or even pieces to practice. im a jazz player and my left hand is pretty good. i can play in tune through the whole range of the bass and have practiced scales, arpeggios and all kinds of patterns through the whole range of the bass in all keys for years both arco and pizz. now i want something to practice that will take me through the whole range of the instrument ( not necessarily in one piece but either way is ok) and above all it has to be musical or i will get bored and not practice. i have the simandl method, but that doesnt go to the thumb position and its not very interesting musically. are there any other methods or etude books that sound like what im looking for? i did go out and buy some bottesini recordings and the sheet music and i can play much of it, but not all of it. i know i need to pull the reigns back as far as the bowing goes and close some gaps. one thing i recently did was start to learn the left hand of the bach 2 part inventions and some of the cello suites, but im finding that the lack of fingerings and bowing/phrasing suggestions at this point in my classical playing leaves me with too many options and i get overwhealmed and frustrated. i'd like something that can give me some direction as far as the intended fingerings and bowings and phrasing go. (although i know that for the most part they are "guidelines") hope this post made sense
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Double Bass help me find method or etudes
- Thread starter shwashwa
- Start date
Book II of Simandl has lots of etudes that go into thumb position but also provide good practice in low positions and the transition area. The Rabbath books contain etudes that are pleasant to play as well as providing some great ideas for fingerings. The Bach cello suites are both musically satisfying and techniically edifiying. Hope this helps.
I have collected a lot of music over the years but the three books I keep coming back to are Sturm 110 Studies, Slama 66 Studies and Lee Studies, all printed by IMC.
They contain material that takes you around the bass, through different keys and bowings, in ways that are strongly related to orchestral playing. Most orchestral bass parts are about the same level of difficulty, perhaps only with short passages that make your hair stand up on end in terror (eg Richard Strauss "Heldenleben").
I would rather keep polishing my technique with passages that are playable than break my heart (and knuckles) on books like Gradus ad Parnassum or Findeisen with marathon difficult studies.
DP
They contain material that takes you around the bass, through different keys and bowings, in ways that are strongly related to orchestral playing. Most orchestral bass parts are about the same level of difficulty, perhaps only with short passages that make your hair stand up on end in terror (eg Richard Strauss "Heldenleben").
I would rather keep polishing my technique with passages that are playable than break my heart (and knuckles) on books like Gradus ad Parnassum or Findeisen with marathon difficult studies.
DP
Try my Technical Foundation Studies, vol. 1 & 2. Vol. 1 deals with the Open Hand or Franke or 4 finger or whatever you want to call it. In part one of Vol. 1, I cover all possibilities connected with the Open Hand in D or 4th position - including a half step pivot which increases the hand position range from a minor third to a major third. This goes on in short musical (I hate BORING!) phrases for 5 full pages - all in the same position. Then, it moves up a half position and repeats for another 5 pages. Thats part two. It then works its way down to part 6 which starts on Bb or 2nd position Simandl. I can start on C - lower than that, I don't go due to hand size. Tom Martin can go down to C#. Dr. Mark Morton can go down to 1st finger A and still be comfortable. (I'm SO jealous!)
Once you finish Part One, you then start Vol. 2 and both vols work together. Vol. 2 introduces the thumb positions - above AND below the octave -on the left page and an Etude (musical!) on the right that has you moving between the Simandl 1,2,4, - we call that the Closed Hand - the Open Hand w/pivots, and the Thumb positions both above and below the octave. There are 9 etudes. The rest of the volumes are filled with bass articles I have written for numerous bass publications.
I used to sell the two volumes separately but now believe both should go together in one binder. So - for the 2X bass list ONLY (and for their students, of course) instead of $18 each now $32 for both in one binder and that will include postage/handling, etc.
FOR JULY ONLY! You can private mail me for my address, if interested.
Tom Gale
Once you finish Part One, you then start Vol. 2 and both vols work together. Vol. 2 introduces the thumb positions - above AND below the octave -on the left page and an Etude (musical!) on the right that has you moving between the Simandl 1,2,4, - we call that the Closed Hand - the Open Hand w/pivots, and the Thumb positions both above and below the octave. There are 9 etudes. The rest of the volumes are filled with bass articles I have written for numerous bass publications.
I used to sell the two volumes separately but now believe both should go together in one binder. So - for the 2X bass list ONLY (and for their students, of course) instead of $18 each now $32 for both in one binder and that will include postage/handling, etc.
FOR JULY ONLY! You can private mail me for my address, if interested.
Tom Gale
In my too long desertation above I managed to forget one thing concerning the 1/2 step pivots in Part One to Part Six.
You can pivot in both directions - up a half step and/or DOWN a half step. This, in effect gives the hand position a range of a perfect fourth without shifting.
This can be very useful in cleaning up some very nasty figures.
Try this. On the G: D 2, pivot back to 1 on C, back to 2 on D, pivot to 3 on E and the fourth on F. Thats all Open Hand with pivots. Not something you use every day but its nice to have that tech when you need it. Sorry I forgot to include that.
TG
You can pivot in both directions - up a half step and/or DOWN a half step. This, in effect gives the hand position a range of a perfect fourth without shifting.
This can be very useful in cleaning up some very nasty figures.
Try this. On the G: D 2, pivot back to 1 on C, back to 2 on D, pivot to 3 on E and the fourth on F. Thats all Open Hand with pivots. Not something you use every day but its nice to have that tech when you need it. Sorry I forgot to include that.
TG
- Dec 13, 1999
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- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
Buy Rabbath Book III. It has a gazillion fingering combination's for every major and harmonic minor scale and arpeggio. It also has a gazillion different bowing patterns to use when playing scales.
Choose one scale a day, and play it at two or three different speeds - two or three octaves, depending on what you want. Choose a few different bowings from the front of the book, and play them at two or three different speeds too. It's a bit like a mix'n'match with the Rabbath fingerings, and there are over a hundred ways of playing each scale, plus more if you want to add bowings into the equation.
That way you can learn what possibilities their are for fingerings in the left hand, and choose what suits you, or what you find most comfortable. Also, you can develop your bowing. Rabbath also has a DVD called 'Art of the Bow', which is helpful for right hand technique.
The Eugene Levinson 'School of Agility' book sounds like it has a similar compendium of scale fingerings, so it is another valid option for you, and the routine I described above could easily be applied to it - I imagine.
Choose one scale a day, and play it at two or three different speeds - two or three octaves, depending on what you want. Choose a few different bowings from the front of the book, and play them at two or three different speeds too. It's a bit like a mix'n'match with the Rabbath fingerings, and there are over a hundred ways of playing each scale, plus more if you want to add bowings into the equation.
That way you can learn what possibilities their are for fingerings in the left hand, and choose what suits you, or what you find most comfortable. Also, you can develop your bowing. Rabbath also has a DVD called 'Art of the Bow', which is helpful for right hand technique.
The Eugene Levinson 'School of Agility' book sounds like it has a similar compendium of scale fingerings, so it is another valid option for you, and the routine I described above could easily be applied to it - I imagine.
