The "Americana" trend is killing me right now. Who wants to tote that thing around? It's funny cause back in the day, all the country guys dropped the gargantuan as soon as they could when the electric showed up. Even further, to see the bluegrass and "Hipster" crowd drag the basses around only to adjust adjust the pick up, and fiddle with the knobs on their amp seems to miss the point of having a doghouse to begin with.
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Marginal interest in upright bass
- Thread starter LBS-bass
- Start date
A few odds and ends that I am sure folks will jump all over me for.
I own a 1/2 as well as a 3/4. I enjoy playing the 1/2 as it fits me better, not being 6 feet tall. (Yes, I know all sorts of short people play 3/4, but it doesn't work for me unless I am sitting with the bass leaning back.) If you are not 6' tall or so, maybe consider renting a 1/2 student instead of a 3/4.
If you are serious about the DB, put the effort into learning a good foundation, so you wont have to unlearn bad habits. The bow will own you, not vice versa. Buy a good bow, btw (Carbon fiber recommended for beginners)
Do not even consider playing anything but std left hand 3 fingers technique (until you get very proficient). Walk before you run. If you already play 3 fingered, you are ahead of the game.
I own a 1/2 as well as a 3/4. I enjoy playing the 1/2 as it fits me better, not being 6 feet tall. (Yes, I know all sorts of short people play 3/4, but it doesn't work for me unless I am sitting with the bass leaning back.) If you are not 6' tall or so, maybe consider renting a 1/2 student instead of a 3/4.
If you are serious about the DB, put the effort into learning a good foundation, so you wont have to unlearn bad habits. The bow will own you, not vice versa. Buy a good bow, btw (Carbon fiber recommended for beginners)
Do not even consider playing anything but std left hand 3 fingers technique (until you get very proficient). Walk before you run. If you already play 3 fingered, you are ahead of the game.
Links to the DB side and those talking about smaller basses.
Not advocating either way.
1/4 Size upright, any fullsize people playing them?
FAQ - 1/2 and 1/4 sized Double Basses
Not advocating either way.
1/4 Size upright, any fullsize people playing them?
FAQ - 1/2 and 1/4 sized Double Basses
I had one at home for a while. My wife wanted to learn, it was "hers" but of course i adopted it.
No frets? Got used to it.
Big and akward? Ok, but not a deal breaker.
Hard to move? Yes, but its doable. Hope you have a station wagon or something tho, not my prius
But the thing that got me was the endurance. Like holy cow, whered my endurance go? So hard for me to tap out of a jam cause i physically couldn't play anymore .
I did get the oos and aas, esp from the bluegrass crowd.
Good luck in choosing. Ps, renting for a while seems real smart!
No frets? Got used to it.
Big and akward? Ok, but not a deal breaker.
Hard to move? Yes, but its doable. Hope you have a station wagon or something tho, not my prius
But the thing that got me was the endurance. Like holy cow, whered my endurance go? So hard for me to tap out of a jam cause i physically couldn't play anymore .
I did get the oos and aas, esp from the bluegrass crowd.
Good luck in choosing. Ps, renting for a while seems real smart!
I’m 60, and spent my 50’s relearning electric after losing a decade to wrist issues. I use really light gayge strings to keep the forces on my hands reasonable.
I’m certainly not signing up at this age to take up an instrument that’s harder on my hands and wrists. You get to make your own decisions - just something to think about.
I’m certainly not signing up at this age to take up an instrument that’s harder on my hands and wrists. You get to make your own decisions - just something to think about.
IMHO, all the knob fiddling should occur well before showtime.
String bass is not an instrument I would recommend playing if you have to walk on and play without a sound check. Hopefully the audio tech knows his/her stuff, because string bass can be a real challenge if the volume needs to be pushed in the subs and mains.
I don't do the ampless one mic technique like a blue grass player, or use a tiny amp like a GK MB150S that some of the jazz greats seem to love. In fact I think the MB150S sounds awful. I use a relatively powerful amp, preferably with a relatively flat and extended response, and play at volume loud enough to kick a big band without PA support. So I need 5-10 minutes to tune the bass and amp for maximum gain before feedback. Even if the rig is dialed in from the previous gig, it's a good idea to spend a few minutes because the EQ typically needs to be adjusted from venue to venue. Of course the goal is to not need to make adjustment during the show, and I rarely do.
Luckily I am primarily a 3-finger player. I sometimes try to be more "correct" but the three-finger thing is my habitual way.
String height, string size, the slower speed at which the string responds when pizzed (compared to EB), the use of the thumb to stop notes, learning the right angle of your pizzing fingers (and arm weight) to get a good sound, building up endurance to get through a 3 or 4 hour gig, learning what pickup/pre/amp combination your bass likes...
Then there's the fact that maintenance practice cannot be ignored if you want to have decent intonation. Unlike electric bass, you can't lay off for a few days and be fine. The muscle memory and synaptic pathways need to be reinforced regularly, or the ability to play in tune starts going away.
