Double Bass Harmonic notation question

[Andy Mopley]

Hi all
with attached, is the harmonic to be played on the G string, on the D note OR on the D string on the A note, please? It sounds OK to me with the latter..

Regards to all

 

[Phil Rowan]

I believe it’s the latter.

 

[User4843936]

The lower black note head shows you the node (stopped note, or in this case open string) above which you touch the diamond note. So, on the D string touching the A opposite the neck heel is what it means. The little staff above (where it says son reel) tells you the sounding pitch. So if there’s one of those ‘son reel’/‘suono reale’/‘actual pitch’ things included, you can always use that to check.

 

[Andy Mopley]

Thanks all - appreciate your help.

 

[PaulCannon]

The little staff above (where it says son reel) tells you the sounding pitch. So if there’s one of those ‘son reel’/‘suono reale’/‘actual pitch’ things included, you can always use that to check.

Which is confusing in this case, as the resulting pitch is actually an octave lower. "Son reel" typically means "concert pitch", as in non-transposed. Luckily, in this case, it's a simple harmonic (one of the "tuning" nodes we use all the time) so there's no ambiguity about what pitch should come out.

I'm honestly baffled by how confused the vast majority of composers really are about bass harmonics. There are too many competing traditions, particularly in regard to transposition and octaves. Take this spectacular mess from a very highly regarded masterpiece:



He writes "son réel à l'octave inférieure", which basically means "sounding pitch is an octave higher than notated, but also it's an octave lower." One plus one minus one.

 

[User4843936]

Which is confusing in this case, as the resulting pitch is actually an octave lower. "Son reel" typically means "concert pitch", as in non-transposed. Luckily, in this case, it's a simple harmonic (one of the "tuning" nodes we use all the time) so there's no ambiguity about what pitch should come out.

I'm honestly baffled by how confused the vast majority of composers really are about bass harmonics. There are too many competing traditions, particularly in regard to transposition and octaves. Take this spectacular mess from a very highly regarded masterpiece:

View attachment 4209888

He writes "son réel à l'octave inférieure", which basically means "sounding pitch is an octave higher than notated, but also it's an octave lower." One plus one minus one.

Yes. There’s no substitute for developing a certain knack for reading the tea leaves when it comes to which octave one is supposed to play harmonics in, I find, and even then I normally find myself asking the conductor/composer if there’s even the slightest hint of uncertainty. Which, as you say, there usually is.

 

[Neil Pye]

There are whole books written about this. The ambiguity in Ravel's bass parts, for example! When we played La Valse a few years ago, the parts came with about 3 or 4 different interpretations pencilled, and it took me several days of research and study of the full score to work out what notes I thought the composer intended