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Double Bass Ed Friedland on tour with the Mavericks

#22
Don Kasper said:
"What Were Once Vices Are Now Habits"?
I'm glad that this approach works for Mr. Friedland.
I discourage/prohibit(!) this approach in my teaching and playing.
Thanks.
Click to expand...

I agree! however, I play improvised music, which means I make my own parts, I can normally play a whole set using the exact technique I want (when I get tired I tend to move on to something that works that I can play properly). Also, avant garde music in recent times has leaned toward shorter sets. I have learned to give players who are doing long shows with repetitive parts a little benefit of the doubt. Also, there are high action gut players that pull a huge sound, I tend to give them slack, too. Still, the bass teacher in me says,"NO!!!!".
 
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#25
It's interesting how some people seize on the technique thing... but that's understandable I guess. There are several reasons I play this way on this gig. One of them is longevity - my set runs anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, pretty much non-stop playing, static position triads. This monkey grip technique is very stress-free, and helps me stay relaxed over the course of the set. It also is how "thumpers" play... I had classical training first, I played jazz for 39 years... But when I started doing honky tonk/roots upright gigs with gut strings about 10 years ago, I realized it required a different approach. If you play it with classical technique, it sounds wrong. You don't necessarily want sustain, you don't need to execute anything fast - your sonic footprint simply doesn't allow it. So... "my" technique is also a big part of how I get the sound I need.

The gig is a blast, the tunes, the grooves, the band... all super fun! And my gear is perfectly suited to the very challenging task of getting that 50s thump acoustic bass sound at stadium rock volume. Breaking the bass down every night is surprisingly easy with the Chadwick, it takes me 5 minutes tops, and it sets up exactly the same, and sounds great every night... it's been very consistent.
 
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#27
edfriedland said:
It's interesting how some people seize on the technique thing... but that's understandable I guess. There are several reasons I play this way on this gig. One of them is longevity - my set runs anywhere from 2 to 3 hours, pretty much non-stop playing, static position triads. This monkey grip technique is very stress-free, and helps me stay relaxed over the course of the set. It also is how "thumpers" play... I had classical training first, I played jazz for 39 years... But when I started doing honky tonk/roots upright gigs with gut strings about 10 years ago, I realized it required a different approach. If you play it with classical technique, it sounds wrong. You don't necessarily want sustain, you don't need to execute anything fast - your sonic footprint simply doesn't allow it. So... "my" technique is also a big part of how I get the sound I need.

The gig is a blast, the tunes, the grooves, the band... all super fun! And my gear is perfectly suited to the very challenging task of getting that 50s thump acoustic bass sound at stadium rock volume. Breaking the bass down every night is surprisingly easy with the Chadwick, it takes me 5 minutes tops, and it sets up exactly the same, and sounds great every night... it's been very consistent.
Click to expand...

I've always wondered if that "50s thump acoustic bass sound" was simply the result of inferior recording equipment.
I once had a very good piano player tell me to "let them ring out, they didn't sound like that live."
 
#28
The old school upright sound was mostly a product of using gut strings and miking the instrument. The gut decays faster, so the notes are shorter, and the mic picks up the air movement from the body... It's the polar opposite of steel strings and a pickup.

My hand position is mostly a response to the repetitive nature of the lines I play, my hand seizes up if I try to play with "legit" technique for the whole gig. And... The extra labor (micro-shifts) created by the monkey grip gives the line a little bit of slop.... Slop is good in this case, it ain't Bottesini!
 
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