Double Bass Need reality check on starting Double Bass due to Physical Problems

[matthewbrown]

Well I appreciated your comment which made me think about my request. I was looking for experience or thoughts about whether it was common or not for some players to find anatomical reasons for not being successful at continuing with the instrument. I was very aware that teaching and lessons could help evaluate and possibly relieve perceived problems. I was asking this because from some other resources it was stated to me that it is very common. So I was looking for corroboration of those comments simply out of curiosity as to whether this was indeed common.

So on further thought, posting this request to this sub section of the forum may have been not fruitful because it is populated and followed presumably by successful players and thus I would not hear from electric bass players who had decided to not continue with upright bass due to these physical concerns.

So I still would be interested to know if the idea that many players stop due to the physical demands is common or not, but also realize that I might not get any answers here. Thanks.

I played URB for a brief time in college and then much later for about 5 years as an adult. I think one key thing to remember is that if you're going to make a commitment to an instrument, you will have to expect to practice it regularly. For me, that was the obstacle that I never entirely overcame. I just didn't like to practice the URB very much. And when I got a call to play it, I would brush up on it to play a gig or two. Another obstacle for me was that as lovely as the URB sounds, I really didn't feel like I could express my musical thoughts on it as well as I could on EB. I also hoped that by doubling on URB I would pick up more gigs, but there were far more established players in my area, and I found that I could sub for them as readily on EB. Doubling was not really necessary for me.

These days I am doubling on classical guitar and flute, because I have the time for it and I'm following my musical interests (Latin and classical music mainly) more than trying to land more jazz gigs. By focusing on musicianship (ear training, reading standard notation, rhythm and time) I've improved my jazz playing on EB so that I'm getting more gigs -- jazz and music theater. I like the URB forum here because it's filled with jazz cats who can help me out with the genre (shoutout to Don Kasper and Brian Rost, btw).

Finally, a lot depends on where you are in your journey as a musician and where you live. If I had stuck with URB in college, perhaps I might have fallen in love with the instrument. (Watching a classmate practice URB until he had messed up his hands completely was probably a turning point. It seemed masochistic.) I've since learned that you don't have to ruin your body to succeed on URB.

Good luck with your decision! I think either way you can find musical success and satisfaction, tbh.

 

[Photonic]

I played URB for a brief time in college and then much later for about 5 years as an adult. I think one key thing to remember is that if you're going to make a commitment to an instrument, you will have to expect to practice it regularly. For me, that was the obstacle that I never entirely overcame. I just didn't like to practice the URB very much. And when I got a call to play it, I would brush up on it to play a gig or two. Another obstacle for me was that as lovely as the URB sounds, I really didn't feel like I could express my musical thoughts on it as well as I could on EB. I also hoped that by doubling on URB I would pick up more gigs, but there were far more established players in my area, and I found that I could sub for them as readily on EB. Doubling was not really necessary for me.

These days I am doubling on classical guitar and flute, because I have the time for it and I'm following my musical interests (Latin and classical music mainly) more than trying to land more jazz gigs. By focusing on musicianship (ear training, reading standard notation, rhythm and time) I've improved my jazz playing on EB so that I'm getting more gigs -- jazz and music theater. I like the URB forum here because it's filled with jazz cats who can help me out with the genre (shoutout to Don Kasper and Brian Rost, btw).

Finally, a lot depends on where you are in your journey as a musician and where you live. If I had stuck with URB in college, perhaps I might have fallen in love with the instrument. (Watching a classmate practice URB until he had messed up his hands completely was probably a turning point. It seemed masochistic.) I've since learned that you don't have to ruin your body to succeed on URB.

Good luck with your decision! I think either way you can find musical success and satisfaction, tbh.

What a fabulous and thoughtful reply!

 

[AGCurry]

Here's what I think on an existential level: at your age and health you are not learning double bass to get more gigs or join your local community orchestra, but for some spiritual (if that's not too strong a word) and psychological insight and comfort.

