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Double Bass Questions and topic requests

#21
Could somebody start a new thread for me - I'm looking for a double bass teacher in London, but somebody who treats the double-bass as an instrument on its own (include bowing technique), not just an acoustic bass guitar. Full text of my requested thread below. Many thanks.

Dear all,

Any double bass teacher based in London whom you'd recommend?

I'm interested in learning the full range of techniques: playing with a bow, plucking, and any other relevant aspect.

I have one concern: I have the (mistaken?) impression that most double bass teachers in London started on the bass guitar, and therefore treat their double bass as an acoustic version of the former, and thus play finger plucked jazz and rock, with just a little bowing on the side. I'd like to learn from someone treating the double bass as a real separate instrument (and thus who puts proper emphasis on playing classical sounds with a bow, among other things). Is my concern justified?

I'm already a bass and guitar player with several years' experience, but as per my point above, this is only in so far as music theory and basic instrument mechanics are concerned: I want to fully appreciate that instrument.

Thanks.
 
#23
I'm a Double Bass player in is first year of Bachelor degree (focus on jazz performance) and I'm thinking about doing a master degree someday in Jazz performance. I was hoping I could find people that have done or are currently doing it, that could give me advise as to what are the requirement to do that and what, what not to look for!

Thank you very much for your time and I think this could become a really nice topic.

Au Revoir
Simon Lévesque
 
#24
Would anyone mind if I started an 'orchestral excerpts teach in' thread here?
I would tackle a new major work each 2-3 weeks discussing fingering and bowings, 'need to knows', tricks and workarounds, etc. I might even add video links and upload parts with different fingerings and bowings from several orchestras if I have such noted im my own parts (mostly beethoven here...).
I see a lot of "can you help me finger the Ab-G-F etc in Tchaik or Brahms or Shosty etc.?" requests here, so I thought it might be nice to get alot of this stuff in the same place.

What do you think? And another thing - Although I might start out on my own other teachers with similar material should please join in!

Tweaks and improvements to this idea are welcome and needed!
FC
 
#29
This is an excellent section of the forum; I have the following request for a thread in the pedagogy section:

Q. What strategies have you employed to deal with students who have had greater-than-normal difficulty learning the double bass?

That was my succinct version, and you can stop reading there.

...but if you're interested, here's a bit more about my question with a tad of personal history wrapped inside. It is my unprofessional opinion that Western music education is geared toward students who do not have significant struggles with musical learning. As horrible as it would seem to us, it is possible to live a completely non-musical life with little or no consequences, something that is not true of other types of learning. Students who don't "take to" music can simply move on to other pursuits. By the time one obtains a double bass and a teacher, for example, most students have some musical training and background under their belt. There are exceptions, of course, and I am one of them. I played no musical instruments as a child and began studying the bass as a college freshman. I had an excellent teacher, regular lessons, and I worked hard. But I struggled tremendously, and despite the fact that playing music has been a rewarding and important part of my life since I began studying, my progress has been greatly limited and I have fallen short of many of my very modest goals.

Very few talented teachers will take the view "either you have what it takes, or you don't." If this is your view, you may know quite a bit about music, but very little about human cognition and learning. Still it is clear to any teacher that each person learns differently, and some students learn very slowly and with great difficulty. That was--and still is--me. I know many other students who started as adults with the same level of experience I did (zero) and sailed through their studies to become proficient musicians. For what it's worth, I have not had similar difficulties in other areas of learning.

I could go on and on about my own experience, but I won't because I think the topic "students with difficulties learning" might be of some general interest among teachers. How do you deal with students who just can't seem to grasp a certain concept or aspect of playing? Have you employed unconventional methods for working with students who have very different learning styles or aptitudes? Could there be such a thing as a "learning disability" or "dyslexia" for music? Are there any success stories you can share about students who overcame major difficulties in their musical studies?

I'll understand if this is too narrow a topic to include in this thread. If you're still reading, I'll just clarify that the idea here isn't "students who don't study/practice enough," or "students who don't take advice or direction." I truly think there are people who have interest, passion, and some level of aptitude, yet have learning issues. What have teachers done with students like this?

--Steve
 
#30
I am in my 3rd year of playing in my junior-high orchestra, and second year in the school jazz band. My teacher has somebody she wants me to teach the basics so he's ready for Level II next year (Switching from viola). Now there's another who wants me to teach her bass! Where is a good place (After basic posture and bowhold) to start with a new student, in your opinion?
 
#31
Hi guys... I hope that I am in the right place... like some of you guys know me.. I have being rearing my DB for the last 7 months and now is almost ready... It just need some final adjustments and be check by a professional just to make sure that is ok....

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f3/my-db-project-708002/

Ok now is time to ask a teacher to help me out... I am 35, not a musician, I do play the BG, I do want to learn the right technique before I start trying on my own, and then I have to unlearn what I've learned :eyebrow:

Now I have being advise to get the best teacher that I can get... I do like jazz... but I am now that I need to learn the bow if I want to learn DB, and I am open for any kind of music... any advise for me PM are welcome
 
#32
I'm just starting bass coming from a background with BG and I'm wondering what book(s) I should get to help me out. I have a teacher who lacks some proper technique and formal education in bass. (IE he doesn't use his pinkie correctly because of a childhood accident rendering it weaker than his other fingers.) We're going to be working on classical stuff and due to his background as a piano tuner and the fact that he has a degree in music education, I feel that he'll be able to make up for the lack of technique with help in theory and intonation.

