Double Bass - I don't really get it

[40Hz]

As was mentioned, the way a DB moves air is unique to the instrument. And it radiates in all directions. There's a certain "presence" for lack of a better word with a note coming out of an upright that's difficult to impossible to get another way. And that's a very different sensation from a note coming out of a speaker. Not better or worse. Just different.

If you're into it, the DB is how to get it. If it's not your thing, it's not your thing. No fault. No foul.

 

[matt holt]

Why would someone want use paint and a brush when they could just use their tablet and stylus? Canvases are big to lug around, the paint is messy, there is no "undo" button, and you can't use filters. Is it just cause they think it looks cool?

Well, in that case, yes, the person does like the the paintings cause they look cool, but you get my point

 

[matt holt]

troll thread

Also this, though possibly unintended. The answer to pretty much any question like this is "cause we want to"

 

[Pilgrim]

An upright bass is a different instrument with a different sound than an electric bass guitar (which is really a proper description of an electric bass.)

Playing it is a tactile and audible challenge that is different than playing an electric. It is a different experience. I suppose the OP could ask a similar question about playing clarinet vs. a soprano or alto sax. (Or maybe mandolin vs. ukelele.) Both are in the same family, both play in similar pitch sets, but they are different instruments.

 

[One Drop]

I grew up in the era when DB was still very much a part of the music you heard daily, and when Jazz was still a popular art form.

I was always attracted to the richness and thump of the instrument, and the vocal expressive qualities always fascinated and attracted me.

When I got deeply into Jazz in my teens I was lucky enough to se and hear many of the world's best bassists in small clubs and halls, and often the sound was excellent. The visceral thump and the all-enveloping feeling of hearing a DB well played and in an acoustic setting or well amplified is truly stunning and cannot be reproduced with another instrument.

In an orchestral setting the effect of a whole section playing is also something to be experienced.

To be honest, for all the talk of DB and EB being different instruments, and in spite of me being an EB player who has only fooled around with DBs on a few occasions, deep down I consider the EB a much less impressive and expressive instrument than its bigger older brother, which is the king of all bass instruments IMO.

In the end you probably just haven't heard enough of well recorded or amplified DB to really 'hear' it yet- like people who never played or singled out EB when listening and concentrated on it, they probably all sound much of a muchness.

 

[quickfix]

I think they're cool. Just not gonna run out and buy one right away.
Besides, it won't fit in my MGB in the summer.

 

[Fat Steve]

Hey.
I've played bass for a number of years- electric only- mostly R and B, blues, rock....

I like to play jazz standards for fun and have often toyed with the idea of joining a small trio. However, most want up right acoustic and I just don't dig the sound. Or the size!

At the risk of being a jerk, not sure why anyone would play one of those. Cause it looks cool? Often the sound is so dull most will not be able to tell if the player is a half step off a chord tone on beat one. (Mic'd on stage is a bit better but seems rare)

I know I've pissed someone off by writing this. But I need to be enlightened on this instrument. Please explain.
Thanks!

The first time I went on stage with my DB, I knew I had made the right decision. Yeah, it's a pain to carry around, but with the right pickup and processing, amplification is a snap. There's also certain thrill which comes from playing the hell out of a DB with a country rock group. I dance with my bass for a couple tunes, and the crowd eats it up.

So, to answer your questions, I play it because it's fun. Yes, it looks cool. Should I not play it because it looks cool? That would be totes edgy, am I right? Also, I can tell when I'm a half step off. What kind of musician wouldn't be able to? It's pretty glaring when it happens.

 

[ThudThudThud]

Listen to the tone, and that note at 0.39

 

[arbiterusa]

Sold mine a while back to a guy who would actually play it - and he's gone from mostly electric to mostly upright, that's how much he does play it - but I miss having one around. Now, granted, I come from a violin background, but an upright bass is just a wonderful thing. Dull? Only if the player is.

 

[hsech]

I played DB in my college jazz band. Never played one before. Just checked out the school's DB and taught myself over a week or so. Not great, but good enough to get by. Now days the closest I get is a Frettless Fender Jazz with Tape Wraps.

 

[CoarseBass]

Listen to John Butler trio, the album called Sunrise Over Sea, using good speakers/headphones.

