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Double Bass Intermediate solo pieces needed
- Thread starter hensonbass
- Start date
EMF is not for beginners at all. I've been to Tanglewood, Interlochen, and I spent the last summer at EMF, and it is by far the most intense. Your playing 9-10 hours a day, your getting coached from some of the most talented people I've met, your putting together hard music in 6 days for an orchestra concert. The rep for this summer is going to be a f***ing nightmare for someone who just started playing. The Rite of Spring? Sibaleus 2? Pictures at Exibhition? This stuff is among the hardest being played by High Schoolers. Not to be mean, but you should really reconsider where you apply because if he just started playing, Lenny or anyone else on the bass faculty isn't going to let him in.
dragonetti11 said:
Dragnonetti,
Call it what you will, but I have two editions of the bourree, both in G. One is exclusively written in bass clef (F clef) the other edition moves into what I call cello clef (C clef).
Call it "C" clef or call it "cello" clef, it is not the same as bass clef ("F" clef).
In the "F clef" edition the high "B" is shown as on the fourth ledger line above the staff. In the "C clef" edition the same note is on the second ledger line above the staff.
Have you considered any of George Vance's books, and maybe his camp with Rabbath?
That would be a very supportive thing for someone who just started. A good foundatoin goes a long way.
That would be a very supportive thing for someone who just started. A good foundatoin goes a long way.
I'm new to the George Vance stuff. What is it about?
Thanks to all who replied with good suggestions. This kid really wants to get some good orchestral experience and I'm trying to get him in someplace for the summer so he can get his ass kicked and then in the fall play his senior year playing with one of the local youth orchestras in town.
To be honest he is just beginning with the bow and he's been playing jazz lines on the upright for a year pizz style. But he is a HARD WORKER and everytime he comes to a lesson he is prepared so I'm hoping I can get a tape of his playing together by March 1st.
What camps would be good for someone like this?
Thanks to all who replied with good suggestions. This kid really wants to get some good orchestral experience and I'm trying to get him in someplace for the summer so he can get his ass kicked and then in the fall play his senior year playing with one of the local youth orchestras in town.
To be honest he is just beginning with the bow and he's been playing jazz lines on the upright for a year pizz style. But he is a HARD WORKER and everytime he comes to a lesson he is prepared so I'm hoping I can get a tape of his playing together by March 1st.
What camps would be good for someone like this?
Theres a Four Week program somewhere in Philly that is not based on an audition. UNCG has a week long summer program that is right up his ally. Try Idyllwildarts.org, and see if their summer program is something your interested in, although I'm not sure if he would be ready for it. Stay away from EMF though, that program is for Advanced High Schoolers to Students from Eastman, MSM, Julliard..
There is also the "Strings International" festival in Byrn Mawr PA. Its only two weeks long, but open to all levels. Lessons are with Hal Robinson or Rob Kesselman, both of whom are nice guys and great teachers.
Heifetzbass
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- Feb 6, 2004
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I would suggest the high school camp they have at The University of Georgia. I think that may work better for him... There is also one at Furman, Greenville SC.
Shoot for Sewanee, Brevard, and Eastern next year for this student.
FWIW
BG
Shoot for Sewanee, Brevard, and Eastern next year for this student.
FWIW
BG
Hector Wolff said:
Actually, since cello actually reads Bass clef as its "default" clef (for lack of a better word), and in turn reads Tenor clef an octave higher than bass does, I really don't think this terminology is appropriate or fitting for the instrument. After all, it is we (the bassists) who are transposing the Bass clef down an entire octave (hence the name "Double Bass"). Also, it should be noted that another common name for the cello and bass sections of the orchestra is the "contrabass" section. I other words, the Cello reads bass clef at pitch (except when it reads tenor or treble, also at pitch) and bass plays every clef an octave below what it should be.
On another note I really don't think the cello suites would be a great audition tool for an inexperienced bow arm; even among other unaccompanied solos, they seem to be so much more exposed. I would personally suggest the 1st and 3rd movements of the Eccles Sonata. Also, some of the things from the 1st and 2nd Vance books are worth looking into as well.
What I am talking about is the "movable" clef, sometimes called "tenor" clef, sometimes (depending on where it is positioned) called the "C" clef.
The "bass" clef similarly is sometimes called the "F" clef just as the "treble" clef is sometimes called the "G" clef.
By the way "Classicalbass", I am aware of the terminology, likewise the origin, of the terms "double bass" and "contra bass" - though as I learned it "double bass" refered to the fact that 'double basses' doubled the "bass violins" and that they were in general double the size of the "bass violins", the "contra bass" referred to the fact that the double bass sounded an octave lower than the "bass violins".
At any rate, the point of my previous post had nothing to do with terminology. I was simply trying to point out that the same piece, in the same key was published with notation is two clefs in one edition and in only a single clef in the other. Both pieces were notated in the same register, the notated pitches were exactly the same. One piece required that you could read the "tenor" or "C" clef the other did not.