Given this short background, can you suggest a book that I could work on with my instructor's help (though I'm guessing a decent portion would be on my own) that would help me become more competitive with someone who is say, formally trained by a professor of double bass?

I'm not expecting to be the principle bassist in the NY Phil, but it would be nice to be able to play jazz proficiently as well as orchestral music if the opportunity arose.
 
#33
Here's a topic for you:

Is anybody out there incorporating proprioceptive or kinesthetic training into your teaching methods? Example, playing in thumb position can also benefit by reference to the neck heel. We've all heard of Eb and D necks - so why not use this fact as part of a learning technique? One that that focuses more on training muscle memory and establishing the proprioceptive feel of where the thumb is in relation to the crook of the neck.

The closest thing I've ever seen or heard of some concept that employs this is the Vomit Exercises with arco. But I feel that most teacher approach this as "Hey here's an exercise, just do it". I feel like it mostly focuses on "drill and kill" and not neccessarily developing a kinesthetic or proprioceptive sense for notes on the fingerboard. Comments?
 
#34
How about a thread on DB Skype lessons? Who is giving them? What are the reactions of students taking them? Pros and Cons, and opinions of course...etc. Many of us don't have great teachers in our area and would strongly benefit from the ability to study with experienced educators.
 
#35
hdiddy said:
Here's a topic for you:

Is anybody out there incorporating proprioceptive or kinesthetic training into your teaching methods? Example, playing in thumb position can also benefit by reference to the neck heel. We've all heard of Eb and D necks - so why not use this fact as part of a learning technique? One that that focuses more on training muscle memory and establishing the proprioceptive feel of where the thumb is in relation to the crook of the neck.

The closest thing I've ever seen or heard of some concept that employs this is the Vomit Exercises with arco. But I feel that most teacher approach this as "Hey here's an exercise, just do it". I feel like it mostly focuses on "drill and kill" and not neccessarily developing a kinesthetic or proprioceptive sense for notes on the fingerboard. Comments?l
Click to expand...

When I wrote my "Practical Studies for D.B.", I pointed out the difference of the D/Eb neck. After leaving first position (A position as being called that because of the placement of the first finger on the G string), the next was the D position - 4th Simandl - located by the first finger on the harmonic D. It's easy after that.
Tom Gale ASODB.org
 
#36
Good Evening,

I was wondering if there was a consensus regarding a reliable method for teaching tenor clef to bassists? I'm a student on double bass (though I teach plenty of electric students as a side job) and have been running into it often enough that I've been curious. It looks pretty Greek to me; I know the concept of what it means (where C is) but it slows me down when I run into it.

Thanks in advance.
 
#37
How to Approach Simandl?

I know Simandl is discussed quite a bit, but only in fragments, and as a student (currently without a teacher due to finances..err, lack thereof) I have difficulty knowing how to tackle Simandl. Questions come up, such as: How long should I spend on this exercise? Should I just go over it, and go to the next? or should I practice this exercise until I can play it flawlessly and THEN go to the next? Did Simandl, seriously think that a beginner player could go straight from a D on the g string to a B on the e string? Is that even fair?

Also, I'm curious to know how you teachers handle Simandl with your students. Is it always definite that Simandl will be a part of the curriculum? Or does it depend on the student? If Simandl is a part of the curriculum, how do keep them motivated? (since we all know, Simandl is not the most exciting, or musical book out there).

Everyone on these forums suggests to "start with Simandl," but that only implies obtaining the book. So, what about after that?
 
#38
Musical pieces that correlate to certain sections of Simandl's new method.

I think we should have a thread where teachers can share what musical pieces they would introduce to a student based on how far they've been through Simandl. I would suggest that the first section be positions 1-4, then positions 1-6, 1-8, 1-11 and another section for students that are working through the exercises for intervals. The sections based on how many positions a student has gone through cannot be totally strict because teachers may prefer other parameters to determine a piece of music that should be learned. The purpose of this would be for students that don't currently have a teacher, or students wanting to go a little beyond their teacher's curriculum in their extra time. It'd be great if this thread were orderly as possible so it's not confusing.

Jazz bass lines or melody parts, orchestral excerpts, solo pieces are all accepted.
 
#39
Tom Gale said:
When I wrote my "Practical Studies for D.B.", I pointed out the difference of the D/Eb neck. After leaving first position (A position as being called that because of the placement of the first finger on the G string), the next was the D position - 4th Simandl - located by the first finger on the harmonic D. It's easy after that.
Tom Gale ASODB.org
Click to expand...

I should have explained the D/Eb neck. When you are in the D or 4th pos. (Simandl), your thumb should just be touching the curve in the neck - sometimes snugly or barely touching and your first finger is on D and also the D harmonic. Once you find it, you can jump to the 4th position (D) from anywhere BUT there is that occasional bass that has an Eb neck. When the thumb feels right, your first finger is on Eb. That requires a little more adjustment.
Tom Gale
 
#40
Double Bass Methods - A Summary ?


Hi folks,

Wondering if someone could point me to a concise and accurate list of commonly utilised bass methods, with a brief summary/precis of the main defining characteristics/pros/cons of each?

Expanding from electric bass guitar to upright bass, and in my quest to help find the best teacher for me, it'd be handy to have a contextual framework against which to consider their preferred approaches.

Cheers!
Chris
 

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