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Double Bass I'm a straggler, do I stand a chance?

B

brainhii

Mar 25, 2007
73
1
#1
I wasn't sure where to post this, but this seems to be the best place to talk about surviving as a musician.

I'm a junior in high school, and I've been playing the electric bass for three years now. I consider myself quite proficient at the electric. But over the last few months, I've felt a growing urge to play the upright. My band instructor has allowed me to practice a little bit on our school's basses and, you know, I pretty much applied my knowledge of electric bass onto the upright. As you all probably guessed, this was the point where I realized that it's not as easy as that, and that the upright has quite a learning curve.

The thing is, I want to study upright in college. I really think it's an awesome instrument, and I want to be well versed in orchestral, in jazz, the whole schpiel. However, I feel like I'm behind everyone else, that I've decided to take up the instrument way too late in my life, and that I have a lot of catching up to do to survive in what seems to be a competitive field, among musicians who've probably been playing string bass since they were eight years old, or something. Is there still any hope for me if I'm this close to college but I can't really play in tune or make any pleasant sounds with a bow?:help:

Yes, I will be taking lessons over summer.
No, my parents won't let me rent a bass.
 
#3
you CAN do it, just practice a bunch. i don't see why it is too late. my advice aside from trying to get as good as you can before college is to get good at reading music (if you aren't already) and good at SIGHT reading music. i just started playing in a community band and they require you to sight read stuff one time, then play it the next week in a concert! its super fun but difficult (i'm playing bass trombone, not bass). just an example of how good sight reading skills can help you. also at my community college they give free lessons if you take 2 music courses, so look into stuff like that.
 
#4
You do probably need to get an upright that you can practice on at home as soon as you reasonbly can, whether you rent or buy. Lessons are great, but if you can't work on what was covered in the lessons on your own, your pace will be slower.

On the other issue, I'd say just put it out of your head that you're a straggler or behind the curve in any way. Some of us never put serious hands to an upright until our thirties! You've just got to be the player you are at this moment. If it gets you into the music school of your choice right out of high school, cool. If not, keep working and keep applying, but, most of all, keep playing. What will be will be. This isn't a contest where you're supposed to be at a certain level by a certain age. It's not like losing teeth. You're simply supposed to be YOU, as you are NOW, while focusing on your craft and your art... today... tomorrow... and on and on and on until you die.

Best of luck!
 
#5
before I started college I had never played the upright bass in my life, but I am working very hard at it now and getting lessons. I can tell you that with a lot of hard work (i'm putting in 4-6 hours a day) you can do it.
 
#8
Not many have been playing since they were eight... I started at 14, so you're not far behind.

So, having a bass somewhere you can practice at least 5 days a week is very important. Don't think you have to practice five hours a day though... study music that much, yes if you can, but your body won't take that much bass, at least while you're learning.

See if you can borrow one of the school basses, to get started. Once you've put a season or two of work into that your parents may well be more prepared to help.
 
#9
I'm in the same case as you, I just started at age 15, although I inherited my dad's 1910 (I think) Czech. Just keep at it, and make sure your school's music teacher likes you enough to let you into the room at lunch :)
 
#10
It's ridiculous to think you're too old to start playing... you're a junior in high school!!

The double bass is big, people have to wait till they are teenagers to be able to physically handle the instrument. 8-year olds don't play double bass, they play baby cellos, baby-violins or piano. Many jazz-folk people start the instrument in their 30's 40's or even older. Even among young university jazz students, many often audition and get accepted in to the programs on electric bass, then add in the DB during the first year of school.

So you'd be way AHEAD of the curve if you start now. (But the 'curve' doesn't matter anyways.)

You don't want this conversation with yourself..
5 years from now, 'oh crap I should have started 5 yrs ago.. too late now.'
10 yrs from now 'man if I only started 5 yrs ago, too late now.'
20 yrs from now, 'oh, too busy to start now, if only I started 10 years ago. too late now.'
35 yrs from now ' man if I only started before, I could have been... at least my kid is starting now... too late for me though.'
37 yrs from now 'What!? How did my kid get so good in two years!!? I gotta start too!"
40 yrs from now 'I feel good playing this, why did I wait so long?'

With proper instruction, focus and application, it's amazing how much a person can learn in 2 years from 'now'.
 
#11
My advice would be to keep working on both instruments, find a good upright teacher(maybe one that doubles on electric as well as upright),
try to get as much playing experience as possible. I played a small bit of
upright in high school when I went to college, I played in every ensemble I could from the college orchestra, jazz band, jazz quintets, pit orchestra, and even the local youth orchestra. If you have the desire and put in the time you should be fine. Good Luck.
 
#12
I didn't start playing upright until I was in college and I joined the jazz ensemble. I was very proficient on electric, and played a variety of other instruments as well, and I could ready music well. I have never had any training on upright. I really learned to play jazz by jamming (playing songs out of the Real Book) with friends before and after class, picking up stuff from the piano player.
 
#13
brainhii said:
I wasn't sure where to post this, but this seems to be the best place to talk about surviving as a musician.

