Boy ... I HAVE A WHOLE NEW RESPECT FOR YOU UPRIGHT DOUBLE BASS PLAYERS!!! I am a beginner (just started yesterday) and I have no idea what is going on ... something you guys already know - It is not at all like the fretless. SO ... I need some help with some books to start learning fingering, scales and all things pertinent to jazz ... I have Simandl (and I am going to go through it page by page). Any other thoughts and ideas?!?!?! I am looking to learn and become proficient at jazz. What scales, chords, arppegios modes etc are important to the Jazz Bassist. I know there are some threads here somewhere ... I just can't find them. So if someone would point me to them, I would appreciate that as well .... Thank you guys in advance!!!
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Double Bass just started
- Thread starter Attenergy
- Start date
Welcome to the fold. I'm a big fan of the Rufus Reid book. But do yourself a HUGE favor and line up a teacher, too. I noodled around for a month or so before taking a lesson and discovered the hard way that it takes a lot longer to unlearn the wrong way and then learn the right way than to just learn the right way in the first place.
I reccomend sticking with just Simandl for a while, maybe a simple F blues when you are done with your Simandl. You need to get some solid basic technique before worrying about all that other stuff.
The double bass has a lot more to do with sound than BG, a nice round tone on a simple root five line goes a long way.
Once you have that, by all means, get to work on more heavy Jazz theory.
One good piece of advice is do not take major scales lightly. With double bass they are much more of a big deal, and not an easy task.
Thanks Damon Smith ... I heard all the time that the upright is so much different ... a whold different instrument and boy do I know this is the TRUTH. I am totally lost.
I decided last night to stick with Simandl as that is the only book that is basically self explanatory. I bought the Ray Brown book and I noticed he only sticks to Major scales ... is there a reason for this?!?! Also the Simandl goes through all major scales and then minor ... is there a reason why they don't go into the others?!?! But yes ... I will stick with the Simandl (I have both books so sigure it would take me a good 6 mos to a year to finish proficiently). Again ... I have so much more respect for the instrument and the way you guys make it swing so effortless ... perhaps if you guys made it as difficult as it is, I would've have been smart enought to stick with the fretless.
I decided last night to stick with Simandl as that is the only book that is basically self explanatory. I bought the Ray Brown book and I noticed he only sticks to Major scales ... is there a reason for this?!?! Also the Simandl goes through all major scales and then minor ... is there a reason why they don't go into the others?!?! But yes ... I will stick with the Simandl (I have both books so sigure it would take me a good 6 mos to a year to finish proficiently). Again ... I have so much more respect for the instrument and the way you guys make it swing so effortless ... perhaps if you guys made it as difficult as it is, I would've have been smart enought to stick with the fretless.
- Those books are mainly based on technique, once you go through them, you should have the technical ability to play the other scales, which have more to do with theory.
As I said playing major scales in tune is much more of a tall order than you might think.
Also, most other scales are an abstraction on or come from the major scale.
I think it is very important to separate practicing the instrument from practicing music.
You need to do both, and doing one will not take care of the other.
Understood Damon ... I will stick with Simandl and trust me ... I know longer will take this lightly ... I'd put the instrument down first .. As I mentioned before, I guess I'll be in Simandl for the next year getting my technical skills down ...
Hm. The version of Ray Brown's Bass Method book that I have has sections on intervals, major and minor triads, diminished and augmented chords, whole tone scales, blue patterns, and more. Right or wrong, it was the first book I bought.
He also has four older videos out that I got from Lemur Music. But IMO the earlier recommendation for the Rufus Reid DVD is probably a better choice, as it has a broader and lengthier set of material.
[ Edit - In fact the only one of these four videos that I'd really recommend as a strong instructional aid is the one featuring him and John Clayton. ]
There is also a link to a master class that Ray Brown gave for the BBC in the 70's here.
[ Edit - Check out his right hand technique and how he uses the side of his index finger from the first knuckle on down. Quite different than using the tips or pads of the fingers a la bass guitar. The Rufus Reid DVD also demonstrates and discusses this. ]
GREAT!!! Thanks Guys!!! I also picked up a book this weekend that has proved to be of real value to me. The title is My First Simandl (I think that's what it's called) by Amy Rosen ... it simplifies but is based totally on the work of Simandls book. That helped me a lot over this weekend. I did the work in the first section then went right to the Simandl and completed the corresponding work. Again ... I HAVE A WHOLE NEW RESPECT FOR YOU GUYS PLAYING THIS INSTRUMENT ... IT MAKES YOU THINK ... NO MORE PATTERNS ... I also picked up some CD's by Bill Evans featuring ... you know who ... SCOTT LA FARO!!!!! 
The guy has instantly become one of my heroes!!!
The guy has instantly become one of my heroes!!!ABSOLUTELY Kat86!!! Although Simandl did not seem by appearance to be overly complicated ... this book just stretches it out and puts a few simpler ideas together first (it seems). Some of the passages are the same but as noted, not as long as in the Simandl book. Great introduction to Simandl as it says. Lives up to its billing! I also noticed that they include arpeggios in this book where I did not see that in Simandl.
google, video,double bass..then look for bassius.. three how to's...left hand work, right hand tech. and a breakdown of the positions on the fingerboard..it will encourage!
