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Double Bass How to make big jumps in long notes smoother?

Right now I am practicing long notes with big jumps but it is hard to make them really smooth because of the big left hand jump and the bow change at the same time.

Here is what I am doing (just as an example).
-playing Eb-F#-Eb-F# on the D string. Hold each notes for 4 slow beats and change bow each note.
Eb with 1st finger, F# with 4th finger.
-same but playing G#-F# (G# on G string)

you can do the same with 2 tone intervals instead of 1,5 tone intervals to make it even harder.

I have tried with and without pivoting but it doesn't make much difference. Any ideas or tips?
 
I am assuming you are talking about a minor third and then a whole step? In which case just pivot. Speed up you practicing. Go rapidly and get the feeling in your hand. Then slow down again. Sometimes holding long tones and then shifting doesn't get the feeling in the hand quick enough. Just mix it up. If you are talking about a 10th instead of a third then just practice vomit exercises on a scale for a octave or two on a finger. That should clear things up after a while.
 
I would suggest a different approach.To me this is about timing and coordination between hands, and knowing exactly when the bow is stationary as it changes direction. I would build from very simple experiments towards your examples above while looking down at the bow and strings and listening carefully. Relax your body and still your mind before you start.

(1) Rest the bow gently but firmly on,say, the D string just below the end of the fingerboard. Draw 1/2 or 2/3rd-length strokes at an easy speed with a relaxed bow hold and a musical sound. Keep strokes very flat and simple, with no lift or acceleration through each change of direction. Study and adjust the speed vs length vs weight relationship until you feel the hair catch the start of each new note cleanly and evenly with no scrunch or accent (this catch point is the moment in time we might call the beat if you try playing with a metronome). If your fingers and thumb are relaxed and springy you will see and feel the stick take up slack a little as the hair catches in each new direction. For French bow hold you could also try using only your relaxed index finger and thumb by picking up your back three fingers, to ensure that the strokes remain flat, on the string and simple. No deliberate wrist or finger movements, only the drag-catch-drag of the bow as it changes direction.

(2) Next , on the same string play different combinations of notes, eg E to F and back, always with very even flat simple bow strokes as above. Carefully time and coordinate the change of LH fingers to land or lift just before the moment in time that the hair catches with each new change of direction.

(3) Then try the same relaxed but meticulous timing and coordination backwards and forwards between notes on two adjoining strings or across three strings, tranferring the bow weight from string to string without lifting at the moment the bow is stationary. This requires finishing each bow stroke just as the bow comes to rest on the next string. Start experimenting by leaving a small gap between notes before positively moving in each new direction (a down bow should feel like a down bow and an up an up). Then gradually close the gap.

(4) Now come to the sorts of shifts with bow change that you gave as examples above. The two hands should act independently without disturbing each other. The LH works slightly in advance of the R to set up each note for the bow to play, like a servant to its master. Movements have to be fast and low but relaxed, not jerky, and very late at the end of the old notes in order to set up the new ones for clean even positive note starts.

With practice you can connect notes almost seamlessly if your timing and coordination are very good. The acoustics of the bass can also be used to help because the vibrations of the old note are still decaying in the body as you start the next. Once you have confident control of that moment in time when each note starts you can add in all the other tricks of expression like accents.

Have fun experimenting.

DP
 
While it is easy to blame the left hand, this is often a right hand issue. Working on changing bows on the same string and then while changing strings is important and will help smooth the transitions, but make sure that doesn't all go out the window when you start moving your fingers on your left hand. A lot of the time when tricky passages come along or we try to do something like this where we are focusing on a shift, we lose focus on the bow. This can manifest as jerky/unnecessary movements, too much movement, (especially in string changes) and other little oddities. The bow is your "air", and if you are experiencing a hiccup between notes, it likely has very little to do with your left hand.

Another thing to look at is your posture/the bass. Is it moving during bow changes? Depending on how you hold the instrument it is possible that when you shift bow directions, the bass itself is also moving slightly. In that case you can have the smoothest bow changes in the world but if the bass wiggles every time you change bows, you are still going to have problems. This can be a very small movement, as it doesn't take much to be audible. A student of mine suffered from this and after we figured it out everything spoke much quicker and became infinitely easier.
 
Thanks for the replies. Good points! Don't get me wrong. I am playing for a long time already and also play some advanced stuff so this is not a beginners question. But I am talking about big minor or major thirds on the same string (or on two adjacent strings, see my examples in the first post). These big jumps are hard to get really smooth on the bass especially when playing very long tones for 4 beats or so. I agree with you that timing of the bow change is crucial because you have to shift the left hand at the same time when the bow changes. With long tones a gap might easily appear. Posture is ok, I am sitting and not supporting with my left hand thumb.
 
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Les Fret, I still think that when you are bowing separate strokes your LH fingers must operate ever so slightly ahead of the bow in order to prepare each note. The bow is the master and the Lh is the servant. This relationship changes when slurring. If you pluck D E F G A backwards and forwards on the D string like a walking Jazz line you will see this small time difference between hands that is harder to pick when playing arco.

Cheers, DP
 
Les Fret, I still think that when you are bowing separate strokes your LH fingers must operate ever so slightly ahead of the bow in order to prepare each note. The bow is the master and the Lh is the servant. This relationship changes when slurring. If you pluck D E F G A backwards and forwards on the D string like a walking Jazz line you will see this small time difference between hands that is harder to pick when playing arco.

Good point David! That's a good thing to keep in mind. Thanks for your help and also your first post is great....
I have noticed the big jumps are a bit easier to get smooth going up than down. I think because of gravity.
 
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