I'm a junior in high school, and I've been playing the electric bass for three years now. I consider myself quite proficient at the electric. But over the last few months, I've felt a growing urge to play the upright. My band instructor has allowed me to practice a little bit on our school's basses and, you know, I pretty much applied my knowledge of electric bass onto the upright. As you all probably guessed, this was the point where I realized that it's not as easy as that, and that the upright has quite a learning curve.

The thing is, I want to study upright in college. I really think it's an awesome instrument, and I want to be well versed in orchestral, in jazz, the whole schpiel. However, I feel like I'm behind everyone else, that I've decided to take up the instrument way too late in my life, and that I have a lot of catching up to do to survive in what seems to be a competitive field, among musicians who've probably been playing string bass since they were eight years old, or something. Is there still any hope for me if I'm this close to college but I can't really play in tune or make any pleasant sounds with a bow?:help:

Yes, I will be taking lessons over summer.
No, my parents won't let me rent a bass.
Click to expand...

You'll be fine. I know plenty of bassists that started in their teen years. Your progress depends on how hard you're willing to work. Also, find a good teacher.

I just have to say that your post really impressed me. You're a middle school student? Your ability to convey your thoughts in writing is very impressive. If your determination to learn has any correlation to your ability to write, you're going to be just fine.

Good luck and keep us posted on your progress.

Peace,
Joe
 
#16
You'll do fine.

I didn't start playing upright until I was in college. I could barely even read music when I went to college!

I was very fortunate to find a teacher willing to take me in and really teach me the fundamentals of playing. He was skeptical at first but when I showed him how dedicated I was to learning he was thrilled. I think it's very important to find a teacher who understands your situation and is willing to work with it.

You do need to realize how much practice you'll need to keep up. I've always been a 'chops' kind of player... the physical aspects of getting around the instrument have always come pretty easily to me. That said, I was practicing 4-6+ hours a day. I felt like I lived in the practice rooms :)

I played orchestral music in college. If you lean more towards jazz it will be a little easier to make the switch because you won't really have to deal with the bow.
 
#17
Two points: There's a regular on this board who has been playing the double bass for a bit over two years. He's in college, he has a regular gig in New York and he has played at the Kennedy Center.

You could be him.

On the other hand, there's another guy on this board , who has also played for a bit over two years, who never played a note on a double bass until he was 51. He thought about it off and on, but life and work and marriage and about a thousand other things got in the way. He's having a blast, but even though he sometimes wishes he started years ago.

You could me.

It's your choice. Get after it!
 
#18
There once was a VERY great jazz bassist named Scott LaFaro.
He took up the instrument upon graduating from high school in 1954. He played the instrument for a total of six/seven years. He died in a car accident in 1961.
His influence still lives today in jazz bassists the world over. He changed the role of the bass in modern jazz playing.

Think of what YOU could do.
Do it.
 
#19
Because the bass is so big, many bassists start, or switch to bass, as teenagers. You will need a bass to practice on, IMHO.

If your parents won't rent you an instrument, you might consider finding paying work and getting one yourself. Maybe if you show dedication, the music director would let you keep a school bass at home over the summer.

In the short term, I would respectfully submit that you might:

a) Start saving money to get/rent an inexpensive bass

b) See if you can borrow a school bass over the summer, or find a loaner or renter among musicians (many folks have multiple basses)

c) Put other things aside and start woodshedding.

d) Make sure that your teacher is the best you can find. Studying with a world-class player and teacher is a great way to move ahead quickly.

Anything is possible.
 
#20
I was in your position several years ago. I had played electric bass for a few years and could sightread okay, read music, practiced a little bit, and had never played an upright.

I walked into highschool on the first day never having touched an upright bass but I was told that I would have to play it in jazz band (which I really wanted to be in) So I started learning. The bass I had to play had horrible action. It was seriously 1/4" off the fingerboard at the fifth position! It took awhile but I learned fairly well.
There was another bassist who was the lead player, and I was the backup so I was playing pretty easy stuff. I practiced alot and by the end of the 2nd week I was playing the stuff pretty well.

Well,(about 3 months later) the day before a college jazz festival the 1st bassist quit and I had to play his pieces which were grade 4 and higher without ever having played them before. I sightread the pieces in the concert and I did very well! The judges actually commented about the high quality of my playing and my ability to lock with the drummer (whom I had never played with!).

This encouraged me and I have continued to play upright over the last 2 years and practice just as intensley as I did those first 3 months. This year, I received similar comments from judges in the Reno and Stanislaus college festivals and have been recruited for several college jazz ensembles.

You can do it if you practice! I have in two years been able to become better on the bass than I ever could have imagined! You need to get a bass though. You can kind of work on pic parts by playing an electric vertically

My advice is to work on the following
-tempo (with a metronome)
-sightreading (buy a fake book and sightread a piece at random every day) plus you'll learn quite a few standards
- tuning- (play plugged into a tuner)
-scales- make it a goal to learn a scale in all positions and keys every week
-chords- learn a chord a day
-soloing- get together with other musicians and jam and play along with backing tracks

Also listen to music and try and transcribe or at least listen to the bass lines.

You will do just fine. Enjoy the bass.
I hope my ramblings are helpful to you
-Alex
 

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