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Double Bass Never touched a double/standup till today, and WOW!

dcgriggs79

dcgriggs79

Aug 5, 2017
44
116
46
Tallahassee, FL
#1
Somebody share in my excitement here...!!

I've only played fretted bass guitars. Local music shop had a nice double in stock. Music shop guy said try it out. And I said I couldnt play it. He insisted I just FEEL it (he knew what he was doing).

I kinda ran a test major scale, found what I think was G, and then did some I-IV-V 12 bar blues. Two things struck me:

1. I was pretty amazed how intuitive/natural it was to to find the right relative notes based on root (whether my root was actually a G, who knows). Far from perfect, not nailing everything spot on...but CLOSE.

2. The spacing between notes was not as drastic as I always assumed.

And now here I am for the first time in my 20 year bass playing life wondering if I should buy a double. Wouldn't really fit with my current classic rock cover band, but I'd love to do some acoustic-based gigs!

Anyone else make the transition want to share you story with me? Good or bad.

Thanks for listening! I just needed to tell SOMEONE, you know. Wife doesn't care. lol.
 
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#4
dcgriggs79 said:
I saw the guy from Dead South did that. He carried it strung in the video I saw "In Hell I'll be in Good Company". Is conversion just a matter of different strings? Or is there more to it? I like the idea of something smaller.
Click to expand...


Helicore FourthsTuning Cello | Orchestral | D'Addario
I bought a set of these. Found an open box with unused strings in sealed bags deal. $80 later and I'm a crappy upright player. Like you, I've never played double bass. I was also surprised at how quickly I could play some familiar lines with not too much difficulty. Quite a lot of fun.
Gave me a use for my kids old cello that was just room decoration for the past year.
 
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#5
D7933B65-CFF4-47BA-B673-45E3EA845711.jpeg
 
#7
Well, that's got to be the quickest derailment of a post in TB history. Post #2! OP- Good on you for giving it a go. However- the only thing that it has in common with your BG is the tuning. It is a demanding, physical instrument and believe it or not- you can injure yourself with bad technique. But- there's nothing like the sound which obviously grabbed you. As been mentioned a thousand times here- should you pursue it, get a teacher so you don't develop bad habits. Good luck.
And oh- thanks to other posters for the info on 4ths cello strings. Never knew they existed. Might have to give them a go.
 
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#9
dcgriggs79 said:
Somebody share in my excitement here...!!

I've only played fretted bass guitars. Local music shop had a nice double in stock. Music shop guy said try it out. And I said I couldnt play it. He insisted I just FEEL it (he knew what he was doing).

I kinda ran a test major scale, found what I think was G, and then did some I-IV-V 12 bar blues. Two things struck me:

1. I was pretty amazed how intuitive/natural it was to to find the right relative notes based on root (whether my root was actually a G, who knows). Far from perfect, not nailing everything spot on...but CLOSE.

2. The spacing between notes was not as drastic as I always assumed.

And now here I am for the first time in my 20 year bass playing life wondering if I should buy a double. Wouldn't really fit with my current classic rock cover band, but I'd love to do some acoustic-based gigs!

Anyone else make the transition want to share you story with me? Good or bad.

Thanks for listening! I just needed to tell SOMEONE, you know. Wife doesn't care. lol.
Click to expand...
It's an amazing journey. There are just so many layers to double bass. The thump you get playing pizz when you percuss a large wooden box, the world of arco in which you can play violin and cello repertoire, the sound of vertical bowings and crazy harmonics. I find playing solo unaccompanied DB much more fulfilling than solo unaccompanied electric bass. Today in my practice I started grooving out on the thump of playing a two octave arpeggio at quarter note =136 BPM. But I set the click to one beat every two measures. So that's 17 BPM. I'm still playing 136 BPM but I only have a reference click once every two bars (136/8). It really helps with my time keeping. And then you start putting the click on different beats in the bar. First 1,2,3,4. Then if you want to really level up you put it on the "and of" 1,2,3,4 etc. Anyway, the point of this story is I got sort of hypnotized by the sound of the thump. That's something you don't get with electric bass, and it's one of the features of DB that really shines in situations where you don't have a drummer. Last thing I'll say is that to really commit to DB, it's useful to have a sound in your head that you want to get to. For me, one of my references was Paul Chambers. His playing on "So What" and Miles/Gil Evans "Porgy & Bess" record were gateways for me to wanting to achieve a similar sound. I still get chills listening to that iconic intro to "So What". There's just nothing else that can do that but a double bass. If you connected with that instrument in the store, go after it! Your gigs will err…double before you know it.
 
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#10
I've played gigs through massive PA systems. I've played in front of thousands of people at once... I've owned 2 4x10 XLT's, a 2x10 XLT EDEN cab with a WT 800 World Tour head as my onstage rig...

BUT.... :)

Nothing has felt better, more spiritual or more powerful than playing an Upright Bass unplugged in my living room. It's a life changing experience... And these days, people only call me to play upright. They prefer the sound... Go figure...

And don't get me started about the bow. It's better than sex (Whether in a group or solo as well ;) ) ... IMO.
I say go for it...
and good luck...
 
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#11
I was on the other end of a similar experience this past weekend. We did an outdoor gig this past weekend. After the show a friend brought a bass player friend who really wanted to try the upright. I brought the bass down, showed her how to hold it and let her go to town while I packed up our gear for about 20 minutes. She was in heaven. It's amazing to watch someone fall in love with the double bass. Good luck with your journey!!
 
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#12
You can always rent double basses from your local shop that does school instruments, too. Sign up for a few lessons through the same shop, and ask them to set the bass up nicely for you. They can also rent you 1/4 scale DB's, which are pretty close to a BG - if you want to try that out before getting a 3/4 scale DB (which, confusingly, is "full" size). Buying a DB is a whole mystical thing, and it is recommended that you bring an experienced DB player (usually your teacher) along with you for such a quest.
 
