Double Bass How to hold the bow properly when piece switches between pizz/arco?

[hunta]

I am pretty new to DB and I thought that while doing a pizzicato passage you were to hold the bow kind of in the palm of the hand (so it points upwards) and then pluck with your index and middle finger kind of below the bow. I'm working through simandl on my own over break from school, and there's an etude where there are a few pizz notes and then an arco note at the end of the phrase with no rest in between. I tried to play it holding the bow like this, and I'm not able to do it anywhere near fast enough to stay in time. Is this the right way to hold the bow for pizz? I will keep working on it that way if it is, but I don't want to learn the wrong technique.

If anyone has a pic of the right way to hold the bow when doing a fast change between pizz and arco that would be great, I couldn't find one.. The description in simandl says the bow hangs downward held by the little and forefinger, but I have no clue what that is supposed to look like. Thanks

 

[Wil Davis]

It's different for German than it is for French - what does your teacher say?

- Wil

 

[Matt Ides]

French Up


German Down


That didn't sound right.

 

[mazaremba]

Well which type of bow are you using? If you tell us which one you need, we can give you better advice. This move is hard to get down at first, but with plenty of practice you'll have it.

By the way, that is correct (although it doesn't follow traditional battles through out history) the french bow will point up and the german bow's tip will point towards the ground.

 

[Contra|Brett|]

if it is a short passage i generally just pull the bow in with my 3 fingers (not index) and pizz with my index, so the bow actually stays in playing position.