Double Bass Re-orchestrating a few bars

[Andy Mopley]

I am going to struggle to play these bars at speed, cleanly, so I am thinking of re-orchestrating so the eight notes become quarter notes. The piece is Haydn London Symphony.
is there a reason this may not work? Or a better alternative??

Thanks (I am hoping to pull it off but the weekend is a bridge too far!!)

 

[mtto]

Quarter notes will sound fine, as the celli are playing the same line.

I just played Haydn 104. Did this passage on the A and D strings, starting on the octave harmonic, zero changes to the bowing pattern that way.

 

[Andy Mopley]

I think it is the speed / bow angle that trips me on this one...I can't quite hear the "clean" sound I am hoping for! Any chance you could upload a sound byte of you playing it? (or pm me)

 

[wathaet]

I think it is the speed / bow angle that trips me on this one...I can't quite hear the "clean" sound I am hoping for! Any chance you could upload a sound byte of you playing it? (or pm me)

You play french?
Try reversing the bowing.

 

[Jon Stefaniak]

If string crossing is not working, you can always try some pivots or extension fingerings to get it to work on a single string.

 

[wathaet]

If string crossing is not working, you can always try some pivots or extension fingerings to get it to work on a single string.

Agreed.
And if you absolutely have to change the passage, play short on 1 and 3. This is actually discussed in Quantz treatise.

 

[Andy Mopley]

OK, thanks everyone, I'll try a few of the suggestions here, thanks again.

 

[mtto]

I think it is the speed / bow angle that trips me on this one...I can't quite hear the "clean" sound I am hoping for! Any chance you could upload a sound byte of you playing it? (or pm me)

I might have time to record it tomorrow.

Try splitting up the left and right hands. Playing the whole passage on A and D makes the left hand pretty easy. You can isolate the bowing by playing on open strings. See if you can gradually work up to tempo eighth notes on adjacent strings with the metronome.

 

[wathaet]

I think it is the speed / bow angle that trips me on this one...I can't quite hear the "clean" sound I am hoping for! Any chance you could upload a sound byte of you playing it? (or pm me)

Play the long game, this is what the last section in Strokin is for.
If that is on your stand 15 minutes daily, this passage would be quite sightreadable.

 

[David Potts]

Two bars on the D and G strings then shift to Dsharp and Fsharp on A and D strings. Reversing the bowing helps keep the bow on the string as you cross in each direction, especially if you are slightly inside the balance point. Treat this as "on-the-string" and rock the hair from string to string, starting practice with short bow strokes, only long enough to produce tone, and moderate speed. The rest is a mind game so that you don't feel as though you are fighting against a speed wall. The weight of the bow outside your contact point with the hair will help as you bow faster and shorter and crush down on the strings slightly. I like to think of moving faster and faster like the free spinning front wheel of a bicycle - no brakes, physical or mental. To help you relax as you speed up try practicing with a smile, whistle or open mouth - they work!