The "bass" clef similarly is sometimes called the "F" clef just as the "treble" clef is sometimes called the "G" clef.
By the way "Classicalbass", I am aware of the terminology, likewise the origin, of the terms "double bass" and "contra bass" - though as I learned it "double bass" refered to the fact that 'double basses' doubled the "bass violins" and that they were in general double the size of the "bass violins", the "contra bass" referred to the fact that the double bass sounded an octave lower than the "bass violins".
At any rate, the point of my previous post had nothing to do with terminology. I was simply trying to point out that the same piece, in the same key was published with notation is two clefs in one edition and in only a single clef in the other. Both pieces were notated in the same register, the notated pitches were exactly the same. One piece required that you could read the "tenor" or "C" clef the other did not.
- Jan 24, 2002
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The Elephant is a fairly simple bass solo from Saint-Saens' Carnival of the Animals. I'm sure you could find it on Lemur Music's online catalogue.
Sorry, I should have said "tenor" clef, I just couldn't think of the term at the time. I thought when I used the term "C" clef everyone would know what I meant.
At any rate it wasn't the term but the idea I was trying to communicate. I personally have not put in the time required to learn to read the tenor clef, so when I found the edition that didn't use that notation, I jumped at it.
Frankly, I too think that the Bourree, while one of the easier suite movements, is still a bit difficult for someone with limited bowing technique.
At any rate it wasn't the term but the idea I was trying to communicate. I personally have not put in the time required to learn to read the tenor clef, so when I found the edition that didn't use that notation, I jumped at it.
Frankly, I too think that the Bourree, while one of the easier suite movements, is still a bit difficult for someone with limited bowing technique.
Hector Wolff said:
Having done Bach's Bourree from the 3rd Cello Suite at an audition, I found intonation to be the biggest challenge, with plenty of notes in the middle of the neck, going to and from thumb position quickly. Plus, reading tenor clef. There's just too much potential of what can go wrong here to do this in an audition as an intermediate player. I truly was not ready for this. I'm still replaying this audition in my mind and, if I could do this again I would have chosen Marcello Sonata No. 2 in E Minor and done the first two movements. The first Adagio movement would be a chance to play some solid legato tunes with good rhythmic sense. The second Allegro movement, a nice cyclical type of tune, could be do-able even at a slower pace. Have rethought this from last week. Its my choice. When I start the class on Friday, I think Marcello will be the first thing I play. Plus, there's a nice John DeWitt play-along recording with piano accompanment for practice to help get a better understanding of the style. I was unable to locate any recordings of this, though, meaning regular performance recordings, not practice play alongs.
- Jan 24, 2002
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This is off topic, but I'd like to toot my own horn for a minute. When I was younger and needed to learn tenor clef, I spent a mere 30 minutes teaching myself to read it and found that I had it pretty well understood. Either I'm a freak, or I found a method of learning new clefs in very little time.Hector Wolff said:
It's very simple. First, write out a simple scale of some sort in tenor clef and write the note names on top of each pitch. Play through it several times until you feel comfortable. Try playing it without looking at the letters.
Next, write out several very simple two bar melodies in tenor clef. Nothing involving anything more than quarter and half notes. Write each melody twice. The first one should have note names on it, the second should be blank.
The third step is to write out a simple tune, like Mary Had a Little Lamb, in tenor clef WITHOUT note names. Play through it several times. If you can't do it, go back to the first step and go through the motions. That's basically how I taught myself tenor clef, and later, treble clef.
Sorry for going off topic. Also sorry for giving unwanted advice. Hopefully someone will find this useful.
THanks Paul, I will try to incorporate some of your method, when I finally have time to deal with the situation.
Paul,
That's a good idea....wish I had thought of that. I went the other way; picked up a few tenor clef pieces and ran through them, stopping whenever I couldn't figure out the note, and then counting from the C. Probably not the best way to do it. Knowing tenor clef has been useful though....for instance I once worked on a violin piece which was in E and treble clef. Instead of finding another edition which might work better for bass, or transcribing the part by hand, all I had to do was play as if it was written in tenor and change the key to D. Which works pretty well, since tenor is merely a step (and an octave) below treble. Of course, the accidentals didn't work very well in this method. Slap on some solo strings, and I could have performed it without changing the piano part. Fun stuff, these theory shortcuts.
That's a good idea....wish I had thought of that. I went the other way; picked up a few tenor clef pieces and ran through them, stopping whenever I couldn't figure out the note, and then counting from the C. Probably not the best way to do it. Knowing tenor clef has been useful though....for instance I once worked on a violin piece which was in E and treble clef. Instead of finding another edition which might work better for bass, or transcribing the part by hand, all I had to do was play as if it was written in tenor and change the key to D. Which works pretty well, since tenor is merely a step (and an octave) below treble. Of course, the accidentals didn't work very well in this method. Slap on some solo strings, and I could have performed it without changing the piano part. Fun stuff, these theory shortcuts.
