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Double Bass Is this the correct posture when holding the bass while sitting?
- Thread starter Donald Thompson
- Start date
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Right foot flat on the ground with right knee stabilizing bass. Right knee should contact the corner of the lower bout.
Pull out end pin some more.
Angle the bass slightly more, so neck is to the left of left ear.
Make sure that heel of bass makes contact with your sternum only and that your stomach is not touching the back of the bass. In a perfect world, the bass should only be in contact with your hands, two knees (no thighs touching), and sternum (no stomach touching). But, this is not a perfect world and no two bodies are exactly the same, so you'll have to make micro-adjustments to all of the above basic and general principles. Ultimately, when you can play bass for 6 days a week for 4 hours, with no pain and with your maximum facility, then you have the right posture.
Right foot flat on the ground with right knee stabilizing bass. Right knee should contact the corner of the lower bout.
Pull out end pin some more.
Angle the bass slightly more, so neck is to the left of left ear.
Make sure that heel of bass makes contact with your sternum only and that your stomach is not touching the back of the bass. In a perfect world, the bass should only be in contact with your hands, two knees (no thighs touching), and sternum (no stomach touching). But, this is not a perfect world and no two bodies are exactly the same, so you'll have to make micro-adjustments to all of the above basic and general principles. Ultimately, when you can play bass for 6 days a week for 4 hours, with no pain and with your maximum facility, then you have the right posture.
What ILIA said, when you have the bass in more horizontal position it really lets you " hang " your left hand with the weight of the arm from the bass. Another aspect is the right hand, you want to be able get closer to the end of the board pizz, and closer to the bridge arco. The " correct " way to sit is the one that allows the back plate to vibrate as much as possible, and that allows you to have the maximum ability to move, while everything else remains comfortable. And while all we are physically different and basses come in different sizes and shapes, you have to find your way to sit with your bass thru trial and error.
There are a lot of ways to do it, but in my experience the most “standard” seating posture is the one demonstrated by Sidney King in this video:
(it should start at Sid’s segment)
(it should start at Sid’s segment)
Regardless of anything else you need to get off the corner of the bed and onto a taller stool (or something) that is more stable and keeps you in a consistent spatial relationship with the bass. You may not notice it to begin with but your entire body will be tense just from fighting the inherent bounce of the mattress: if you relax and allow the bounce your handshape (and intonation) will almost certainly go south.
Sorry about the picture, but I'm not really on the mattress at all, it's just hard to see.
I might need to get a smaller stool, haha.
The two standard sizes of stool are 29" and 24". I sit on a 24" stool as seen in the segment of the video after Sid's even though I'm 6'1". And as Sid mentions, he sometimes saws off the bottom of the stool legs for his students to better match the stool to their proportions.
There is not one correct absolute way to hold the bass while sitting, only what works for you.
For every great player that holds it one way, there is another great player that does it completely different.
I have a 25” stool where I place both feet on the floor. Some use a guitar type foot stool for one foot.
I use a 29” stool if needed to blend into a section. I bought two used 29” stools in perfect condition for cheap,
cut one down to 25” to fit me, and painted both of them satin black so they do not stand out on a theatre stage.
So for classical I sit, for jazz I always stand. My endpins are angled but standing I usually just use a straight endpin.
For every great player that holds it one way, there is another great player that does it completely different.
I have a 25” stool where I place both feet on the floor. Some use a guitar type foot stool for one foot.
I use a 29” stool if needed to blend into a section. I bought two used 29” stools in perfect condition for cheap,
cut one down to 25” to fit me, and painted both of them satin black so they do not stand out on a theatre stage.
So for classical I sit, for jazz I always stand. My endpins are angled but standing I usually just use a straight endpin.
When you decide on a suitable sitting position and bass angle and are reasonably happy with your bowing technique, let the bow's position on the string be the guide to endpin/stool height.
With a relaxed bow stroke, the bow should be approximately halfway between end of fingerboard and bridge.
With a relaxed bow stroke, the bow should be approximately halfway between end of fingerboard and bridge.
The correct way to hold a double bass is to get a teacher.
Thank you Chris.
Your videos are incredibly helpful!! Wish I could say more… I have watched many of them several times.
To the OP, probably it'd be appropriate to ask a couple of questions that the pictures do not provide exact answers to...
1) How tall are you?
2) What is the size of the double bass?
While the answers to these two questions won't change the general answers you've gotten so far, they could very easily have a bearing on your seat height and endpin length setting.
(Perspective says to me that this is probably either a 1/2 or 5/8 size double bass, but that could also be camera angle. That is just what caught my eye anyway.)
1) How tall are you?
2) What is the size of the double bass?
While the answers to these two questions won't change the general answers you've gotten so far, they could very easily have a bearing on your seat height and endpin length setting.
(Perspective says to me that this is probably either a 1/2 or 5/8 size double bass, but that could also be camera angle. That is just what caught my eye anyway.)
Be patient and make sure he or she knows what's going on. These aren't things that are easy to help with online. Try and find a stool that is easy to adjust the height of and try some different things out.
Thank you... Good and good about your height and double bass size. It must have been camera angle for my missed perception. I know of no concerns, based on your info.
It sounds to me like these are typical things that someone thinks about when they are starting out. Glad you have a teacher; as has been mentioned, confide the details of your wondering with him or her, in fact you may want to share the same picture that you provided in this thread with your teacher.
Regarding stool height, personally I'm most comfortable sitting with my DB on an adjustable height stool at about 26" high. I'm 5'6", I ride my DB on a very short ~2" stub of an endpin, and my 3/4 DB seems to fit best within my reach with that stool height. It's also easy to get up and play standing if I wish to, which happens frequently in a 3 to 4 hour jam.
But as has been mentioned, everyone has to find their own comfort spot for both the stool and the end pin setting. You'll learn more about this as you learn about how to also use your left hand.
Keep on keeping on... The first few weeks can be confusing and ultra-detailed, but it's worth it. The double bass is a fun instrument to play.
Great video, and very timely too. I am currently re-setting my sitting position and I got quite a few useful tips!
Are there anymore videos you know of demonstrating arco sitting positions?
Thanks Chris, and cool glasses!
@Monabass Thanks! I don't know of any other videos about seated position, but I'm pretty sure there will be some out there. I would check on Jason Heath's site ( Double Bass HQ: Home of the Double Bass Community ) and also on the Discover Double Bass site.
I made this one to show that there isn't one "correct" way to do it, but rather a lot of options that seem to work fine for a lot of great pro players. Since it's primarily a jazz video, most of the players are standing.
I made this one to show that there isn't one "correct" way to do it, but rather a lot of options that seem to work fine for a lot of great pro players. Since it's primarily a jazz video, most of the players are standing.
