Double Bass "bouncing" the bass back and forth while plucking the string.

[jjqq123]

Hey guys, I have noticed that when I play pizzicato I tend to "bounce" the bass a lot and I haven´t seen other bass players doing that. I think it´s a matter of poor technique on my part.

I use high endpin and I put the bass on the border between the side and the back, resting on my gut.

I wanted to ask aswell if changing the angle of the bass (to better reach lower strings) is also a thing in jazz pizzicato as it is in german bowing.

Thank you, best regards!

 

[TroyK]

I think I'd need to see a video clip. I can't quite picture it.

 

[BarfanyShart]

I've seen people (even really great players) do this thing when they start digging in hard with the right arm - their left arm at the bicep and shoulders kind of jerks along with the right hand. In a way, it is poor technique (unnecessary movement, which may lead to intonation problems and exhaustion), like a lack of coordination in the larger muscles because the player hasn't done tons of focused technique practice while digging in that hard.

If that's what's going on with you, then I guess the answer is to practice with a lighter right hand, eliminate the unnecessary movement, and then build back the right hand force you want without letting the unnecessary movement come back. Then you gotta try not to get swept away in a performance/jam situation where you start digging in "too hard." But, you know, there's something to be said for letting yourself get swept away occasionally - blood blisters never hurt anybody.

 

[Brent Nussey]

I think I understand your problem. You have the bass held up high, and the back edge is all that's resting against your body. It's the least stable position you can use, and so the bass will wobble when you pull the strings. I suggest putting your legs a bit further apart, so that you can rest your left knee against the back of the bass. That'll stabilize it. But the higher you have the bass, the more difficult this will be to do without putting too much weight on your right foot. Why have the bass so high? Generally, as long as you can hold the bow close enough to the bridge for your high register playing, it's high enough.

 

[jjqq123]

I've seen people (even really great players) do this thing when they start digging in hard with the right arm - their left arm at the bicep and shoulders kind of jerks along with the right hand. In a way, it is poor technique (unnecessary movement, which may lead to intonation problems and exhaustion), like a lack of coordination in the larger muscles because the player hasn't done tons of focused technique practice while digging in that hard.

If that's what's going on with you, then I guess the answer is to practice with a lighter right hand, eliminate the unnecessary movement, and then build back the right hand force you want without letting the unnecessary movement come back. Then you gotta try not to get swept away in a performance/jam situation where you start digging in "too hard." But, you know, there's something to be said for letting yourself get swept away occasionally - blood blisters never hurt anybody.

I think I understand your problem. You have the bass held up high, and the back edge is all that's resting against your body. It's the least stable position you can use, and so the bass will wobble when you pull the strings. I suggest putting your legs a bit further apart, so that you can rest your left knee against the back of the bass. That'll stabilize it. But the higher you have the bass, the more difficult this will be to do without putting too much weight on your right foot. Why have the bass so high? Generally, as long as you can hold the bow close enough to the bridge for your high register playing, it's high enough.

Hi, thanks for your answers. I think Brent describes pretty much my position while standing. I have tried a. lower endpin and b. using my knee as a point of contact and I find them unconfortable. The low endpin makes my back bend unnecessarily, especially when going for thumb position. I have problems with lower back pain.

On the other hands I have seen some (most of the?) bassist play with high endpin and no knee contact.

BarfanyShart, the bass just wobbles without too much digging in, just by playing normal with a relaxed right hand... I feel like doing pressure with my right thumb mitigates it, but I don´t think is good either way.

 

[Jim Dombrowski]

Get a teacher

 

[jj.833]

I recommend to watch videos by @Chris Fitzgerald about stance and right hand on YouTube. There's lot of information that helped me a lot when I was looking for 'operational standards'. It's not everything you need to know, but I haven't found any wrong info there.

 

[jj.833]

Also, surprisingly, practicing with bow helps a lot with freeing your left and right hand from each other, so you can focus better on separate problems. Takes time though.

 

[Ed S]

My first thought was that you were sorta "dancing" with the bass - as is easy to do when getting into a line. And as part of that, maybe pushing/pulling on the neck to accompany/emphasize some point of emphasis. But you seem to describe something different.

Over the past couple of years I've been playing more and more while seated. I imagine it would be harder to do what you describe while seated. You might want to just try a stool, to see how that affects the tendencies you describe.

 

[Papageno]

Hi, thanks for your answers. I think Brent describes pretty much my position while standing. I have tried a. lower endpin and b. using my knee as a point of contact and I find them unconfortable. The low endpin makes my back bend unnecessarily, especially when going for thumb position. I have problems with lower back pain.

On the other hands I have seen some (most of the?) bassist play with high endpin and no knee contact.

BarfanyShart, the bass just wobbles without too much digging in, just by playing normal with a relaxed right hand... I feel like doing pressure with my right thumb mitigates it, but I don´t think is good either way.

When playing standing, my bass is in contact with my left knee (but I still have balanced stance with equal weight on both feets), so that I can hold the bass without using my hands (I can even move it around by moving the hips). It was quite long for me to master this, though. I was motivated by this tutorial by Michael Klinghoffer (he was a student of Gary Karr and the teacher of Avishai Cohen...). My bass is not as vertical as MK's; you will have ot find your own stance.

M. Klinghoffer