I'm 5'8'' and my stool-chair is about 25 inches high and after sitting low for about a year, all my back pain/shoulder pain has left. There's something about having one leg up on the rungs and one on the floor when you're sitting on a higher chair that you can feel your whole pelvis at an angle. I bet that would be the only time when our pelvis is unnaturally angled like that for even a short while.
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Double Bass Short Stool
- Thread starter nfblackburn13
- Start date
SolarGranola said:On a good day my stool is long, very fibrous and floats.
On a bad day it's hard and hurts your bum?!
Just to share - as a sort of experiment I've been standing in the orchestra (as well as solo playing/practising, which I've been doing a lot of lately) the past couple of months. My back loves it. My legs don't. It's been fun, especially in the symphony concerts.. but in the pit, not so much
I'll probably go back (!) to using a bass stool again for orchestral work.
I played on a short stool for years until a conductor stopped a rehearsal and asked "why is one of the bassists in a hole?"
I use a short stool (and have for @ 2 years now), and have a yoga block under my left foot. The bass is at a fairly straight angle (not cello like), supported by my left knee, so that there is very little weight/pressure on the left arm/shoulder.
I also do a lot more string crossing now - going across in III, IV, V, thumb etc to the A & E strings, rather than going back to 1/2 position etc. I also find I get a greater feel of arm weight in the bow (which may just be subjective).
I think it's a very sensible approach to the instrument.
Louis
I also do a lot more string crossing now - going across in III, IV, V, thumb etc to the A & E strings, rather than going back to 1/2 position etc. I also find I get a greater feel of arm weight in the bow (which may just be subjective).
I think it's a very sensible approach to the instrument.
Louis
On a related note, I stand when I play, and I once ending up sharing a stand with a short-stooler. Hard to find common ground on the height of the music stand (especially since we're both old-fogey bifocals wearers).
Mike,
Yours is a perfectly legitimate issue with semantics, though it seems the majority of complaints one hears about these things come from conductors, who wish maximum uniformity in many cases... regardless of how it affects the performance.
My personal preference (due to back problems from standing playing the Bach suites for a decade or so) is sitting on a standard bar stool or orchestral one if provided by the hall. It should be noted that the standard height barstool is the universal standard in the orchestral world, and many sections demand that the players sit.
Yours is a perfectly legitimate issue with semantics, though it seems the majority of complaints one hears about these things come from conductors, who wish maximum uniformity in many cases... regardless of how it affects the performance.
My personal preference (due to back problems from standing playing the Bach suites for a decade or so) is sitting on a standard bar stool or orchestral one if provided by the hall. It should be noted that the standard height barstool is the universal standard in the orchestral world, and many sections demand that the players sit.
Chris, I've seen these exact stools in your pic at Target in Southern California, if that helps anybody. Sturdy, functional (with the rung), and good looking. A bit on the heavy side, though.
Did anyone try this Swopper chair? My friend has it. It is very good for your back. But they are very expensive.
I wander if it works well for double bass practicing:Invalid Link Removed
I wander if it works well for double bass practicing:Invalid Link Removed
Stephen Lester (CSO) uses one in his studio. Good luck carrying that around to freelancing gigs. 
Nothing wrong with it at all. Actually, as has been pointed out, there are many ergonomic advantages.
'Regular' stools are too high. I find 24" short for me but there's nothing wrong with it. It's good to have both feet on the ground. Just be sure that your left arm is reaching too high for the lower positions and causing shoulder issues.
'Regular' stools are too high. I find 24" short for me but there's nothing wrong with it. It's good to have both feet on the ground. Just be sure that your left arm is reaching too high for the lower positions and causing shoulder issues.
Stephen Lester (CSO) uses one in his studio. Good luck carrying that around to freelancing gigs.
yes this swopper is not for carrying around, just for practicing at home I guess. Wish it was less expensive.
There are other amazing options but it seems the standard bar stool is default for the sake of convenience. The stock one is super light, and I've got a spare that lives in the garage exclusively for gigging purposes. I'm personally wary of developing the feel for a low stool, then being forced into using the standard height one in a hall and feeling out of place... or getting in trouble for bringing my own funky stool into a hall and not getting called back.
Regarding back problems- I shed on a standard tall stool hours every day and have far less issues than I used to standing. Your mileage may vary.
This is a great discussion, and has brought up lots of great options so far. Cheers.
I'm personally wary of developing the feel for a low stool, then being forced into using the standard height one in a hall and feeling out of place... or getting in trouble for bringing my own funky stool into a hall and not getting called back.Regarding back problems- I shed on a standard tall stool hours every day and have far less issues than I used to standing. Your mileage may vary.
This is a great discussion, and has brought up lots of great options so far. Cheers.
what portable options can you suggest? I use a lower stool with cello like playing position. So a bar stool is too high for me. I have the K&M stool for two years now. It sits great bit it makes too much noise and the seats is becoming loose. Each time you sit on it the crew of the seat is getting loose and you have to tighten the crew again. So I am looking for something new.
The target plain bar stool is available in a shorter height as well. If you need something in the middle, get a carpenter to saw one down for you. This is quite common. There are stools from Lemur, etc as well, but the target option is cheap, and you won't cry if something happens to it.
I've used cheap folding ones as well but yes, they wobble and make noise.
I've used cheap folding ones as well but yes, they wobble and make noise.
thanks for the tip. The K&M that I have is not cheap at all but still it makes noise and wobbles. Not very handy for recordings either because of the squeaking noise.
just recently started using a guitar foot stool for my left foot as per my professor's advice. It holds the my sturdier somehow and i feel like it is instantly easier to press down on the strings without much thumb as before. The problem with this as i noticed very quickly is letting the bass go more and more to the left as this affected my playing in a negative way. But once i brought my bass back closer to me and use the left knee as a support, it is easier to play.
- May 30, 2000
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- Creator of: iGigBook Sheet Music Manager
I use a short 24" stool as well and got asked why I was playing the bass like a Cello(which I wasn't). I use a folding one I got from Bed Bath and Beyond, not sure if they still sell them though.
I use a folding one I got from Bed Bath and Beyond, not sure if they still sell them though.
