Yes it,s Really on Decline, switch to french asap and get rid of your german bows before they are worth nothing. BTW If you have a some good Pfretchners, Dolling or newer Lipkins german bows I might be able to offer you 50 bucks or so.
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Double Bass German Bowing on the Decline?
- Thread starter Steve Freides
- Start date
Europe is big and diverse. France, Holland and Italy for instance, are basically all french bow. Spain, Britain and Switzerland are mixed.
yes, you are right, but overall Holland does lean more towards french, in fact, you probably already know that when there is an audition, the Concertgebow is one of the few orchestras that officially and openly states that it does not take German bow players.
Yes, that's right, however Spain was not always like this, this has been a trend in the last 20 years. Two things have made a huge difference, one is that Streicher and Zepperitz have been teaching at Reina Sofia, and the open immigration policy of the European Union.
To this day, Spanish orchestras will tend not to care whether you play German or French as long as you play well. But you are correct, if there are two players with similar skills, one french and one german, they will tend to hire the german.
Rod (and others):
Do you know how the "New Dutch School" fits into the mix? The little I know of it seems to focus on solo playing, but with the (heavily modified) German bow.
Best,
Louis
Invalid Link Removed
Do you know how the "New Dutch School" fits into the mix? The little I know of it seems to focus on solo playing, but with the (heavily modified) German bow.
Best,
Louis
Invalid Link Removed
I know Robert Black at the University of Hartford is open to both, though he plays German himself. He had my friend switch from French to German, and he couldn't be happier with the switch.
i play french, but i currently study with robert at hartt. his studio is 50/50. the player you're talking about also switched to sitting too (which as far as i know robert never does). seems to work for him a lot better. i think that generally this is the reason you always see both bow holds - plenty of players simply can't feel comfortable with one or the other and eventually choose to go with what works for them.
I spoke to Tom Martin (American born but UK based for many years, former professor at the Guildhall and currently at Royal College of Music) and he said he's switched between German and French at various times to suit various orchestras, starting on the German in the US (this was some years ago) and then when moving to the UK switching to French as there were very few German bow sections in the UK at the time.
He said that as of now, in the UK, it's no longer an issue what grip you play, and there are now a number of notable German Bow players/teachers in the UK (e.g. Duncan McTier) when previously it was pretty strictly French-only.
There seem to be trends in certain areas for sure and they generally tend to be influenced by particular individuals, it seems.
He said that as of now, in the UK, it's no longer an issue what grip you play, and there are now a number of notable German Bow players/teachers in the UK (e.g. Duncan McTier) when previously it was pretty strictly French-only.
There seem to be trends in certain areas for sure and they generally tend to be influenced by particular individuals, it seems.
I learned French bow first but after a few years of it never feeling quite right, switched to German and it was immediately better for my hand and have never looked back. I had to change teachers because of it, and have been observing bowing preferences for a while now. My wife plays French, so I'm not really about to say one is better than the other!
Feel free to disagree, but my own theory is that bow preference is related to how a player intuitively holds a pencil or a fork, that it how they use their hands habitually and without tension. It seems to me in my casual observation that there are differences in the angle one holds their wrist at rest between French players and German players. Thus, I don't see one winning out anytime soon....
Feel free to disagree, but my own theory is that bow preference is related to how a player intuitively holds a pencil or a fork, that it how they use their hands habitually and without tension. It seems to me in my casual observation that there are differences in the angle one holds their wrist at rest between French players and German players. Thus, I don't see one winning out anytime soon....
Just saw this part of a Rabbath master class on Youtube -- really fascinating to this thread, I think.
LF
LF
This guy, Catalin Rotaru, doesn't think German's on the decline:
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2009/08/27/interview-with-catalin-rotaru/
Oh, in case you were wondering if he rocks or not:
Mm. Juicy.
http://www.notreble.com/buzz/2009/08/27/interview-with-catalin-rotaru/
Oh, in case you were wondering if he rocks or not:
Mm. Juicy.
Quarrinton changed from French to German. I picked up his duo with 'cellist Coenraad Bloemendal yesterday and he was still playing French when that was recorded.
The other night one of giant flying cock roaches we heard about before moving to Houston invaded our bedroom, we were barely unpacked and there was nothing like a fly swatter or anything, though I am primarily a German player I killed the thing with my French bow.
In the end it just best to know both grips, you never know which will be better for a particular situation.
The other night one of giant flying cock roaches we heard about before moving to Houston invaded our bedroom, we were barely unpacked and there was nothing like a fly swatter or anything, though I am primarily a German player I killed the thing with my French bow.
In the end it just best to know both grips, you never know which will be better for a particular situation.
I just think that it's not the best idea to use this clip as an example for great german bow playing. That piece is just so extremely hard on bass, that even for a player like Rotaru there is no room for dynamics, or anything. Even the intonation is not the best.
I my eyes, a much better executed ans MUCH MORE MUSICAL example of Rotaru is this:
I my eyes, a much better executed ans MUCH MORE MUSICAL example of Rotaru is this:
