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Double Bass Koussevitzky Concerto Fingering

I

Illfavor

Mar 9, 2005
199
0
38
DFW
#1
In bars 74-77 for those who have the music, there's a dramatic slurred section the starts on a middle line B (treble clef, orchestra tuning) then, in sixteen note fashion, goes up a half step then down, so it's as follows:

BCCB BA#A#B BCCB BA#A#B BCCB BC#C#B BDDB BD#D#B BDDB BD#D#B BEEB BFFB BF#F#B

It's one big crescendo, and I was wondering what the best way to play this would be. Start of the G string then shift up and over to the D later? Stay Sul G? Start on the D String?
 
#5
I'd get used to that thumb position agony as quickly as possibly, it only gets worse later on:p

As for the fingering I use (starting with the notes you've listed) I go:

(2332) (2112) (2332) (2112) (+11+) (+22+) (+22+) (+22+) (+22+) (+22+) (+22+) (+22+) (+222) 2!!!!

It requires a bit of a stretch and careful placement of that thumb on the B, but it's the easiest fingering I ever had for it. Good luck!
 
#6
+1 for mantisbot fingering.

Try anchoring the thumb closer to the knuckle than the fingernail. Might help. Also, when your are using other fingers with the thumb 'resting' but still pressing the string down, you could use a part closer to the nail - this changes the angle of the left hand which might make things easier. it worked for me. it all depends on the shape of your thumb tho..but a nice callous will build up pretty fast, which will mean no pain!
 
#7
Hey man, if you get a nice callous going on your thumb, it'll make your life so much easier. I keep mine doing scales every day. A friend of mine will do vomits on his thumb to keep it going. It deifnitely becomes a very useful tool in situations like these. It is a little painful at first and it takes time, but if you can deal with just some of the pain and maybe a blister, you won't have to worry about the weak thumb anymore.
 
#9
PaulCannon said:
Heh, the vomit scale. That's when you do a two octave scale up and down a string with a big glissando, always going back to the low tonic note you started on after each note. Doing this on your thumb for the entirety of the scale would definitely build up a callous if you don't start bleeding first.
Click to expand...

lol yea sorry for the lack of clarification. That's basically the idea. I suppose being able to do them without your fingers bleeding is a good thing. Seriously though, good way to get the callous that could be mistaken for a golf ball hanging off your thumb.
 
#10
BGreaney said:
lol yea sorry for the lack of clarification. That's basically the idea. I suppose being able to do them without your fingers bleeding is a good thing. Seriously though, good way to get the callous that could be mistaken for a golf ball hanging off your thumb.
Click to expand...

Yeah.....I remember seeing a few fellow bassists cringe when I suggested we warm up together on a thumb-thumb vomit exercise. It was only a one octave scale, without repeating any of the notes. I was fine with it.....but I loved watching them clutch their hands in pain afterwards. The first time you do it, you feel like your thumb is on fire. It you ever get to the point where you can play one without pain, congratulations: you've got a good callous there.
 

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