I'm an experienced classical player on guitar and bass guitar, but now I'm starting to get seriously into classical music on a DB with bow technique - looking at Simandl and Rabath - I'd like some repertoire books which progress from beginner to intermediate levels. Any suggestions?
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Double Bass Recommend (post) beginners repertoire book?
- Thread starter RobMac
- Start date
The George Vance progressive repertoire series and the Suzuki bass books go from twinkle little star to Dragonetti and Capuzzi
Suzuki is 5 volumes and Vance is 3
Suzuki is 5 volumes and Vance is 3
The Suzuki books have some jazz standards. Thought you were looking for graded solo literature as a set.
There are some excellent etude books that progress logically and have good material. Billé’s books were published about 50 years ago but have many satisfying compositions/etudes.
I suggested the Suzuki and Vance based on popularity and my own familiarity with them.
There are some excellent etude books that progress logically and have good material. Billé’s books were published about 50 years ago but have many satisfying compositions/etudes.
I suggested the Suzuki and Vance based on popularity and my own familiarity with them.
Thanks, Mikich. When I say contemporary I do not mean jazz, more contemporary classical: living classical composers who write studies. I already have the Vance three volumes - I should have mentioned - but am looking to supplement that with new material. Apologies for not being clear enough in my initial post.
Some really beautiful music is being written for bass these days. Dave Anderson, Behzad Ranjbaran and Ellen Taafe Zwilich are a few names that come to mind but these pieces can be pretty challenging. Weinstein’s set of contemporary modal solos are good intermediate pieces.
Bert Turetzky has written some solos that are good introductions to extended techniques (like playing below the bridge or making percussive sounds with the instrument) if you’re looking for that sort of thing. He also wrote a book about these techniques.
Unfortunately, I’m away from home this week and can’t refer to my vast (not sarcasm) library of sheet music.
Bert Turetzky has written some solos that are good introductions to extended techniques (like playing below the bridge or making percussive sounds with the instrument) if you’re looking for that sort of thing. He also wrote a book about these techniques.
Unfortunately, I’m away from home this week and can’t refer to my vast (not sarcasm) library of sheet music.
I've been meaning to check out Patitucci's 60 melodic etudes someday
Here's a nice performance of one to give you an idea of difficulty. Shout out to Jeremy McCoy's YouTube channel
Here's a nice performance of one to give you an idea of difficulty. Shout out to Jeremy McCoy's YouTube channel
I hope I don't come off as too negative, but you will find it hard to find contemporary classical pieces which a beginner-level double bassist can play. It's not that "contemporary classical" can't be simple; it's more that contemporary composers aren't interested in writing pieces for beginners OR that the pedagogical community hasn't gotten around to analyzing and packaging such pieces. After all, classical double-bass skills are pretty much the same whether you're playing Bach or Shostakovich ... there is little impetus/money to create additional "beginner" material that doesn't teach something new or different. So, all of us beginners play the etudes and solo pieces that bassists have been using for decades or centuries. They teach us how to play, at a certain point, whatever else it is that we enjoy.
Opus_Pocus - I already play a few of those on bass guitar. Alas, it will take a while to get my upright playing to that level!
Andy Curry - This is interesting. Having played classical guitar I am used to there being hundreds if not thousands of easy contemporary pieces of varying quality. I guess I was expecting the same for the DB. I think it's a pity that bass players have to be relatively advanced before meeting new music that is not arrangements of pop music or jazz. Ah well...
Andy Curry - This is interesting. Having played classical guitar I am used to there being hundreds if not thousands of easy contemporary pieces of varying quality. I guess I was expecting the same for the DB. I think it's a pity that bass players have to be relatively advanced before meeting new music that is not arrangements of pop music or jazz. Ah well...
You can take some of the things that you know well on bass guitar and adapt them for upright
For instance a D major scale on bass guitar is usually played across the strings starting on the 5th fret of the A string. You can do that on upright but it will be easier to play it starting on the open D string then shifting from 4th finger B on the G string to second finger for C# on the G string. This isn’t the only way it’s done of course but initially employ the open strings to help with intonation. Also playing arco helps with hearing the pitches
Some of Geezer Butler’s lines are fun on upright
Good music is good music
Unfortunately there is some truth to what AGCurry says
For instance a D major scale on bass guitar is usually played across the strings starting on the 5th fret of the A string. You can do that on upright but it will be easier to play it starting on the open D string then shifting from 4th finger B on the G string to second finger for C# on the G string. This isn’t the only way it’s done of course but initially employ the open strings to help with intonation. Also playing arco helps with hearing the pitches
Some of Geezer Butler’s lines are fun on upright
Good music is good music
Unfortunately there is some truth to what AGCurry says
Well, classical guitar is meant to be a solo instrument, so there is a market for new pieces. Double bass can be a solo instrument, but how many times have you heard bass solos in classical music? This past week I played one, in an early Rossini sonata - but it would have sounded like an unimpressive etude outside of the context of the quartet I was playing with.
And that's partly my point as well: A good solo piece needs to be melodic; are there really any new melodies, ones that aren't derivative of something we've heard before?
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Yes, I probably have a bias in favour of solo works. That changes the perspective. I do disagree though, with what you say about new melodies. The tonal system has proved itself to be as healthy and vigorous now as it has ever been, plus not every piece of music needs to be melody based. But maybe our subjective tastes are at play here. Let's just say that I would like to see more contemporary classical music for all levels of playing, not just virtuosi.
The Six Sonatas by both Vivaldi & Marcello are excellent pieces for what you are looking for. There is a book called Family Album that has some easy enough works in it.
Also, the Dragonetti Waltzes are fairly progressive and lay nice enough on the bass.
Also, the Dragonetti Waltzes are fairly progressive and lay nice enough on the bass.
Thanks. I have the George Vance books which are based on the Rabbath method, so that’s a start. And a book of classical themes from half position through to seventh, but they are all arrangements of 18th and 19th-century hits. It would be nice to have the same but extended into 20th and 21st-century compositional practices.
Yes, a wonderful book! Great for both upright & electric, arco & pizz. Thanks for posting that clip. I’ve been working on that particular etude on & off for some time but playing it pizzicato. Seeing Jeremy play it, it’s even more beautiful arco. The double-stops are challenging (for me) to play consistently in tune. Can’t wait to get at it with the bow!
The Rabbath books have much more challenging repertoire and have Rabbath compositions, which are definitely 20th c.
A Family Album is the only real book I know of for what you are thinking.
https://www.liben.com/family.html
A Family Album - Book 2
https://www.liben.com/family.html
A Family Album - Book 2
