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Double Bass Audition pieces for Fourth Grader at Interlocken

Steve Freides

Steve Freides

Former Mannes College Theory Faculty
Supporting Member
Dec 11, 2007
2,576
1,508
Ridgewood, NJ
#1
Student of mine has been playing double bass since January and is going to Interlocken in MI to play this summer. She's doing well for only having played a few months and no doubt the fact that she played guitar for two years helped.

Any ideas on what sort of thing she could play for a placement audition? She's just learned third position in addition to first and those are it so far.

Thanks.

-S-
 
#4
I believe he's talking about the Vivaldi cello sonatas (check out Number 5), and the standard Marcello sonatas. Perhaps the Marcello may be too difficult right now, and the Vivaldi will be a challenge, but it's a good piece. Make sure you get the bass version (which is hard to find), and not the cello version - unless you want her to learn tenor clef really well.
 
#5
Herbie 80's said:
I believe he's talking about the Vivaldi cello sonatas (check out Number 5), and the standard Marcello sonatas. Perhaps the Marcello may be too difficult right now, and the Vivaldi will be a challenge, but it's a good piece. Make sure you get the bass version (which is hard to find), and not the cello version - unless you want her to learn tenor clef really well.
Click to expand...
Thanks.

No, bass clef is enough for her for now.

She can play in first and in third position so far - I think that probably rules out all the Marcello sonatas unless there's a movement that doesn't go higher than a D. If there's a movement that has that upper limit and is slow, I'd consider it.

So far, the most challenging thing she's done is play the melody to the first part of "Somewhere Over The Rainbow" in D major as part of an arrangement for her school orchestra, doubling the cellos.

-S-
 
#6
In that case, the Vivaldi and Marcello will be much too hard for her.

Maybe a piece from the Simandl 30 etudes book? Or the Storch-Hrabe etudes? You could also transpose a version of Ombra Mai Fu for her, as that piece can sound very beautiful given the player.
 
#9
A friend sent me a Bach Gavotte in G minor, looks like all half or first position, mostly half, should be OK for my student - we played through a little of it on Monday, will see how she is after a week with it.

-S-
 
#11
#14
I recommend "The Jolly Dutchman" by Merle Isaac. It's a wonderful piece and is trickier than it looks. Once a student gets to fourth position, they are ready...it's in the keys of Bb and Eb. It's our junior district audition piece every other year, and many of my students have gotten into the Boston Youth Symphony Orchestras with it, most recently a tiny 6th grade girl who has been studying with me for one year.

It's great for kids who are not yet ready for the Marcello sonatas...and when they are, I start with the G, then the Em sonatas first.
 
#15
I'll echo Joe's suggestion of Vance's "Progressive Repetoire". In Volume I there's "Irlandais" on pg. 34 that's a pretty tune. The next to last measure has two notes that he wants you to play in 2nd position on the G string, D to C, but other than that it's all 1st and 3rd pos., quarters and eighths, with some hooked bowing.

There's also a nice arrangement in that book of "Sheep May Safely Graze" that's just 1st and 3rd. Volume II has "Jesu, Joy of Man's Desiring" that has an F#-G passage that he wants you to do in 2nd, but you could easily keep it in 1st and 3rd.

Hope that helps!
 
#16
To all of George Vance followers, can you give me a honest opinion, is this book a realy good method?? did you guys realy follow this all the way trow ? .
The reason I am asking is because I bought the book a few years back and always was afraid of putting in pratice,the progressive ethod seems very odd going from 3ºposition(rabath) then 1ºposition and thumb position in just a few lessons!!!
I would realy like your opinion cheers
 
#17
Hi Steve,
Here are a few more suggestions -

6 Pieces by J.S.Bach for unaccompanied Double Bass (arr, Ida Carroll) ABRSM Contains some pieces in D Major

Amazing Solos for Double Bass (Boosey & Hawkes) contains Amazing Grace (easy), Lilliburlero and Grand March (Aida), both a bit harder but only up to D.

Double Bass Solo Plus (Oxford University Press) may be out of print but has Greig "Norwegian Dance", all in !st Position but showy, and "Spanish Dance", up to D but also showy. (I can scan these and send them via pdf.)

Cheers,
DP
 
#18
Resurrecting an old thread here, but ...

I've been working with a student on 2 of the selections from 20 Progressive Solos

http://www.sheetmusicplus.com/title/20-Progressive-Solos-for-String-Instruments/1433887

The 2 selections in question are part of the audition requirements for a local orchestra my student is going to try out for.

Anyone else using and care to comment? The piano accompaniment, which I play with her at our lessons, has a violin version of the melody, OK since it's basically the same music for violin, viola, cello, and bass, but still kind of inconvenient and weird to listen to the bass but be looking at the melody in treble clef, not to mention that there are changes of register in the bass part that aren't in the violin version.

Thanks in advance.

-S-
 
#19
the Gavotte you posted seems to be a Suzuki method piece. Here is a YT video of a child playing it on violin.



Good luck with finding a good piece. Something slow but which shows a sense of musicality would be a good idea?

Craig
 

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