Double Bass Beethoven 6th help!!!!

[SVT4001]

Very nice!

I really liked the Vanhal you posted too!

Great job!

Joe

 

[SplitNick]

What say all on playing this without an extension? I have been playing the Db major sixteenths up the octave. In this range the sound is less thunderous and the notes can be discerned at the upper tempos, not that I can cleanly hit them.

...And thanks for the vid, I believe that is the first excerpted clip of the section I have seen on youtube.

 

[wathaet]

In this range the sound is less thunderous and the notes can be discerned at the upper tempos, not that I can cleanly hit them.

Less thunderous... It is the storm!
Get to work and play it where it is written.

 

[SplitNick]

Great advice. Note the mention of no extension. Now please forward the grand or so, the extension will be placed as soon as the luthier can get to it, and will be known as the Kjetil Laukholm Memorial Contra C Extension.

 

[Simandl Fan]

can you imagine what that part sounded like at the premiere, or even the first rehearsal, with manuscript parts, candlelight, gut strings 1" high, woolen clothing, beards, no deodorant...I can only imagine the reaction of the section the first time Beethoven passed out the parts.

 

[SVT4001]

"I can only imagine the reaction of the section the first time Beethoven passed out the parts."

"Maestro, bist du veruck? Du machst mich fertig!!!"

LOL!

Joe

 

[fergus currie]

Pretty much like it is now..

Principal bass addresses the conductor(Beethoven)

"Maestro, I can't play that!"
"It's the effect that I want.."
"Like this..?" (tries to play the notes)
"No. More like, BBBBrrrrrBBBBBrrrrrDDDDDDGHGHGHGGbbbbb!!!!!!"
"Oh, you mean ......" (Does that thing we all do on the E string)
"No. Never mind, you'll get the idea."
"OK...." (Turns to section with a confused look.)

FC

 

[Skabasskid]

Keep in mind that Beethoven met Dragonetti and heard him play. (before Beethoven went deaf)

There are stories going both ways on playing all of the notes. Some conductors insist on every note being articulated, others say it's just an effect. You only have to look up one line in the part to see that the cellos are playing 5 notes against the 4 16ths played by the basses and there's no way it's going to sound real clean.

I shoot to get every note, including the lower passage on my 5-string. The best I've ever done in performance is maybe 90%.

Never have I been so happy to play a five string as when I first played this piece.

 

[ILIA]

‪The Impossible Bass Part - Beethoven Pastorale Symphony, in HD!!!‬‏ - YouTube

There are talkers and there are players. So nice to see someone actually PLAY the excerpt instead of just talking about it. If any talkers have criticisms of AndrewChilcote's "Storm", post a video response of how you would PLAY it. We would especially like to hear it performed by the talkers who get indignant about faking the passage the passage, and we would be especially interested in how it sounds on the extension.

Bravo Andrew!

 

[SplitNick]

Ok. Not on the extension, but I was inspired by Andrew Chilcote's video. Go ahead and lambaste any of my crap. It will be helpful in resolving any sloppiness. Also, I played through twice.

Beethoven Double Bass Excerpt Pastoral Storm 6-II - YouTube

 

[Square Bear]

Did he write a bass part similar in difficulty ever again? Nope.

double fugue in symphony no. 9?? IMO he wrote plenty of MORE difficult passages.

if beethoven intended for the bass part to be clear, i dont think he would've written quintuplets against 16ths between the basses and cellos.

that said, the passage is absolutely playable and your goal should be to play it as written. yes, it will sound like a noisy mess no matter how clean you play it - its supposed to. thats no excuse to simply not try. your effort will produce the right effect.

good luck!