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Double Bass How to deal with sticky fingers?

Les Fret

Les Fret

Sep 9, 2009
7,213
6,926
nextlevel-slapbass.com
#1
When practicing those high natural harmonics beyond the fingerboard (like 3rd octave G) my fingers get sticky because of the rosin. When going back to normal playing I have trouble with shifting and vibrato because of the sticky fingers.
I don't use too much rosin.

How do you deal with this?
 
#3
Wipe your strings thoroughly before and after you play. Also, when you play is your bow usually right underneath the fingerboard? If it is, that might be part of the problem. There are times when playing close to or above the fingerboard is appropriate, but in general I think that if your bow is farther away from your fingerboard and closer to your bridge you should have less problems with rosin getting stuck there (plus you'll get a bigger sound).
 
#5
The brand of rosin may be worth considering. A powdery rosin like Hidersine ( that I don't like or use) might be less sticky. Some of my colleagues apply both bass and violin rosin to the bow. Nymans should not be as sticky as Pops. Cleaning the strings with a dry cloth or with alcohol-damped cloth before practicing or performing up there should prevent the "snow" building up as widely (avoid getting alcohol on varnish).

DP
 
#8
Les Fret said:
Maybe you never play the 3rd octave G harmonic? ;)
I have Kolstein (grade S) rosin but that is even stickier then the Pops that I normally use. The Kolstein I only use from time to time because it is that sticky. I think it spoils my bow hair.
Click to expand...

Hahaha, okay. I have played up there before, yes, but not in a long time.
And out of curiosity, what piece are you working on that requires such high harmonics?
 
#9
Does the passage allow for a shift to the other end of the fingerboard? The same harmonic can be played where C is on your G string. I guess that doesn't help if you can't shift, or if you need to be in the higher position for other reasons.

Maybe try oak rosin?

Good luck,

Joe
 
#10
DC Bass said:
The same harmonic can be played where C is on your G string.
Click to expand...

The harmonic on the C is an octave lower and also the other end of the fingerboard then the rest of the notes.

AdmiralScreed said:
And out of curiosity, what piece are you working on that requires such high harmonics?
Click to expand...

Bottesini's Elegy. I guess the 3rd octave G can be played as an artificial harmonic too. But that is not very handy in that passage.
 
#11
I would go with not only wiping your strings with a regular cloth before and after you play, but also ( i do it every couple of months or if it gets bad) carefully rubbing your strings with a little bit of string cleaner (aka denatured alcohol).
 
#12
Wait - you said you were practicing high harmonics, and then when you go back to lower positions you have problems. How about practicing the high and low stuff separately? When you finished practicing the high stuff, wash your filthy, sticky digits. then practice the lower stuff. Problem solved.

But...Sometimes it's unavoidable - sometimes we are forced to play passages beyond the end of the fingerboard, and we don't have time to wipe the strings beforehand. Even on the cleanest bass, some rosin will get on your fingers.

You will want to practice going from high to low, and then you'll hit trouble.

However, some things can help:

1) Keep your strings a rosin-free-zone in general - clean with a suitable product regularly, and wipe down after every time you play.

2) Wipe the strings before the passage if possible (during the piece).

3) Remember, only the lightest of touches is required with the left hand to get a harmonic to sound. If you play very delicately, you shouldn't be 'rubbing' too much rosin on your hand. Hardly any at all - if you are very careful. In fact, I worry more about getting oils from my fingers on the strings up there than getting rosin on my fingers.

4) Are you using too much rosin? You could try to wean yourself off a heavy Pops dependancy. I play in a symphony orchestra daily, and I put on maybe 1 swipe of Pops every other day. So much rosin stays on the bow! Just give it a little while to warm up. I've seen others give 3/4/5 swipes every day, and the amount of rosin-smegma that ends up clung to the hairs of the bow and to the strings is ridiculous!

Hope this helps!
 
#13
Anon2962 said:
Wait - you said you were practicing high harmonics, and then when you go back to lower positions you have problems. How about practicing the high and low stuff separately? When you finished practicing the high stuff, wash your filthy, sticky digits. then practice the lower stuff. Problem solved.

But...Sometimes it's unavoidable -
Click to expand...

Yes I practice it separately now. And clean the strings in between. But like you said it is unavoidable especially during a performance. We have to live with it I guess.

(PS I don't use too much rosin and I clean my strings regularly)
 
#16
robobass said:
I think it's extremely rare that you need to touch where you bow. The third octave G is easily accessed by touching the octave G with your thumb together with the C above with 2nd or 3rd finger.
Click to expand...

truth, but if you read further into the comments you will see that Les Fret is playing the Bottesini Elegy in D (C orchestral tuning). as a result, there are a bunch of runs up the 1st string that employ the harmonic series, and changing to an artificial harmonic would be difficult and probably make it harder to play the line.

eerbrev
 
#17
I feel like a lot of these replies have never acrually played the piece. Theres no avoiding the high g bescause it has a lot of low to high arpehios and it rarely stays in the same register for more then a couple bars. When I played it, I don't remember having to play amy rosin territory notes other than those few high g's. So just play the g with third finger (ehich seems natural to me) and make sure none of your other fingers touch the string, not to hard given it is a harmonis. So then the only sticky finger should be your third which you don't really use in lower positions anyways. I use pops btw
 
#18
eerbrev said:
truth, but if you read further into the comments you will see that Les Fret is playing the Bottesini Elegy in D (C orchestral tuning). as a result, there are a bunch of runs up the 1st string that employ the harmonic series, and changing to an artificial harmonic would be difficult and probably make it harder to play the line.

eerbrev
Click to expand...

I know what you mean about some ascending arpeggios, but I'm not discussing artificial harmonics here.
 
#19
robobass said:
I think it's extremely rare that you need to touch where you bow. The third octave G is easily accessed by touching the octave G with your thumb together with the C above with 2nd or 3rd finger.
Click to expand...

It is not rare at all. As pointed out by Eerbrev lots of Bottesini pieces have natural harmonics beyond the fingerboard. Not only the 3rd octave G. Lots of possibilities for harmonics over there.

@Chris: yes I play this 3rd octave G with my 3rd finger. So when using the 3rd finger after that on other notes in TP it is sticky. That is the whole point.
 
#20
All I'm saying is that upper harmonics are also available in the first octave of thumb position. By touching (not pressing) the thumb at the octave, you can get exactly what you have above the second octave without having to reach so far and get your fingers dirty. Not always practical, but often quite useful.
 

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