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Double Bass Anyone played Camelot?

bopeuph

bopeuph

Jul 3, 2007
1,380
1,036
Orlando, FL
nickrosaci.com
Disclosures
Author of "Soul Fingers." I'm the Duck Dunn expert.
#1
I am being considered for covering a spot in Camelot. I was just wondering, how tough is the music for someone who has pretty good facility with walking a bass and playing basslines (or anything handed to him that he can pizz.)? I consider my arco chops mediocre; I use it in the mornings to work on all major scales and then run through some etudes in the Nanny method. I then spend the rest of the session without the bow, though. Is there any difficult passages in Camelot with the bow (like staccato 16th note runs or something)? Would it be something I could work out with having the music for a week? The gig is in February, but I have also already committed the next six months improving on my arco, so I'm hoping that by then, I'll be a formidable bassist with a bow as well. I already have the teacher. We start sometime next week.

Nick
 
#4
Thanks. I think by the time that rolls around, I should have some decent arco chops. I'm taking lessons for the reason to improve my arco bowing. I also joined the community college orchestra. While it's not a great orchestra, it will be a perfect lab for me to experiment on what works and what doesn't with the bow.

Nick
 
#7
Well then.

I accepted the gig. I will be doing my homework, checking the CD out of the library and such. Does it have to be coffee? What about beer? Then again, that runs right through me. Can't sit through it all if I have to go to the can.

How can I get a peek at the score? I won't have the parts until the week before. I'd like to be able to make that lasting impression.

Maybe some of the actresses will be friendly. :-P

Nick
 
#8
bopeuph said:
Well then.

I accepted the gig. I will be doing my homework, checking the CD out of the library and such. Does it have to be coffee? What about beer? Then again, that runs right through me. Can't sit through it all if I have to go to the can.

How can I get a peek at the score? I won't have the parts until the week before. I'd like to be able to make that lasting impression.

Maybe some of the actresses will be friendly. :-P

Nick
Click to expand...

Alright then, beer in a cooler and a pair of Depends. And the actors are as likely to be as friendly as the actresses...
 
#11
So I'm in the middle of watching the DVD of the musical, and I've noticed it sounds as if most of the play is pizz. Am I right? Wow, so if a good deal of musicals deal mostly with pizz., I could do fine in musicals, if I get my arco chops up just a little!

Nick
 
#12
bopeuph said:
So I'm in the middle of watching the DVD of the musical, and I've noticed it sounds as if most of the play is pizz. Am I right? Wow, so if a good deal of musicals deal mostly with pizz., I could do fine in musicals, if I get my arco chops up just a little!

Nick
Click to expand...

Our local playhouse just did Camelot (I didn't play in it). I went to the dress rehearsal though, and it sounded like a lot of it was pizz. I've never played a predominantly arco book in a pit orchestra, and whenever arco comes in, it always seems to be at the most awkward spot. That's why it's a good idea to use a quiver in the pit; much easier.
 
#13
bopeuph said:
I am being considered for covering a spot in Camelot. I was just wondering, how tough is the music for someone who has pretty good facility with walking a bass and playing basslines (or anything handed to him that he can pizz.)? I consider my arco chops mediocre; I use it in the mornings to work on all major scales and then run through some etudes in the Nanny method. I then spend the rest of the session without the bow, though. Is there any difficult passages in Camelot with the bow (like staccato 16th note runs or something)? Would it be something I could work out with having the music for a week? The gig is in February, but I have also already committed the next six months improving on my arco, so I'm hoping that by then, I'll be a formidable bassist with a bow as well. I already have the teacher. We start sometime next week.

Nick
Click to expand...
Camelot does not have much in the way of challenge in the bass part. Don't sweat it. I just played a couple of weeks of it here in Chicago.
 
#14
Thanks for the input, guys.

I have much more arco chops since I first posted this six weeks ago. I asked my teacher, and he just kept saying "no, you can't handle it" and kept dropping hints on how offended he was that he wasn't offered the gig first. A mentor of mine who used to work as an artistic director with the CSO on a regular basis said I'll be fine and not to worry about it. Gig accepted, I hope to land more gigs from this one. The orchestra my current teacher plays for isn't very much on speaking terms with the bandleader booked for the gig because he undercharges the orchestra for this kind of stuff, which does suck, but not something I want to be in the middle of. Then the bandleader asked if I played tuba for a Nutcracker show, and since I didn't, I gave a student in the community college his number. The kid could definitely handle it. And now I unintentionally started a rumor that this guy is trying to go past professionals to get their students and pay them less. I actively searched this guy out myself. I didn't realize that getting gigs would piss off teachers so much. Ah well.

Nick
 
#15
shostkontrabass said:
Our local playhouse just did Camelot (I didn't play in it). I went to the dress rehearsal though, and it sounded like a lot of it was pizz. I've never played a predominantly arco book in a pit orchestra, and whenever arco comes in, it always seems to be at the most awkward spot. That's why it's a good idea to use a quiver in the pit; much easier.
Click to expand...

I've done a few pit gigs for community theater, mostly classic shows (My Fair Lady, Oliver, Fiddler). In each case, I played electric upright and 99% pizz regardless of what the score said. The conductors appreciated that my pizz bass was able to drive the music and provide a foundation for everything else.

Arco was limited to intros and endings, where there might be some long notes. Even then, I was able to get by without a bow if I chose to.
 
#16
bopeuph said:
Thanks for the input, guys.

I have much more arco chops since I first posted this six weeks ago. I asked my teacher, and he just kept saying "no, you can't handle it" and kept dropping hints on how offended he was that he wasn't offered the gig first. A mentor of mine who used to work as an artistic director with the CSO on a regular basis said I'll be fine and not to worry about it. Gig accepted, I hope to land more gigs from this one. The orchestra my current teacher plays for isn't very much on speaking terms with the bandleader booked for the gig because he undercharges the orchestra for this kind of stuff, which does suck, but not something I want to be in the middle of. Then the bandleader asked if I played tuba for a Nutcracker show, and since I didn't, I gave a student in the community college his number. The kid could definitely handle it. And now I unintentionally started a rumor that this guy is trying to go past professionals to get their students and pay them less. I actively searched this guy out myself. I didn't realize that getting gigs would piss off teachers so much. Ah well.

Nick
Click to expand...

I wasn't saying that Camelot has NO arco. There is definitely a mix of arco and pizz as it is a typical old school B'way score. There's just not much that a moderately skilled player can't easily handle IMHO.
 

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