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Double Bass Bluegrass Bowing

#22
Steve Killingsworth said:
That's the thing I want to avoid at all costs. I could pull out the bow and saw a little bit for the novelty effect, but I want to make music, not just put on a show.
... He pulls out a bow on occasion and the crowd enjoys it. However, it drives some of the purist pickers nuts.
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With no disrespect intended, what's wrong with 'putting on a show'? The classic days of bluegrass were ALL about the show - entertaining the folks. It's only been within the last 30 or 40 years that showmanship has become anathema to some musicians (Ricky Skaggs refers to 'purist pickers' as 'grassholes'.)
 
#23
No disrespect taken. I didn't say putting on a show was bad. What I said was "I want to make music, not just put on a show."

Interplay between group members (musical or verbal) is fine. Novelty tunes in the right time and place can be very entertaining. A little comedy or personal observations on song's meaning is a great way to connect with an audience.

I just want to be sure if I say something musical that I am speaking the correct language.
 
#26
Jason Sypher said:
I found this on my computer. It was just a practice thing so don't judge it as a "recording" recording. Go to myspace page and click on "George Washington's Tune". It's just me working out a fiddle tune.

Here is the link:
Link Removed
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I love it!
I do *some* bowing in bluegrass but mainly just on slow tunes and intros/outros. You are doing something very different. The "bounce" you get in that melody is really infectious. You got the fiddle lick down but you are laying down the groove at the same time. Sh*t. All fiddle players (and guitar players, etc) should learn to play the bass. If they all had that kind of feel it would be so much easier to listen to them! :bassist:
 
#28
I just put up a new bowed fiddle tune on my myspace page for those that are interested. I got my new mics recently and I was trying every configuration that I could in the hour that mom and baby were out. This is the omni/bridge version which is not my favourite. I really think the omni/spaced is the best sound. I ended up with some of my takes sounding a little 'underwater-tremolo', I'm not sure what happened. I think I might have recorded with reverb and then unthinkingly added reverb afterwards, I don't know. Anyway, regardless of intonation issues I got a kick out of this little snippet. It's straight ahead, in a real recording I think I would change it up a lot more... But it gives my fellow bassists around here a sense of what I'm working on. In the near future I'll replace it with something more to my liking. I guess I'm not the perfectionist I always thought I was.

heres the link:
Link Removed
 
#29
Brought my bow to our usual jam for the first time yesterday. Found several places to use it and it was rather well received. I think it is a welcome addition. The lack of percussive attack and providing that clear marking for tempo can be a challenge to get used to though.

Roger
 
#33
Thanks for the support. I've got a whole bag of fiddle tunes (not just oldtime/bluegrass but Hungarian/Roumanian as well) that I'm working on right now trying to get them to a place where I would be happy recording them. My goal is to record them in solo, duet and possibly trio formats.
I've got some great players to work with and I'm excited to open the tunes up and collaborate with others. I've decided to record some at home so I can hear what works and what doesn't, play with arrangements and to have something to give people so they can get an idea where I'm coming from. It can be hard to convince someone that you bow Elzick's Farewell on the bass unless they've heard it.
 
#38
With fiddle tunes you're better off to listen to the tune until you have it internalised, then try to express that on the instrument.

There are all kinds of great recorded versions besides Jason's. One of my favourites is on Scott Nygaard's "Dreamer's Waltz".

Have fun! :)
 
#39
I agree with the post above. I played this tune as a bass player at festivals for years. So I had the tune in me long before I tried it on the bass. And furthermore, I tried it on the bass many times and thought I couldn't get a piece of it so I just gave up. Then I got a recording recently by French Carpenter and there the tune was again. He played it with two parts but hearing it helped me assemble it in my head and then on the bass. Of course, it doesn't sound too good at first. You've just to take it phrase by phrase and see if you can get any of them happening.
A lot of it has to do with the bowing and phrasing as you can see when these tunes are written out they look very childlike. There is a pulse or swing that keeps the damn thing in the air so try to practice that simple shuffle a bit. I could make you a super slow file and send it to you?

I found a free download here:
http://music.download.com/morgantownrounders/3615-8240_32-100620010.html
 
#40
Jason Sypher said:
I agree with the post above. I played this tune as a bass player at festivals for years. So I had the tune in me long before I tried it on the bass. And furthermore, I tried it on the bass many times and thought I couldn't get a piece of it so I just gave up. Then I got a recording recently by French Carpenter and there the tune was again. He played it with two parts but hearing it helped me assemble it in my head and then on the bass. Of course, it doesn't sound too good at first. You've just to take it phrase by phrase and see if you can get any of them happening.
A lot of it has to do with the bowing and phrasing as you can see when these tunes are written out they look very childlike. Sorry about the two clef thing, I hope that isn't throwing you off. There is a pulse or swing that keeps the damn thing in the air so try to practice that simple shuffle a bit. I could make you a super slow file and send it to you?

I found a free download here:
http://music.download.com/morgantownrounders/3615-8240_32-100620010.html
Click to expand...

Thanks.

What is throwing me off is the 2 part piano score. The toughest thing is that there is never a time when 1 line has the melody, it is more of one line split onto 2 different parts. I am not sure weather to play some of them as double stops or not.
 

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