Double Bass Me playing some Bach

[Johnny L]

What alarms me, though, is that most public school bass players tend to set their instruments WAY too low (I have seen the nut level with the mouth many, many times). I teach private lessons in various public schools and this is the pattern I notice: when I show up to a new school to take on new students the bass players seem to be forgotten. They have sloppy form all around while the rest of the orchestra has been given at least a modicum instruction to form. What gives? I understand that most orchestra directors are violinists or cellists, but sheesh...

I'd suspect that it's more because they're playing in half position 99% of the time...so setting the bass lower is easiest for both the left hand and the right hand.

But I really don't have any idea. I never played in a school orchestra and I've never seen one in action.