Double Bass joel quarrington ibook!!

[Les Fret]

Basically, Joel prefers to play isolated half steps in lower positions as 1-3 or 2-4. I find that the 1-3 half step is more in tune than playing 1-2 most of the time, even with keeping your hand compact and rolling it like Joel advocates.

Is that all there is to it? It's not a really shocking thing....

 

[paulunger]

Playing a half step, 1-3, in the lower positions is not something I was ever taught. It really comes in handy, though, and helps develop the strength of the 3rd finger. Basically, I never use it when playing 3 notes in a position. That's always 1-2-4. But if I am just playing a half step before shifting, I offers use 1-3. Especially if it is a trill or a goose egg. Playing 1-3 helps keep the hand compact, strong and reduces tension in the hand.
It's another tool in the toolbox.

p.s. one fingering that I like a lot is when playing a half step, followed by a shift up the same string to another two half step notes. for example: E-F-G-Ab or E-F-G#-A up the D string. Fingering it 1-3-2-4. It keeps the hand compact and powerful and eliminates the gliss if you finger it 1-2-2-4 and is a shorter distance than a fingering of 2-4-2-4 or 1-2-1-2.

 

[Tom Lane]

I often think of a comment Lynn Seaton made when another student asked him about which fingerings he should learn. Lynn said "all of them!" I hated that answer at the time. Now, I love it.

 

[etorgerson]

Like Paul said, the more tools, the better.

 

[Les Fret]

I offers use 1-3. Especially if it is a trill or a goose egg.

What's a goose egg?

And is the half step the only time JQ uses the third finger below TP? Or is he also using it for other stuff like 134 for whole-half step or something?

 

[paulunger]

Goose Egg = Whole Note
Yes, I like to play a whole step-half step with a 1-3-4 pivot on many occasions. Especially if those notes are all under a slur. But that's a pivot, not an extension. I don't like the idea of playing a whole step with 1-3.

 

[Papageno]

Playing a half step, 1-3, in the lower positions is not something I was ever taught. It really comes in handy, though, and helps develop the strength of the 3rd finger. Basically, I never use it when playing 3 notes in a position. That's always 1-2-4. But if I am just playing a half step before shifting, I offers use 1-3. Especially if it is a trill or a goose egg. Playing 1-3 helps keep the hand compact, strong and reduces tension in the hand.
It's another tool in the toolbox.

p.s. one fingering that I like a lot is when playing a half step, followed by a shift up the same string to another two half step notes. for example: E-F-G-Ab or E-F-G#-A up the D string. Fingering it 1-3-2-4. It keeps the hand compact and powerful and eliminates the gliss if you finger it 1-2-2-4 and is a shorter distance than a fingering of 2-4-2-4 or 1-2-1-2.

Goose Egg = Whole Note
Yes, I like to play a whole step-half step with a 1-3-4 pivot on many occasions. Especially if those notes are all under a slur. But that's a pivot, not an extension. I don't like the idea of playing a whole step with 1-3.

I recently started studying JQ's e-book (2nd Ed, in PDF format). One thing (among many others) that was a real light-bulb moment to me is his use of the 3rd finger.

In some sense, he combines Simandl's 1-2-4 and Bille's 1-3-4 (Italian school) techniques.

Playing a half-step with 1-3 is so natural! (at least in the low range). The hand remains fully relaxed and this avoids the effort needed to spread 1 and 2. Same of course for playing a half-step with 2-4 (Simandl).

So when playing a minor 3rd with pivot, JQ plays 1-2-4 if it is divided in half+whole (like E-F-G on D string) and 1-3-4 if is divided in whole+half (like A-B-C) on G string.

Curiously, I find it more ergonomic to do the opposite, i.e., to play E-F-G with 1-3-4 (half-step 1-3 followed by pivot 3-4 for the whole step) and to play A-B-C with 1-2-4 (whole-step pivot with 1-2, followed with half-step 2-4).

Any thoughts on the latter point?

 

[Opus_Pocus]

I recently started studying JQ's e-book (2nd Ed, in PDF format). One thing (among many others) that was a real light-bulb moment to me is his use of the 3rd finger.

In some sense, he combines Simandl's 1-2-4 and Bille's 1-3-4 (Italian school) techniques.

Playing a half-step with 1-3 is so natural! (at least in the low range). The hand remains fully relaxed and this avoids the effort needed to spread 1 and 2. Same of course for playing a half-step with 2-4 (Simandl).

So when playing a minor 3rd with pivot, JQ plays 1-2-4 if it is divided in half+whole (like E-F-G on D string) and 1-3-4 if is divided in whole+half (like A-B-C) on G string.

Curiously, I find it more ergonomic to do the opposite, i.e., to play E-F-G with 1-3-4 (half-step 1-3 followed by pivot 3-4 for the whole step) and to play A-B-C with 1-2-4 (whole-step pivot with 1-2, followed with half-step 2-4).

Any thoughts on the latter point?

Yeah seems like you could do it either way in that case. Your reasoning makes sense, and so does Joel's.

In a different scenario, if you want to shift higher with ~The Move~ it's better to be pivoted (supinated?) on 2nd finger than stationary on 3rd finger, if that makes sense.

I'm personally getting along fine without using the 3rd finger in lower positions so far. It seems like a cool challenge to add it in but 5ths tuning is hard enough to adapt to for now.