When going into the strings room at my school (to get my violin) I accidentally tripped over someone else’s double bass and fell on it. The double bass was lying right at the door just out of the hallways light. It was already lying on the floor. The room was dark and their case was black, so I couldn’t see it. I couldn't tell if it was broken or not because it was in the case (I REALLY HOPE ITS NOT BROKEN). I was wondering how easily double bases get broken and was hoping that me falling on it would not have broken it. I will have to see if it is broken or not tomorrow.
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Double Bass Do basses break easily?
- Thread starter Mikitty
- Start date
Basses are fairly sturdy in one plane; if a bass is lying on its side and you fall on it, it may take the hit with little or no damage. If it falls on its front or back, or takes a heavy hit on the neck or scroll, it's fragile. Basses are a little like eggs in that way.
The times of danger for our instruments are those just before and after we rehearse and play. I'm very conscious of where I lay my bass down, trying to keep it out of traffic.
The times of danger for our instruments are those just before and after we rehearse and play. I'm very conscious of where I lay my bass down, trying to keep it out of traffic.
Last edited:
Gee, James...I never pictured you as an "Ambulance Chaser".
Work is Work, I guess.
Thx.
Barring the obvious question directed at the bassist of "why would you leave your instrument in the walking path", other questions come to mind.
Was there a light switch? Flashlight on your phone?
Fine Arts students are a messy bunch at the best of times, and I've never been a fan of wandering into dark places without a light source anyways. Wandering into an unlit room that is the haunt of music students and the repository for their devices of devilry is a disaster waiting to happen. Fine arts students in general, even.
And I would know, too, I was both a music major and the self-appointed curator of the room where all the basses and cellos were stored at my college, purely to try and keep such catastrophes from coming to pass.
Anyways, I'd say average human body weight in an uncontrolled fall beats double bass no matter the orientation or angle, it just depends on how bad the damage actually is. If I were you, I wouldn't be worried about whether or not something got messed up, I'd be worrying about what the repair bill is.
Was there a light switch? Flashlight on your phone?
Fine Arts students are a messy bunch at the best of times, and I've never been a fan of wandering into dark places without a light source anyways. Wandering into an unlit room that is the haunt of music students and the repository for their devices of devilry is a disaster waiting to happen. Fine arts students in general, even.
And I would know, too, I was both a music major and the self-appointed curator of the room where all the basses and cellos were stored at my college, purely to try and keep such catastrophes from coming to pass.
Anyways, I'd say average human body weight in an uncontrolled fall beats double bass no matter the orientation or angle, it just depends on how bad the damage actually is. If I were you, I wouldn't be worried about whether or not something got messed up, I'd be worrying about what the repair bill is.
François Rabbath taught us many things, including that a little gravity goes a long way.
Well if I was you, I wouldn’t be too worried about it. Make a good faith effort to notify the owner about what happened, and document everything you can with pictures.
Leaving an expensive, relatively fragile instrument on the floor in the way of foot traffic? The owner will probably be thanking their lucky stars you didn’t get hurt.
Leaving an expensive, relatively fragile instrument on the floor in the way of foot traffic? The owner will probably be thanking their lucky stars you didn’t get hurt.
It's unpredictable. The fact that century-old basses almost always show signs of repair suggests some fragility.
At this point the most important thing is musician etiquette: The bassist needs to find this out from you before they open the case or find it out from someone else. If you can't find them, leave a note and tell the teacher. The reason is that accidents happen but a musician needs their instrument to be in working order, and might need to scramble for an emergency repair / rental if they have rehearsals and performances coming up.
At this point the most important thing is musician etiquette: The bassist needs to find this out from you before they open the case or find it out from someone else. If you can't find them, leave a note and tell the teacher. The reason is that accidents happen but a musician needs their instrument to be in working order, and might need to scramble for an emergency repair / rental if they have rehearsals and performances coming up.
Looks like he was up to about 70 to 75 feet.
26975413[/URL], member: 161135"]Looks like he was up to about 70 to 75 feet.
It’s probably France so I’d say 22 meters
in many ways they're a lot sturdier than you think.
in other ways, they're so much more fragile.
depends on the bass, and all the other variables of a given incident.
in other ways, they're so much more fragile.
depends on the bass, and all the other variables of a given incident.
BobDeRosa
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