Double Bass balancing in chamber quintets to octets

[etorgerson]

I’m looking for thoughts on how you approach playing and balancing in small string chamber works. I find it very easy to overpower the group in quartets through octets with upper strings.
My regular group got knocked down to a quintet for our next chamber music play-in where I plan to play bass. (I’m usually on viola most of the year.) We’ve been able to play octets and sextets in past years and we were planning on sextets again this year. Since I’ve been working on optimizing my Christopher for orchestra, it is much louder than the last time I played chamber so I’m particularly hesitant about playing it in a quintet now. I’ve decided to use my friend’s softer sounding plywood, an old Lewis Laurel that was set up by Michelle Fiore at Classic Contrabass. I’m stringing it with either a full set of spirocore weichs or spw on the bottom with obligato on the top for clean and easily playable upper positions. Additionally, I’m using a baroque bow that I like and a Poly brand mute to help soften the sound.
I want to keep the response of steel strings because we’ll be sight reading parts that may have been written for cello (I’ve been playing fifths for this past year, so less transposition.)

 

[David Potts]

Take the power out of your projection by re-arranging your three basic variables, bow speed, weight and distance from the bridge. So, less length, less weight and closer to the end of the fingerboard should let you still use your Christopher. A nice balance can still be achieved by listening to and supporting, not out-playing, the other group members . I doubt that you will get the same satisfaction from a plywood bass. The experience will be a very rewarding one for your musicianship if you can pull it off.

Best wishes for 2019.

 

[Neil Pye]

Remember too, the balance sounds very different out front. My bass is very definitely set up for Romantic Orchestral work, but I play as much chamber music as I can, and I find it almost impossible to play too loud. Get someone whose musical ears you trust to listen in and comment on the balance. Soft sounding basses are not necessarily what you want in Chamber music. Focused sound is preferable, in my opinion. That is just my opinion though...

 

[etorgerson]

Thanks for the feedback! Went fine with the Chrissy. Didn't need a mute and was able to tone it down by replacing my loud titanium endpin with a Purpleheart one that I had turned last year. It still plays well and with a clear tone, but dials it down a few dB, letting me dig a little more without killing the other five strings. The others liked the sound and balance.
Always nice giving chamber works a big fat bottom instead of a second cello.