IMHO a decent 1/4 size bass can be set up to play real nice and easy. I have even heard one that sounded decent (most don't). I have never tried to amplify one.
Switching between different scale fretless instruments really jacks with my intonation, but there would be no problem if I exclusively played just one size. I have considered getting a 1/4 bass, as opposed to getting something like an Eminence EUB. I have also considered a Czech-Ease...in my experience they sound awful acoustically, but fairly decent when plugged in.
Here's the best sounding recording I can find of a Czech-Ease
1,2,3 or 1,2,4? With string bass you will need to use the 1,2,4, and of course 3 helps 4.
Endurance is a big factor in DB, especially if you are lucky enuff to be older.
If you are a doubler, do you really have enuff time to practice both?
However, if you play jazz, DB is a big plus.
Me, i enjoy putting my time into piano. A lot of bang for the amount of effort required.
If you are a doubler, do you really have enuff time to practice both?
However, if you play jazz, DB is a big plus.
Me, i enjoy putting my time into piano. A lot of bang for the amount of effort required.
Right now I have some time. I'm self-employed and this is my slow season. During most days I have blocks of time that might be anywhere from 1 to 3 hours between busy times. I take care of people's pets which is usually a breakfast, lunch and dinner time thing. So from maybe 9-11:30 or so and again from maybe 1:30 to 4 I often can fit in a few hours of practice. During my busy season it can be somewhat less, but I try to get in at least an hour each day when I can.
Funny you mentioned piano because I also played around with that in my younger years, and I use a piano to write music in a hunt and peck sort of way, but I'm not very good on it if I have to play music in real time. However, I've lately been thinking that I should work on that a little bit, as well.
It's the same notes. Many of those skills are like riding a bike. One thing is, it can't hurt to get out the old real books and take a spin on your electric. That will tell you if you're still familiar enough with the general musical bass player skills. Just knowing how you learned it in the first place is a great head start to re-learning it. Note that as you transition to upright, there's no law against keeping things simple.
Now about the upright bass, which has become my main instrument. I would not recommend it for any reason other than the personal challenge and satisfaction of playing it. It's one of those things where, if you can live without it, then you probably should. On the other hand, it might be loads of fun. I put up with all of the negatives of playing the Beast because it's really a joy to play. I would keep playing it, even if I never played another gig.
At age 54, I'm re-learning cello to see if I can play jazz on it. There is no demand for jazz cellists, but it's just an interesting challenge.
In my view, the main thing is that it's dangerous if done improperly, and I've seen promising young bassists get sidelined because of things like tendonitis. A teacher can set you on the right path to using good classical technique. They can watch what you're doing and critique it. And they can help you set realistic expectations of what you can do within a given amount of time.
From what I'm reading--and I thank all of you for adding your thoughts--it sounds like the biggest challenge for me is likely going to be physical, and hand strength is going to be a particular challenge. I always joke that you'd think my hands would be strong, but they are really quite weak. Building up strength will be a factor initially and maintaining that will be an ongoing thing.
Roadstar, I hear you. When I started playing, no one wanted to touch a Double Bass, especially in country or rock. Even the southern and folk rock players had bass guitars. Funny how things change.
Roadstar, I hear you. When I started playing, no one wanted to touch a Double Bass, especially in country or rock. Even the southern and folk rock players had bass guitars. Funny how things change.
Well, I am 63 and started up with DB again when I was about 55 or thereabouts. I had great chops in my 20's then stopped and shifted to Eb then nothing for some years while kids and work took priority. I am pretty proficient again but lost alot of the facility that I had when I was younger. It was really hard to start up again - in my head I know what I should be able to do but physically its very challenging. I practice perhaps 1- 1.5 hrs a day, upright only, and that is what it takes for me be be able to be a credible URB player. I am mostly playing electric URB (an Eminence) with a NewGrass band and also playing with a guitar/bass/drums trio and am nowhere near where I'd like to be but I manage ok.
Bottom line - if you are committed to daily work and love the instrument then go for it. If not, EB is way easier and for most music is just fine. I played fretless electric with the NewGrass band at first and they loved it - the transition to URB was my choice and it fits better but electric bass got me 80-90% there.
I totally get all the posts taking about how physical the upright is, but I actually think it’s friendlier than the electric, ergonomically. The DB takes some real arm movement and grip strength for sure, but it’s easy to keep your wrists straight and your joints and muscles aligned while you play. The instrument kind of forces you to, which I like. I really enjoy the physicality of it.
I find my wrists and shoulders tend to be more sore on the electric because of the angles, or my technique getting sloppy on a long gig.
Then again, I haven’t played a DB for a long time now, but I have nothing but good memories of it.
I find my wrists and shoulders tend to be more sore on the electric because of the angles, or my technique getting sloppy on a long gig.
Then again, I haven’t played a DB for a long time now, but I have nothing but good memories of it.
