on how much experiance you have playing. If you really want to, I'd say go for the 5ths anyway. I think it is probably easier if you start out on 5ths than 4ths.

I myself am a 4ths guy, but when I go solo I am a 4th/5th combo (I leave my bottom string in regular tuning [it is a long c/e])
 
#9
I have been playing with fifths tuning, professionally, for two years now and love it. The instrument does resonate differently, but not in a dramatically superior way. It does require an advanced left hand technique and so I hesitate recommending it to people just starting out. Joel Quarrington is a very nice guy and, if I were you, I would call and set up a lesson. He could give you the guidance you are looking for and I bet that he would also teach you fourths tuning if you desired.
 
#13
I have been playing in 5ths for 2 and a half years now and I am never going back to 4ths! The extended range without an extension or extra string and the superior resonance is real nice! Since you can actually take lessons from Joel himself, I think you should definitely give 5ths tuning a shot.
 

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