Double Bass Good and Easy

[Dave Irwin]

I'm looking for recomendations for DB music that isn't technically challenging and still musically interesting.

I'm looking for music that will help me get the bow together and encourage me to continue. The etudes are getting old.

Thanks,
Dave

 

[EFischer1]

I try the Vivaldi sonatas...especially the a minor sonata as well as the Marcello sonatas

 

[David Kaczorowski]

The bouree's from the 3rd Bach cello suite aren't especially technically challenging but are as musical as anything.

 

[olivier]

Dave: from your post, it's difficult to guess where you're at bow-wise, but any melody could do it, including Real Book standards. Then you'll know the cord changes and the pizz bass part, plus the melody and how to play it arco.

 

[Dave Irwin]

I've played some standards. "Out of Nowhere" comes to mind. I think the problem with just playing fake book tunes is knowing what does and doesn't lay well on the bass.

Plus, I really need to practice using the bowing specified by the music.

I am a jazzer but I've been listening to more and more legit stuff lately. I'm really interested in performing some chamber music if not with an orchestra. (I'd rather start by messing up a smaller number of players...)

Unaccompanied pieces would be especially nice since I'm too lazy to hook up a midi setup in my practice room. (it will eventually come to that but until then...)

Thanks,
Dave

 

[lermgalieu]

I dunno, I see his point. His goal for these pieces is to become a better Bass Player, not a better musician. He wants pieces that will give him specific improvement in a specific technique, bowing, and I have to agree that something written for bass with appropriate bow direction tips, etc, would be best for that.

I however do STRONGLY agree with you Ed as to the general thrust of your statement, it is what I aspire to. I just don't think it is specific enough for the stated purpose of this thread.

 

[lermgalieu]

Oh by the way, I am stuck in Simandl and Bach right now, so I don't have anything good to offer you, but I am writing down what everyone else is recommending!

 

[chaurett]

You might want to take a look at the Dragonetti Waltzes. They were written specifically for the bass so they lay better than the Bach suites but they can be very musical. Also, any Vivaldi/Marcello/Handel sonata would be great.

 

[Dave Irwin]

Ed, I promise that at some point, I'll practice all the standards and every key. (honest...

I'm content to let the bass push me around a little bit for now.

Dave

 

[David Kaczorowski]

Oscar Zimmerman published a collection of "intermediate" level solos I can recommend. Jim Stinnet's _Arcology_ (transciptions of PC's arco solos) is pretty easy on the left hand. Only problem for you might be that there are no bowings indicated.

 

[Dave Irwin]

Sir, the music police no longer frighten me. I already have my degree

Dave

 

[Dave Irwin]

On the cello suites, should I have to move the music up an octave?

Thanks,
Dave

 

[David Kaczorowski]

Originally posted by Dave Irwin
On the cello suites, should I have to move the music up an octave?

Or transpose to a different key (or buy an edition that's already been transposed). The third suite was originally written in C major. Many folks, including me, play it in G. The bourees in G are very manageable, never going above the first C in thumb position. I think they are included in the Oscar Zimmerman book I mentioned too.

 

[Dave Irwin]

I've been playing the bouree's and was wondering about the bowings.
Are all the bowings to be followed? Since they would fall differently on cello....

Thanks,
Dave

 

[anonymous0726]

Originally posted by lermgalieu
I dunno, I see his point. His goal for these pieces is to become a better Bass Player, not a better musician...

There's a difference? I propose that learning to play musically on the bass makes you a better bass player.

 

[Dave Irwin]

Ray, What do you mean?

Do you mean is there a difference between following or not following the bowings
or
the bowings on bass vs cello?

Since an added or subtracted string crossing means a different articulation, I didn't know if the bowing should be adjusted for this.

I could determine the bowings I want to use but as someone inexperienced at arco, I'm interested in learning other ideas about what the vowing should be including the composers intent. (no wisecracks about it being intended for cello)

Dave

 

[anonymous0726]

I was saying that playing bass well and playing music well can't be considered seperate things. Particularly since it's your main instrument.

If you're working on a tune, or piece, or whataver, that doesn't lay well on the bass you're going to get the bass more together by learning how to play the thing musically on your instrument.

As far as bowings and all of that, I think it applies all around. If you're playing out of the Real Book you have to work on your articulations to get what you want from the line musically rather than what you think you can do on the bass. This goes for cello liturature as well. By this I don't mean to dismiss at all learning The Stick via classical stuff and indicated phrasings, but even here you're going to have a lot of choices as far as bowings and will be right back where you are now.

I think that what I'm trying to get at is that music is music. Period. Learning the play music is in itself the goal. Learning to play music well on any given instrument will make you a better instrumentalist.

 

[Dave Irwin]

I understand what you mean now. I guess my question was, "would the bowings have been written the same if cello string crossings were different?

For example, if playing C D E in a single bow on cello means an articulation (sort of) when crossing strings.

Playing the same thing on bass may mean a string crossing from C to D or none at all up an octave.
The difference in string changes changes the music.

I'm not thinking one way being more or less musical than the other. Just which bowing would be closer to the original intent.

I know it's getting very picky. Maybe I should of asked if anyone had suggested bowings/fingering for the bouree's.

Dave

 

[anonymous0726]

As I understand it, Bach didn't make much in the way of notation on these kinds of things as far as what you're wondering, so indicated bowings, phrasing, dynamics, etc. are someone's opinion.

As far as the C-D-E thing -- it's more important, thinks I, that you have in your ear the sound that you want and then go about getting it.

 

[George F. Schmidtt]

There are three or four fingerings that work. Try them all and then play them again to see which ones you think sound the best - something that took my teacher 4 years to figure out how to teach me. Bowings are a little easier - figure out the pulse of the music and as you play the pieces, figure out how you want to bow the dominant pulse. One could start with a blank page but the Zimmerman work mentioned by David K was tranbscribed for bass so you couldn't go wrong following his bowings as a start. I don't know anything about H Samuel Sterling's background but his fingerings are a good place to start also (NOTE: I did not say that you should finish with his fingerings.)

I started out with a marked up copy of the Sterling Edition of the Suites into which I penciled in the fingerings and bowings for EVERY note. This allowed me to "play" the Suites (truth be said - only Suites 1 - 5, we won't talk about Number 6.) I've since gone back to a blank copy of the music and find that sepending upom my mood, I play the Suites with different fingerings every time I play them. I use them as my "Methods" book as I haven't found anything that provides me the ability to practice my technique that is as musically rewarding - The Bach Gamba Suites and Vivaldi Sonatas are close.