Looks challenging..! Any tips / insights on how to approach (particularly the last movement, that's some speed!!)
Regards to all
Regards to all
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Double Bass Schumann 2
- Thread starter Andy Mopley
- Start date
What a generic question! I played this last season with my orchestra, so if you have any specific questions about bowings or fingerings let me know. It's a beautiful piece with lots of challenges for bass. The first movement pages 2-6 will require the most studying to get counting, bowings, and fingerings all working but it's the most fun, too. We played the 3rd movement EXTREMELY slow, so bow management and long tones are important there.
Regarding the 4th movement since you asked:
- The 8th note run 2 bars before Q is very playable with some metronome time. You hardly have to shift at all.
- The 16th note scales are flourishes doubled by other instruments, so mainly worry about the start and end notes being on time and in tune
- There are a few high As at the end that can be played with an artificial harmonic, but one of them is unavoidable and should be practiced in context for intonation or it will sounds really bad.
Regarding the 4th movement since you asked:
- The 8th note run 2 bars before Q is very playable with some metronome time. You hardly have to shift at all.
- The 16th note scales are flourishes doubled by other instruments, so mainly worry about the start and end notes being on time and in tune
- There are a few high As at the end that can be played with an artificial harmonic, but one of them is unavoidable and should be practiced in context for intonation or it will sounds really bad.
Thanks O_P - let me get the list ready! ;-) now that I am starting to go thru it in some detail..
Not got much to add, except to say this is a really lovely play, in my opinion, and a very underrated symphony. The conductor of my orchestra has arranged this for a chamber ensemble - vln 1 and 2, vla, vcl, cb, clarinet, oboe, horn, flute and bassoon. Exposed and scary but fantastic fun!
Do you happen to have the sheet music for this digitally? I'd be very interested in getting a group together to play this.
The violins sure get a speed workout.
Some, such as the LSO, have been playing this standing up. All except the bass section lol.
Some, such as the LSO, have been playing this standing up. All except the bass section lol.
So, here's some comments / questions, please:
The 8th note run 2 bars before Q is very playable with some metronome time. You hardly have to shift at all. - Agree, now that I've played it a few times, thanks.
As at the end that can be played with an artificial harmonic - not sure which bar, but would like to understand please!
Images attached - is the first one (bar 448) correct as amended, that is there are 2 crotchets before the F note is played?
No 2 - is it PIZZ?
No 3 - is the tremolo with one or two strokes through the stem??
THANK YOU!
The 8th note run 2 bars before Q is very playable with some metronome time. You hardly have to shift at all. - Agree, now that I've played it a few times, thanks.
As at the end that can be played with an artificial harmonic - not sure which bar, but would like to understand please!
Images attached - is the first one (bar 448) correct as amended, that is there are 2 crotchets before the F note is played?
No 2 - is it PIZZ?
No 3 - is the tremolo with one or two strokes through the stem??
THANK YOU!
Attachments
No. 1 - no it's marked incorrectly, the pitch "F" should be played on beat one of the bar. This continues the rhythmic pattern between the cellos (upper staff) and the basses (lower staff) started at m. 445.
No. 2 - yes it's pizz, originally marked in the bass part at m. 433, no change in the basses to arco until m. 478.
No. 3 - this is sometimes called a measured tremolo (so not really a tremolo at all). It's classical era shorthand for playing four eighth-notes in the space of a half-note. So play four eighth-notes on G, four eighth-notes on A etc.
No. 2 - yes it's pizz, originally marked in the bass part at m. 433, no change in the basses to arco until m. 478.
No. 3 - this is sometimes called a measured tremolo (so not really a tremolo at all). It's classical era shorthand for playing four eighth-notes in the space of a half-note. So play four eighth-notes on G, four eighth-notes on A etc.
Tremolo is generally three strokes through the stem. What's on your music is, as elberon said, often called a measured tremolo. One stroke is eighth note value, two is sixteenth note value.
Just one more, please...the 3/2 tempo shown does not apply to the DB part?? Or is 3 played against 2??
Also, on this part (ex IMSLP) the previously posted No. 1 - does look as though the pitch "F" should be played on beat TWO of the bar, which seems to align to the version I am hearing..Just one of those things, I guess! I'll check with the conductor...but again, thanks in advance to all that care to respond.
Attachments
Upper strings are in 3/2, basses stay in 2/2. The part I have has basses on downbeat for the 8 bars preceding the L'istesso.
Your low F is resolving onto G in the next bar. You are reinforcing the Cello low F. Because you G is on the Ist beat you would play it with the same length as the previous 1/4 note. The question is whether the higher instruments play their notes three over two or 1/4 = 1/4. To me it looks like the latter because of the Listesso marking a change in mood. Also editors usually say 2 = 3 or 3 = 2 if syncopation is required. The final answer should be made evident when you are rehearsing or if you go to Youtube with the score in your hand.
4th movement:
I just meant practice your intonation for the G>G#>A coming off the flourish in 553. It moves pretty fast there so there's hardly any time to set up for it. The two high As I circled can be played as harmonics if you so choose.
Designed to play the accents on the down bow and perhaps keep you in the comfort zone of the bow for power?
What do you find confusing about that bowing? Seems like a natural bowing for that passage. Down bows are on the first accent and sf. The hooked bowing allows for a strong crescendo into the sf. The bowing on the last two notes is good if you want to make sure they have less emphasis than the sf. I can see there are eraser markings on the last two notes which tells me that at some point they probably did a retake and played those last two notes up down. Overall this bowing allows for an expressive line.
Thanks both.
Cory - the retake of the downbow (F# to G), 6th bar after B, no sforzando there. Just seems more "natural" to follow with an up bow?
Speaking from inexperience, as you have gathered by now...
Cory - the retake of the downbow (F# to G), 6th bar after B, no sforzando there. Just seems more "natural" to follow with an up bow?
Speaking from inexperience, as you have gathered by now...
Do you really need to do a retake there?
At this tempo and dynamic a retake doesn’t seem necessary.
At this tempo and dynamic a retake doesn’t seem necessary.