For those who can appreciate playing the double bass in this way, great... and I'll admit to playing "variations on Ash Grove" occasionally just to remind myself that I can play something and sound pretty good doing it.

But, for most of us, double bass is essentially an ensemble instrument, mainly enjoyed by playing with others. At age 73, with about five years of lessons starting five years ago, I'm playing in a community orchestra and preparing for auditions with another, despite neck pain that playing aggravates. Speaking only for myself, it is the discipline I impose on myself that keeps me on the path of improvement. Kudos to those who don't need such discipline... I do.

 

[Jason Sypher]

I don’t necessarily think upright bass is harder than electric. Played intelligently the upright bass can be played with minimal effort. But this takes training and patience. Watch Edgar Meyer play. He is practically floating over the bass. I know I’m playing correctly when I feel I’m floating over the bass. It can be that relaxing, in fact, it should be that relaxing. I mostly get tired standing all day, first practicing and then at the gig. Wear the best shoes you can. The rest is all set-up and technique. But you have to want it! It won’t come without engagement and commitment.

 

[Bruce Calin]

There's so much great info and encouragement for you here. One more: as a younger player I took inspiration from some of the (much ) older players, some in their 80s and 90s who were still playing well professionally and made it clear that music was one of the main things that kept them going. The capper was a guy I toured with recently who was still performing and playing well at 103! We should all be so lucky. Don't give up.

 

[LouisF]

Just sayin':

 

[JamesGrant]

Hi! There’s a huge difference between differently set up upright basses. Some people have an action so high, and string tension so stiff that it’s mind blowing to me that they can play anything at all on it! Some folk seem to accept the action on an instrument as being adjustable, and others a fixed attribute of that bass.
It’s possible to have lighter tension strings and a low action. That and a 5/8ths size is a nice combination.
With the fretting hand, if you keep your elbow reasonably high (not higher that the fretting hand!) a lot of pressure from the wrist and thumb is not required, the thumb can be for stability more than pressure.
Good luck!!

 

[LouisF]

"With the left hand, if you keep your elbow reasonably high (not higher that the fretting hand!) a lot of pressure from the wrist and thumb is not required, the thumb can be for stability more than pressure."

While this may be true about the wrist and thumb, keeping the left elbow high can lead to neck and shoulder issues.

 

[winston]

I've played bass guitar 40 years now, and though I'm not gigging on it regularly anymore, have played DB over the last 20 or so years. I encountered a fair number of physical issues playing the upright, until...

Working with an Alexander Technique coach (some of the best money I've ever spent) and some good bass teachers I learned to let gravity and the larger muscle groups (back, shoulders, upper arms) work as a unit with my forearms, hand and fingers. I also got some great advice from yoga teachers, massage therapists and dancers in terms of moving freely with only minimum necessary force and effort. The fact that they weren't bassists was important as they had no preconceived notions, just a deep understanding of the body's structure and function.

If you're just pressing the strings down with your fingers you're literally in for a world of hurt, but if you can feel the weight of your arm carrying through your fingers you can learn to make a good tone without even touching the back of the neck with your thumb. Same goes with bowing, with the right amount of rosin the weight of your arm puts the string under tension (I find it much easier with a German bow and note I am not a classical player).

 

[the_Ryan]

IME it's common for uprights to have a lot more string height at the nut than I like. My guess is this gives the player a bit more dynamic range, but it also makes the force required to press the string down in lower positions ramp up fairly quickly. I have filed the slots on many bass guitars and uprights to suit my technique. With string height at the nut reduced, I find the strength required to play in lower positions is greatly reduced. Also my perception is it's possible to makes the tension across strings near the nut seem more even.

This whole post is great, I just want to add that most contemporary luthiers who are good at setting up basses set basses up with the nut height as low as it can be without the open string buzzing against the fingerboard. It’s very common for basses with less-than-ideal setups to have the nut slots cut way too high, and all it does is make the left hand work harder to stop the string.