Double Bass col legno in The Planets

[b1644]

Just wondering what the consensus is regarding the triplet part of the figure... do you bounce the bow to get the triplet or tap each note separately (which can be tough at higher tempos).

I find I can tap the notes out pretty quickly if I choke up on the bow but then it's harder to revert back to my regular (German) grip for the return to the "naturale" stroke.

Thanks,

Martin

 

[bassics1975]

What makes the col legno in Mars so difficult from the onset is the the dynamics. If the conductor decides to take it at a bit of a clip then tapping-out each of the eighths in the triplet can be almost impossible to play with control at the indicated dynamics. I find playing the triplet as a ricochet in one bow direction with a slight brush stroke near the bridge produces a good effect.

 

[David Potts]

Down Down Down - Up - Down Down - Up, using ricochet on the Downs, works best for me but I'm a French Bow(ist). The bow arm movement is a simple 4 to the bar.

DP

 

[fergus currie]

or Down . . Up - Down Up down, or Down . . . - Down . . with a slight dim on each half of the bar. The second is probably more musical. Oh and it's all ricochet! the second half is from a bit higher up to slow down the bounce.
FC

 

[robobass]

What makes the col legno in Mars so difficult from the onset is the the dynamics. If the conductor decides to take it at a bit of a clip then tapping-out each of the eighths in the triplet can be almost impossible to play with control at the indicated dynamics. I find playing the triplet as a ricochet in one bow direction with a slight brush stroke near the bridge produces a good effect.

+1. Also, I find this passage quite difficult with my main orchestra bow and easier with a lighter, cheaper bow I happen to keep around. You might even try it with a pencil or drumstick!

 

[David Potts]

Sorry, I should have said ricochet all the way, since it is all Col Legno. Obviously there area few possibilities. I like my one because it is easy to control and the last up stroke just before going Normale (arco) makes resuming the bow hold easier. Probably what matters most in the Section is to all do the same thing whether evryone agrees with the Principal or not!!

DP

 

[b1644]

I made some good progress on it last night tapping out each note of the triplet while holding the bow with my normal German grip, tapping the string with the side of the stick. This seems to afford pretty good control over the bounce via the index and middle fingers but varying the dynamics is difficult.

I was able to keep up with the recording I have (Bernstein and the N.Y. Phil) pretty well. It moves along at about 166 bpm.


- Martin

 

[David Potts]

I forgot about the Side of the Bow trick!! Also that somewhere along the length of the stick there is a sweet area to do the Col Legno Battuto. And, if the bass section and orchestra are big enough, a few short notes missed in the changeover to Arco won't be noticed.

DP

 

[Don Higdon]

I treasure my Lipkins bow, and I'll be God damned if I'm going to beat on the stick just because it says col legno. For The Planets, I used a scrap piece of window molding. As if anyone's listening experience was harmed.

 

[robobass]

I treasure my Lipkins bow, and I'll be God damned if I'm going to beat on the stick just because it says col legno. For The Planets, I used a scrap piece of window molding. As if anyone's listening experience was harmed.

You were probably more precise with that window moulding than you would have been denting up the Lipkins bow, and I bet no one besides your stand partner even noticed that you were doing anything unorthodox

 

[bejoyous]

For col legno, I use the hair just over the plug at the tip of the bow. That way the bow is like a big drumstick and I can control the rhythm well. A little bit of the ivory touches the string during the bounce to produce that col legno click and the hair provides the fundamental of the note. And no damage to the bow.

If the col legno passage alternates with a regular passage, I sometimes use the metal ferule of the frog so I don't have to turn the stick. And again, no damage to the stick.

 

[Big B.]

The last time I played the Planets the entire section used yellow #2 pencils. The sound was very easy to control and the dynamic was just right. Exactly the opposite of trying to do it with the bow. My only suggestion would be to go with black pencils instead of yellow.