If that doesn't change your mind about double bass nothing will. Every time i listen to this album i tell myself i need to buy a double bass and learn to play it.
Then i remember that i don't have the room in my flat to store it, and i don't have the patience to learn to play it in tune.

I love the tone he has, "Company Sin" and "Peaches and cream" are the perfect double bass tone!

WOW the John Butler trio - never heard them, listening now and they're fantastic.

 

[khutch]

I like to play jazz standards for fun and have often toyed with the idea of joining a small trio. However, most want up right acoustic and I just don't dig the sound. Or the size!

At the risk of being a jerk, not sure why anyone would play one of those. Cause it looks cool? Often the sound is so dull most will not be able to tell if the player is a half step off a chord tone on beat one. (Mic'd on stage is a bit better but seems rare)

If you were to attend an orchestra concert you would notice at least three things:

1) your characterization of the sound of the double bass is inaccurate, they sound glorious!
2) of all the people in the orchestra the bassists often appear to be having the most fun!!
3) most people in the orchestra do not play double bass so at some level they must agree with you!!!

Another way to calibrate yourself to the instrument would be to get one or both of the Superbass recordings. A band composed of three double basses. Sounds improbable when you hear of it, sounds wonderful when you hear it.

I should think that you could find a jazz group that would accept a BG however. Keep looking, or try to start your own.

 

[carlos840]

WOW the John Butler trio - never heard them, listening now and they're fantastic.

yep, they did 3 albums with that lineup and then John Butler got rid of the other 2 guys, apparently looking for a different tone or something like that!
A shame if you ask me.
To me this is an amazing use of double bass, this guy is an amazing player and has one of the best double bass tones i have heard.

 

[Slevage]

Hey.
I've played bass for a number of years- electric only- mostly R and B, blues, rock....

I like to play jazz standards for fun and have often toyed with the idea of joining a small trio. However, most want up right acoustic and I just don't dig the sound. Or the size!

At the risk of being a jerk, not sure why anyone would play one of those. Cause it looks cool? Often the sound is so dull most will not be able to tell if the player is a half step off a chord tone on beat one. (Mic'd on stage is a bit better but seems rare)

I know I've pissed someone off by writing this. But I need to be enlightened on this instrument. Please explain.
Thanks!

You are probably hearing correctly. To get a quality sound out of a double bass requires a reasonably good instrument set up correctly AND
lots of practice.
Fretted instruments take less time to develop a sound.

 

[Nev375]

Theres stuff i dont like that other people do like.

I used to wonder why... now I'm just thankful that I'm different and couldn't care less.

 

[Marial]

I came to DB later in life, but I simply love it. There is a big difference between how a good bass will sound vs one that is not, ditto for a player with good technique vs one without. They are a lot of work, but they're well worth it. Playing the upright is like having a dance partner and the physicality of it is part of the joy in playing the instrument. At least for me. Don't get me wrong, I still love playing electric, but it's just a different thing altogether.

Of course, they aren't for everyone, and that's okay.

 

[DigitalMan]

Toyed with joining a group that wants upright?

I suspect they were looking for a kind way to say they don't want you. You play bass guitar and they want a bassist. There is a difference between the two.

So only bass guitarists who also play double bass are bassists?

 

[bigtone23]

Not for everyone. The physical requirements to play one are like being a pro athlete. If you are not in shape, they beat you up pretty good.

 

[Coolhandjjl]

....At the risk of being a jerk, not sure why anyone would play one of those. Cause it looks cool?...

Chicks dig anyone that can master coaxing sweet yet pulsating notes out of a thing of mystery.

 

[Alexis Duntov]

Meh. If you don't like the sound, you don't like the sound. Nothing wrong with it. I play both and go through phases where I'm focused primarily on one, to the exclusion of the other. Right now I'm not listening to any Jazz and am really into the Fender. Then it will change and I'll be super focused on upright and electric bass will sound artificial to me. I will say that the discipline and focus required to play upright is tremendous, and so is the fulfillment. And I learn new things and think about music differently when I'm focused on upright. Lastly, can you imagine the iconic Jazz recordings (or any other iconic recordings featuring double bass) without it?

This for example?