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#14
I was in a fun band, not going anywhere but a great hang . The drummer says to me " buy an upright" after a couple months of him telling me what to do, I did, wish I had had someone who knew what they were doing with me as I paid too much for a crappy BSO ( bass shaped object). I really enjoyed it. After a year or two, I bought a nice Thompson plywood bass. I play in a blues/roots band and I only bring my Fender along in case something goes wrong. The bar patrons love it. The guys on my band would be angry if I didn't bring it. Expensive, awkward, tough to transport, who cares, it's just what I do now. :)
 
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#15
DrayMiles said:
I've played gigs through massive PA systems. I've played in front of thousands of people at once... I've owned 2 4x10 XLT's, a 2x10 XLT EDEN cab with a WT 800 World Tour head as my onstage rig...

BUT.... :)

Nothing has felt better, more spiritual or more powerful than playing an Upright Bass unplugged in my living room. It's a life changing experience... And these days, people only call me to play upright. They prefer the sound... Go figure...

And don't get me started about the bow. It's better than sex (Whether in a group or solo as well ;) ) ... IMO.
I say go for it...
and good luck...
Click to expand...
Could you please elaborate more about your bow experience? Asking for a friend...:smug:
 
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#16
dcgriggs79 said:
Anyone else make the transition want to share you story with me? Good or bad.
Click to expand...

Back on topic.....j/k

I transitioned around age 30. Short story is, I was in a 3-piece swing/jazz/rockabilly type band with an incredible guitar player. He was very into Wes Montgomery style. He was also very patient when he took me on, because I told him straight away I wasn't a jazz player but I could handle the swing and rock stuff. He would pick tons of jazz numbers to play, and give me fake book style charts on them. It was a home run for me and I learned a ton, as well as built up some serious chops during that time.

But, every record I was listening to trying to learn from were all upright players. He's picking Monk, Peterson, Montgomery tunes......and no matter what I did to get my chops up, I could not emulate upright lines or feel into the band on my fender. All paths led to me buying an upright. There are occasions or recording projects that I play bass guitar on still, but it doesn't light my fire anymore. I've been 95% upright for the last 13 years. Wish I would have started earlier in life with it.
 
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#17
blacktocomm said:
Helicore FourthsTuning Cello | Orchestral | D'Addario
I bought a set of these. Found an open box with unused strings in sealed bags deal. $80 later and I'm a crappy upright player. Like you, I've never played double bass. I was also surprised at how quickly I could play some familiar lines with not too much difficulty. Quite a lot of fun.
Gave me a use for my kids old cello that was just room decoration for the past year.
Click to expand...

Very cool repurposing. Good for you!
 
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#18
dcgriggs79 said:
Somebody share in my excitement here...!!

I've only played fretted bass guitars. Local music shop had a nice double in stock. Music shop guy said try it out. And I said I couldnt play it. He insisted I just FEEL it (he knew what he was doing).

I kinda ran a test major scale, found what I think was G, and then did some I-IV-V 12 bar blues. Two things struck me:

1. I was pretty amazed how intuitive/natural it was to to find the right relative notes based on root (whether my root was actually a G, who knows). Far from perfect, not nailing everything spot on...but CLOSE.

2. The spacing between notes was not as drastic as I always assumed.

And now here I am for the first time in my 20 year bass playing life wondering if I should buy a double. Wouldn't really fit with my current classic rock cover band, but I'd love to do some acoustic-based gigs!

Anyone else make the transition want to share you story with me? Good or bad.

Thanks for listening! I just needed to tell SOMEONE, you know. Wife doesn't care. lol.
Click to expand...

You're right, there's nothing like upright. Sounds like you've gotten a great start. In fact, you sound a lot like me when I picked up my first upright nearly 30 years ago at age 42.

Just two things that I like to make new players aware of: First, playing anything fretless is a life sentence -- once you've really found the notes, daily practice is the only thing that will keep them in tune. Miss even one day and you'll notice it. And second, as you get older, some of the excitement will wear off as you lug bass and amp through all kinds of weather, sometimes over rough terrain, and up and down long and narrow staircases. You also sentence yourself to always driving a vehicle that's probably bigger than you need.

This is not to dissuade you because the upright is one of the most rewarding instruments on Earth to play. Just want to make you aware of the realities of getting to and from the gig as well. Hang on to those EBGs -- or at least your favorite one -- for when you reach my age and start thinking about transitioning back. Best of luck to you.
 
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#19
Welcome to the dark side! :D

Realize that the technique for both hands is quite different from BG - and some instruction is likely needed to both avoid injury and to produce a decent sound. Also, there is a HUGE different between playing the upright - and playing it well. I find it so darned humbling, because it is SO OBVIOUS that there is no upper end, and that there are SO MANY areas in which I could improve. Heck, these guys talk about thumb position - which for me is basically a myth! :D I've got my hands full just figuring this out up around the heel! And in practical terms, I could always put in more work just getting more solid a working around from 1/2 thru 3d position. And then there's the $%@* bow...

You can get an upright, and just mess around with it like many guitarists do. Which is fine. But I'd suggest if that is your goal you might be better off just getting a fretless BG. Well, some folk who don't know better might think you look cool just because you are lugging a big piece of furniture around the stage. But most musicians will readily realize that you are basically using it as a prop.

If you really decide to get decent at upright you run the risk (not everyone feels this way) of feeling like your BGs are lesser instruments. Sorta "substitutes" for a REAL bass. I gave my last BG to my daughter 10 yrs ago and have touched BGs fewer than 5 times since. Nothing against them, and I really respect what a lot of people do on them. Just a completely different instrument than I'm interested in these days.
 
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