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Double Bass As a jazz player, what do you practise with the bow?
- Thread starter jjqq123
- Start date
Gotta say there's some serious swingin goin on in those recordings. However to my ears, when he just plays the bass arco, it doesn't seem to swing as hard; then when he sings and plays the bass, that's where it's at
.I think I am going to have to give these recording some serious listening because they make me smile and laugh a little
. Thanks for posting them.
Don't forget this one when digging Slam Stewart -
My previous statement was IMHO and YMMV. There is something about the tone and way that an arco string bass speaks that just doesn't seem to swing, but again this is IMHO and YMMV.
Just because I wouldn't do it, is no reason why you shouldn't. So if you like the may it sounds, go for it!.
I can't argue with that. If arco doesn't "draw you in" then it's a lot of work that'll distract you from your pizz tone, so I would say you shouldn't bother, other than practice to shore up your left hand technique and intonation, but that's just practice, not performance.
- Dec 13, 1999
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- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
In addition to what has been said:
1. Every head of tunes you really want to play well
2. Every arpeggio of the tunes above
Arco through a bass clef version of the Omni Book is not a bad idea, either.
1. Every head of tunes you really want to play well
2. Every arpeggio of the tunes above
Arco through a bass clef version of the Omni Book is not a bad idea, either.
I really appreciate this thread. I’ve been doing a lot of work with the bow the past few months, but my “progress” has really felt like shaping a block of marble with fine-grit sandpaper.
The last two days I’ve practiced both my long open tones and my two scales of the week (currently Eb and Ab, as I move around the cycle of fifths) at 40 bpm, way slower than I’d been playing them previously. I also added Parker’s Au Privave to my Simandl and George Vance etudes.
I think I noticed immediate improvement. In particular, playing a bebop head with the bow seems to have opened up a new door of confidence. Thanks, guys!
The last two days I’ve practiced both my long open tones and my two scales of the week (currently Eb and Ab, as I move around the cycle of fifths) at 40 bpm, way slower than I’d been playing them previously. I also added Parker’s Au Privave to my Simandl and George Vance etudes.
I think I noticed immediate improvement. In particular, playing a bebop head with the bow seems to have opened up a new door of confidence. Thanks, guys!
I would drop the metronome from the scales - it doesn't really pay to multi-task. Walk a basic blues at 40 after your arco studies. Your intonation and your time both deserve your full attention!
Petracchi is going to be more useful for jazz playing than Vance.
Petracchi is going to be more useful for jazz playing than Vance.
- Dec 13, 1999
- 11,736
- 8,941
- 70
- Disclosures
- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
I don't consider that multitasking, the work you're doing on marrying physical approach to intonation to smooth bow transition is all of a piece. Sure, you do long tones on open strings. But this is NOT an exercise to work on time, no scale or arpeggio work is. The metronome is there to provide the measure of time. Otherwise you switch pitches when you run out of bow, and one of the purposes of this exercise is to practice NOT running out of bow.
I still wouldn't do it on all 12 around the circle of fifths I think that deserves its own focus. One scale over and over or something.
Just to be clear: I'm not making a point of going around all 12 keys and practicing them all slowly. I'm applying the slow metronome to whatever scales I'm playing at the moment (which happen this week to be Eb and Ab). Ed's suggestion of using the very slow metronome beat to keep the bow speed even and slow, "not running out of bow," is what I'm trying to follow.
Great. I do a quick one octave of each major around the circle of 4ths each day. Sometimes with a drone on each root. I do more extensive exercises on E & A first.
I've started an exercise that (I believe) has helped my intonation and bowing.
Using Sibelius (notation program) I wrote out in E, an arpeggio (E G# B E G#E, in whole notes, then descending, then the E diatonic scale (two octaves) then descending, then broken arpeggios (E G#, F# A, G# B, A C#, B D#, C# E, D# F#, E.) Then descending.
Then the same exercise, from F, F# and so on, in all the keys.
I then play back the exercise with the sampled bass, and also added an organ sound doubling, and an octave higher.
Starting a mm60, and after some days, increasing the speed, always concentrating on intonation, but the bow sound necessarily important.
Somehow sent the above text before rambling further on....
As the mm increases, so it seems does the speed with which I can adjust to be in tune.
Another (to me) interesting part of this regimen is that with eyes closed, it is a slightly different mental process. If I stray at all intonationally with the pattern, eyes closed, it is much harder to "find my place" than with vision on the fingerboard.
For me, this exercise is helping with intonation and tone production. If any one would like the Sibelius file, I'd be happy to send it on.
Steven
As the mm increases, so it seems does the speed with which I can adjust to be in tune.
Another (to me) interesting part of this regimen is that with eyes closed, it is a slightly different mental process. If I stray at all intonationally with the pattern, eyes closed, it is much harder to "find my place" than with vision on the fingerboard.
For me, this exercise is helping with intonation and tone production. If any one would like the Sibelius file, I'd be happy to send it on.
Steven
I use to do this but I don’t anymore… with the bow, once you have the root, it is pretty easy to hear if you are in tune for the rest of the scale (the more you do it, the faster you can hear if you are not). Playing along with the complete scale means you are adjusting to external cues for intonation, instead of hearing and making the adjustments "instantly"
I guess I should clarify. I think it's it's entirely possible to swing with the bow, but stylistically I don't think the way the instrument speaks typically fits in with jazz very well. There is an excerpt in the Olivier Babaz video where he was playing more of a country swing style, and that's where I think the sound fits.
Years ago I had the pleasure of running a country band for a couple of years for the Air Force. One year for our annual holiday extravaganza I played fiddle and sang background vocals instead playing bass. Here's one of the songs we covered.
Looks like no one has mentioned Jim Stinnett's book Arcology. It is a book of about 24 transcribed Paul Chambers arco solos. It is very well done, and includes the chord changes. No bowings marked, you have to figure out your own bowings. Very challenging, and a great arco workout.
