Double Bass Dumb question time...

[Andy Mopley]

how do you know when your bowing is faster than your fingers or your fingers are faster than the bowing? Is it apparent in the sound that is produced? How is synchronization best practiced? For example, if I can bow sixteen notes cleanly on an open strings, and I can't play as clearly when using fingers on a scale, is this one obvious clue.. or not necessarily?

Regards to all.

 

[neilG]

Not a dumb question. I know there will be some long-winded answers. Briefly:

-How do you know? It won't sound right, in some way. Hopefully, you can recognize this. The problem is if you can't. That's what teachers are for.

-How to practice? Slow to fast. There are any number of ways to practice finger speed, among them playing in rhythms, slurring instead of separate notes to bring out faults in articulation of the left hand, breaking the passage up into smaller, manageable chunks and then putting them together, etc.

-Yes, that's an obvious clue. See answer to first question.

Do you have a particular passage you're having trouble with?

Neil

 

[David Potts]

Here is my short-winded response! I will PM some material to you, not today but in a few days time! Cheers,Neil !!

 

[neilG]

Here is my short-winded response! I will PM some material to you, not today but in a few days time! Cheers,Neil !!

Sorry, David, not directed at you. I'm sure everyone here would like your advice. My nature is to make things as concise and brief as possible, and I tend to lose patience with those who aren't the same way. That's MY failure, not anyone else's.

 

[bengreen]

Not sure if this is the same problem, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to fix passages with what I thought was a left hand issue, then shifted my attention to the bow and found out it was actually a right hand issue.

 

[Les Fret]

Not sure if this is the same problem, but I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to fix passages with what I thought was a left hand issue, then shifted my attention to the bow and found out it was actually a right hand issue.

I was at a cello masterclass last week and the teacher said ‘most intonation problems are coming from the right hand not the left hand’. I thought that was very interesting and didn’t completely understand it. But it got me thinking.

 

[PaulCannon]

I was at a cello masterclass last week and the teacher said ‘most intonation problems are coming from the right hand not the left hand’.

That’s true. Your left hand might be a disaster, but we only hear it when you use the right hand at the same time.

 

[csrund]

+1 for practicing in different rhythmic patterns. You can try reversing your bowings, too.

 

[Les Fret]

That’s true. Your left hand might be a disaster, but we only hear it when you use the right hand at the same time.

haha...yes true of course. I saw all the other cello teachers in the audience nodding so there must be some truth in what he said....

 

[PaulCannon]

haha...yes true of course. I saw all the other cello teachers in the audience nodding so there must be some truth in what he said....

I mean, I get the point but “most” is an exaggeration. You can definitely bend the pitch with the bow in more ways than one. But the vast majority of sour notes result from bad left hand technique.

 

[Les Fret]

I mean, I get the point but “most” is an exaggeration. You can definitely bend the pitch with the bow in more ways than one. But the vast majority of sour notes result from bad left hand technique.

What he meant I guess was that if there is any insecurity in the bow hand you will immediately notice that in the left hand intonation.

What do mean by bending the pitch with the bow?