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Double Bass Help with Zimmerman bowing book

Michael Eisenman

Michael Eisenman

Supporting Member
Jun 21, 2006
2,677
3,998
Eugene, Oregon
#1
I'm in between teachers, but looking for another one. In the meantime, I'm looking at the Zimmerman bowing book, and though he gives very detailed instructions about just what to do, I don't understand something.

In the introduction (p. 5), he mentions tilting the bow toward the fingerboard when changing to a higher-pitched string, and away from the fingerboard when changing to a lower-pitched string.

For example, I play the D string from frog to tip (bottom of p. 5, exercise 1). When I get near the tip, during the rest, I tilt the bow toward the fingerboard and engage the G string (top of p. 6, exercise 2). At this point, I'm on the edge of the hair, no?. What do I do before I start to stroke the G string? Flatten the hair? Then when I finish the stroke and am back near the frog, I tilt away from the fingerboard, and I'm on the other edge of the hair. Is this correct? What's the point?

Can someone 'splain this to me? I promise to get a teacher.

Thanks,
Michael
 
#2
All of the hair should be on the string for these exercises. When he says tilt the bow he means point the tip of the bow up or down. Since the strings are on a curved bridge and the strings are usually at a slight angle from our bodies we have to alter the angle of the bow slightly for each string to keep the bow perpendicular on whatever string it is on.
 
#4
low.eadg said:
For example, I play the D string from frog to tip (bottom of p. 5, exercise 1). When I get near the tip, during the rest, I tilt the bow toward the fingerboard and engage the G string (top of p. 6, exercise 2). At this point, I'm on the edge of the hair, no?.
Click to expand...
Yes.
What do I do before I start to stroke the G string? Flatten the hair?
Click to expand...
No, just begin the stroke. The idea of tilting the stick toward the string you are going to is to reduce the distance the bow has to travel to the next string. The NATURAL position of your wrist will tilt the bow on its own along with this movement. You're just anticipating this movement.
Then when I finish the stroke and am back near the frog, I tilt away from the fingerboard, and I'm on the other edge of the hair. Is this correct? What's the point?
Click to expand...
Same as before. Anticipate the natural tilt of the bow to facilitate the string crossing.
 
#5
This part of the book is probably the most commonly challenged. While Zimmerman says to tilt the bow as you go across to the D and G strings, Ali Yazdanfar claims to have mathematically proven that this approach is not as efficient as keeping flat hair at all times (I don't know how, but the man does have a degree in physics).
 
#6
neilG said:
The idea of tilting the stick toward the string you are going to is to reduce the distance the bow has to travel to the next string.
Click to expand...

Agreed. I can tilt the stick toward the next string while keeping the hair flat, too, and that is certainly more efficient, as Paul indicated. Zimmerman wants you to be as close to the next string as possible, so that you have very little distance before you engage it. I get that.

Neil, it sounds like you're trying to include in your other statements the idea of the side-to-side tilt, but I'm not following. I don't see the point of landing on the edge of the hair.

Flat hair makes sense to me (unless I'm looking for a different sound), but I'm trying to understand what Zimmerman is getting at.

Thanks, all, for your suggestions. I'm still watching . . .
 
#9
low.eadg said:
Neil, it sounds like you're trying to include in your other statements the idea of the side-to-side tilt, but I'm not following. I don't see the point of landing on the edge of the hair.
Click to expand...

It's more pronounced with German bow, which was Zimmerman's weapon of choice, but if you keep a natural (straight) wrist position, you will automatically be a little on the edge on the D and G string. As you said, it's more about being as close to the next string as possible for the crossing. Z's idea was to anticipate the new postion, not necessarily to play on the edge of the bow. My teacher in my formative years was a Zimmerman student and I don't remember him dwelling too much on the actual tilting of the bow, but on not distorting the wrist too much.

Frankly, tilting, or how much to tilt is moot. If you do the exercises efficiently, in time, with a good tone, you'll be doing the exercises in a constructive way.
 

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