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Double Bass fretmarkers on upright???? huh

#81
robobass said:
Also, the recurring theme about hitting the note slightly off and quickly adjusting is just false. If you play that way you sound that way. The only way to sound in tune is to be in tune. Develop your left hand technique and aural acuity to a point where you hit every note (or at least almost every note) dead on. Until you can do that, you are just another wannabe.
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False? That's quite an assertion. I believe we are discussing two different orders of magnitude. In an earlier post, I wondered about what I would refer to as rapid "micro" adjustments. I believe they likely do take place. In fact, IIRC, the science has been done in the case of vocalists. I agree wholeheartedly that one should endeavor to learn to land the notes as dead-on as a human can.
 
#82
I've joined this party late and I might turn out to be a bit of a party-pooper - but what's wrong with just learning how to play the damn bass properly?? :confused: Don Higdon is 100% on the money - with the variables involved in the DB, markers are no great help anyway. If they are used as a visual guide before micro-correction of the intoned note kicks in (as some folks seem to have suggested), then logically they are only required if you routinely go for notes and miss by a huge margin. If this is the case, then technique issues etc need to be addressed. The pencil is at very best a study aid - and at worst a lazy short cut which may provide a short-term solution but will ultimately fail.
Intonation is a funny old thing - Rufus Reid talks in TEB about liking one player's sound, another's ideas, another's intonation... I reckon that (since most bass technique has developed as effective problem-solving for getting from a-b on the big beast) necessary micro-correction has probably become enmeshed with the jazz bass vocabulary of vibrato, slides etc. Musical devices which can be employed to help you out of a spot of bother if necessary. How many times have I played a slight sliding vibrato onto that big ol' cold Db? - just to effect a little more mwah on the note, you understand;)
 
#85
jaydbass said:
Don't be a big wean. All I'm doing is throwing my hat in with all the other bassists who have learned & play without a itty-bitty sticker to show them where to put their fingers:spit:
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My own position (no pun intended) is close to that of jaydbass with the possible exception that if you are recording and need to nail a cold note or something of that ilk, I can see the usefulness of a "helper." Whenever I have had trouble with a particular passage, classical or jazz, my approach has been to practice the hell out of it and to learn to feel and to hear what is correct. Much of the time, however, I think position markers are used as a substitute for learning and developing proper technique. I said "much," not "all." Personally, I have never used such devices except, perhaps, when I was just starting out at a young age. I can't really remember ever having them and none of my teachers used them or even suggested their use. For me, markers would hardly be useful because I don't look at my hands when I play. I am not telling others what they should or should not do. If I were teaching, however, I would do so in the tradition in which I was taught. That is, beyond using markers to acquaint the complete newbie to the fingerboard, they would be banned.

I do want to clarify what I said about "micro" adjustments. I am not speaking here of sliding into a note or hitting a note off by an eight of a semi-tone and pulling in the intonation. I really mean "micro" and, as such, I was referring to an area of technical scientific inquiry.
 
#86
So if everybody before never used markers to help deal with intonation is the talkbass group breaking new ground? I mean if people here had the idea of marking spots on the instrument it had to exist before. Everybody has mentioned school bass with tape on the FB and other such things.

I'm not speaking for anyone other than myself when I say that I believe they can be very helpful IN THE PRACTICE ROOM. Using a slight pencil mark in front of a mirror has helped me zero in on problematic shifts. And I've known others who use this aid as well, but you'll never see pencil marks on my (or others mentioned) bass outside the practice room setting.

What ever helps someone is fine. Get over yourselves!
 
#90
Quote:
Originally Posted by jaydbass
Don't brag about your big wean...

Erm, "wean" (pronounced "wayne") is dialectic Scots for child or baby rather than penis;)
I use a tuner as well as my ears so's I can be confident I've tuned up correctly when all hell is breaking loose (ie horns, drums, guitars, the general public) round about.
 
#93
PoorPlayer said:
Imbed LEDs in the side of the fingerboard and when any of the four strings are nailed at that position, illuminate the LED there? ;)
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Now yer talkin'. But shouldn't the LEDs have sensors so they light up when you're close? Otherwise, you won't know if you nailed it until AFTER you've nailed it?

FWIW, All 3 of my weans were over 9 lbs at birth.
 
#98
Dot inlays are on my bass, I like to have the visual aid for good intonation & the audible one & the practise makes perfect one.

Best wishes
Gary
 

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#100
Like most of you guys, at first I was against dot markers. But for the past several months, I got a hold of a NS Design CR-4 EUB which came with dot markers. I use it as mainly a silent practice bass for at home, and I try to play more on my Chrissy when possible which has no markers. After several months of banging on this thing, it seems that the markers ARE a big help. My intonation is a heckova lot better now and I feel more confident with my intonation playing pizz. My guesstimates are that I was probably about 35% dead on with my intonation before, and more like 50-60% dead on after practicing with the NS. Which to me is alot. The rest of the time I'm fudging it and it's not noticeable to me that I'm off slightly (I hope that other folks don't hear it either).

Although my perceptions could be skewed as I do practice arco from time to time. Still, there's definitely a confidence boost from having practiced with the NS. I practice the NS by not looking at the dots, but only as a spot check now and then. Even with the two basses having different scale lengths, I'm able to intonate them equally the same I think.

I like the idea of subtle pernambuco dots. I think Ray Parker was definitely onto something. I don't like the idea of marking everything, just one probably at the octave and one or two more for TP would be nice.

Thinking about it now, tuners don't work, they're too slow and can be slightly off because of how you pull the string. I tried that for a long time.

I highly suggest you guys try it if possible... I think it's worth giving it a whirl before you shut the idea down.
 

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