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Double Bass practicing fast, challenging passages to perfection
- Thread starter ekspain
- Start date
Try some of the techniques used by Mr. Gibson in Mozart 35 (7:00 minutes in) in this video.
hi folks
what are some of the strategies out there, for nailing fast
challenging passages.... i.e. hooked bowings, dotted rhythms etc.... anyone discover some other way of going about it?
Thanks!
Practise slowly and take your time.
For the sake of shared pedagogy....
Play it at tempo, adding one note at a time.
Isolate the right hand, Zimmerman style.
Obviously, build it up slowly using a metronome or sequencer.
For funny bowings and rhythms, practice them in your scales, and incorporate them into daily practice.
I think the key to mastering any difficult passage is the same as mastering a difficult etude- figure out what's hard, and make that part easy.
Play it at tempo, adding one note at a time.
Isolate the right hand, Zimmerman style.
Obviously, build it up slowly using a metronome or sequencer.
For funny bowings and rhythms, practice them in your scales, and incorporate them into daily practice.
I think the key to mastering any difficult passage is the same as mastering a difficult etude- figure out what's hard, and make that part easy.
if you're struggling when you practice, you're practicing struggling. you should primarily focus on the techniques required for whatever rep you are working on. the idea is to get better at the bass, not the passage. kurt muroki brought up a very useful additive practice technique in a recent thread... rhythms are good too, as well as old fashioned slow practice with a metronome. just relax. if it feels hard then chill out a little.
+100 for this and what squarebear said. Isolating and working only on the technique(s) required for a given passage goes a long way. Then when you slow it (way, way) down, just keep everything very, very relaxed and smooth and don't worry about playing loud or anything like that.
Ekspain!
Do you hear how you want it to be ? (I´m sure you do )
Well if yes.....
Why is the passage "hard" or challanging, in what way does the passage seem difficult to you.
where do you feel the tension/difficulty? How does it manifest itself?
Sometimes it is no where near where you think. Left foot, right buttock, scalenes on one side etc.
Do you at all hold your breath when it gets difficult? If so, where do you notice this?
Also, try playing crappy on purpose?. Can you do this on command with different passages. Play a passage with the issue at hand, for ex, a rythm which is´nt clear enough.
try to see HOW you play below what you are looking for.
Now, take another passage with a similar difficulty in which you seem to play well. NOW for the fun part. After playing the easier passage well once or twice, looking deeply into how you play it well, then transfer the crappy element over to this passage. For ex, try to play less clear, less articulate.
How do you do this. What needs to happen ?
See if you can actually play on command at a lesser standard simialr to the first passage. This may give you some new insight in to why the original passage is not going so well.
Then go back to the easier passage and play well again.
What happenned?
Do you hear how you want it to be ? (I´m sure you do )
Well if yes.....
Why is the passage "hard" or challanging, in what way does the passage seem difficult to you.
where do you feel the tension/difficulty? How does it manifest itself?
Sometimes it is no where near where you think. Left foot, right buttock, scalenes on one side etc.
Do you at all hold your breath when it gets difficult? If so, where do you notice this?
Also, try playing crappy on purpose?. Can you do this on command with different passages. Play a passage with the issue at hand, for ex, a rythm which is´nt clear enough.
try to see HOW you play below what you are looking for.
Now, take another passage with a similar difficulty in which you seem to play well. NOW for the fun part. After playing the easier passage well once or twice, looking deeply into how you play it well, then transfer the crappy element over to this passage. For ex, try to play less clear, less articulate.
How do you do this. What needs to happen ?
See if you can actually play on command at a lesser standard simialr to the first passage. This may give you some new insight in to why the original passage is not going so well.
Then go back to the easier passage and play well again.
What happenned?
another minor note: if you practice the part at a reduced tempo, make sure to use the same amount of bow you would be using were it at the fast tempo. it will not sound as good at the slower tempo, but it will make the faster tempo easier.
eerbrev
eerbrev
+1, thanks eerbrev. I think this had more to do with making sure I wasn't using too much bow at the regular tempo but Kurt Muroki had me do this exercise where he wrapped a rubberband over the stick/hair about 5 or 6" from the tip and had me play (I think it was the allegro of Bach's 2nd gamba sonata) only on that little bit of bow space. Then the rubber band can be shifted to 5 - 6" away from the frog, and I guess if you wanted to you could get another rubberband and clamp off a section right in the middle. This really helped with my bow economy.
Lots of good advice above.
Also practice difficult passages backwards too. Be "note sure" and "finger sure" in both directions. This can also help you spot difficulties.
DP
Also practice difficult passages backwards too. Be "note sure" and "finger sure" in both directions. This can also help you spot difficulties.
DP
David, Gforce: yo what up!, thanks for the ideas. Never thought of that G.
And as for playing it backwards, I think that is an interesting idea.
Actually, I can play the passage, but there is a difference between playing it, and then performing it under pressure. I think that's the real key. To have it so well recorded into your muscle memory that you can fudge it up.
And as for playing it backwards, I think that is an interesting idea.
Actually, I can play the passage, but there is a difference between playing it, and then performing it under pressure. I think that's the real key. To have it so well recorded into your muscle memory that you can fudge it up.
Regarding playing things well under pressure...
Record yourself! Constantly! Listen to your playing and be objective. Play for other people, especially for people who don't play the bass. I've been getting amazing advice from a flute player recently.
Cellists and violin players are great too. Remember that audition committees are made up of more than just bassists.
Also slightly more practical- Make sure you can play things faster than you need to.
+1 for practicing with the amount of hair you'll need at tempo. For fast articulate passages this will involve a ridiculously small amount of hair at slow tempos. Mr. Muroki recently had some commentary on this, as well as using a light touch on a thread about 35.
Record yourself! Constantly! Listen to your playing and be objective. Play for other people, especially for people who don't play the bass. I've been getting amazing advice from a flute player recently.
Cellists and violin players are great too. Remember that audition committees are made up of more than just bassists.Also slightly more practical- Make sure you can play things faster than you need to.
+1 for practicing with the amount of hair you'll need at tempo. For fast articulate passages this will involve a ridiculously small amount of hair at slow tempos. Mr. Muroki recently had some commentary on this, as well as using a light touch on a thread about 35.
