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Double Bass Any Help on this?
- Thread starter dderatz
- Start date
1 playing the C on the A string
4 playing the G on the D string, or play the open G
4 playing the C on the G string
No?
4 playing the G on the D string, or play the open G
4 playing the C on the G string
No?
First finger C on E string, fourth finger G on A string, second or third finger e on G string. Not super comfy, but that's what I'd try.
Curious as to where this has come from? Looks like a basic C chord (not sure why the need for pizz AND symbol??). It should be thought of as a single chord, each individual note struck rapidly after each other. Maybe the author meant for it to be strummed, like on a guitar.Any idea how one can execute the figure below:
The squiggly line is an arpeggio/strumming symbol for sure. Without it, it would be a simultaneous playing of the three notes. Awkward, but playable if your hands are big enough.
Thanks Neil - but in what musical universe would this be written and why the awkward note stacking?? Are there pieces therefore that are not playable because of physical shortcomings, specifically hand-size?? I heard about this on piano (I think) ...
C with 2 on E string; E with 4 on G string; G with thumb on D string. Looks like a 'cello part to me, though. No one would write this for double bass.
I wonder if it can also be a mistake...where th G note was in fact meant to be a C, which is more logical, in the context...
We live in the era of reduced scores for broadway shows.
It is likely that, in the original part, the bass was only pizzing the C. But these days, pit bass players are playing the bass part, bits of the cello part, trombone, horn, etc. because producers don't want to hire the players necessary to reproduce the original score.
Sometimes the person they end up hiring to do the reduction doesn't know what the instrument and player is practically able to do. The result is parts like you have...sure, it's playable, but good luck getting it in tune and sounding "right".
Another problem is that we end up playing a LOT more over the course of a show, resulting in fatigue and risking injury over the course of 8+ shows a week for several weeks.
...all in the service of a few more bucks in their bottom line.
In all fairness, this is a one off benefit "we bring Broadway" to you, so there is an economy of scale to the instrumentalists. I agree that this is likely taken from another part (which I suspect is the piano reduction) without consideration of the practicalities of double bass. There is also a whole bunch of thumb position all the way to the end of the fingerboard, which looks suspiciously like the 'cello part in one of the other numbers.
Well, unless this is a solo part, and it is an absolute requirement to play what you have, talk to the conductor and agree that the most pragmatic thing is to strum a C/G/C chord - is anyone really going to notice differently?
Ask the conductor whether C or E is the most important to stress. It could be that E is the one on the beat. Listen to the music on Youtube and hear the context. There is a natural tendency to stress the E and perhaps this is what the music asks for. See if some other instrument is sharing the notes with your part. You could leave out one or two of the notes as suggested above.
If you have to play all the notes then try plucking them instead of strumming. Try plucking C with one finger in Ist Position (or 2nd in 4th). Pluck the open G with another finger as your LH is thrown to the base of the neck for E (or across) for the original finger to pluck. This requires two finger (jazz?) pizz technique. You will get a clearer sounding arpeggio than strumming. If E is the target note then play the three as a crescendo. If C is the aim then play them as a diminuendo
Good luck, DP
If you have to play all the notes then try plucking them instead of strumming. Try plucking C with one finger in Ist Position (or 2nd in 4th). Pluck the open G with another finger as your LH is thrown to the base of the neck for E (or across) for the original finger to pluck. This requires two finger (jazz?) pizz technique. You will get a clearer sounding arpeggio than strumming. If E is the target note then play the three as a crescendo. If C is the aim then play them as a diminuendo
Good luck, DP
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I think this has been answered, more or less by dderatz. Somebody who doesn't know how to write for bass wrote this, or it came out this way in a MIDI dump. You have the choice of trying to play it, playing something else, or tracking down the arranger and asking him what the hell he was thinking. No hitting.
To your second question, there ARE pieces that some people can play and others will struggle with due to hand size or unclear notation. If the composer is available, you can ask for guidance. If not, play something else that makes sense musically and keeps the essence of the passage.
