- Oct 12, 2004
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My ex-wife was 5'2" and 95 lbs. She was a ferocious monster with a french bow or pizz on her 1951 Juzek.
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Double Bass Shortest Bassists?
- Thread starter us_soccer
- Start date
A couple more less tall NYC guys are Ari Roland (Betty Carter, Barry Harris) and Neal Caine (Betty, Elvin Jones, Harry Connick Jr.). Both are under 6' and play great.
I sure would like to trade you a little off the top. I'm almost 6'5". You should've seen me the first time I tried to fit into a Mazda Miata.Okay, I'm not THAT short!
The double bass player with Birilé Lagrène ( Diego Imbert)
looks very small on his dvd, something like 5 foots but he plays with two 6,4 foots giants or more, so its hard to tell.
But he gots a fantastic sound very powerfull sound à la Mcbride.
Great Dvd too, especially for the birilé imitation of Jaco's.
looks very small on his dvd, something like 5 foots but he plays with two 6,4 foots giants or more, so its hard to tell.
But he gots a fantastic sound very powerfull sound à la Mcbride.
Great Dvd too, especially for the birilé imitation of Jaco's.
I wouldnt consider myself a great bassist (im just starting to audition for colleges. I'd say im good), but im only 5'3 or 5'4 (hence my name). I finally switched from a 1/2 size bass to a 3/4 size bass in 10th grade. It was the greatest day of my life.
There's a guy in my city that plays a MEAN double bass-far better than I!!! - He's probly about 5' 5" at the most!!!! To make matters worse-he's called Tom. So "Thumb" is often the name ppl use to recall him. Really nice guy, & VERY good bassist!
I am 5'7" and my main teacher was about 6'5". I asked him once about what disadvantages I was facing and he said "It really shouldn't be a problem at all, you just might have to work a little bit harder." It also meant that his Hawkes bass was pretty hard for me to get around on. But otherwise...?
I know a whole bunch of players my height or smaller who kick ass. Endpin height doesn't mean much, as all basses are different and it's partly a matter of taste.
Don't worry, just practice.
R
I know a whole bunch of players my height or smaller who kick ass. Endpin height doesn't mean much, as all basses are different and it's partly a matter of taste.
Don't worry, just practice.
R
streicher was not 5'4". he's more like 5'11". a teacher who studied with him for quite some time told me that
Well Eugene Levinson is a small guy, I would say not taller than 5'5" and Mr. Laszlo is about the same height and they are both amazing players.
I'm shorter than you by 2 inches but I pull my endpin out about 3-4 inches, usually to either the first or second groove. This is on a bass that's somewhere between 3/4 and 7/8 size. It seems a little weird that you'd have it all the way in unless your bass is very large.
It completely depends on your setup, if you stand/sit, and how high you sit. I'm 5'6" and I have a gas shock stool that can go from 22-32", I usually sit at about 29", an inch shorter than my inseam, so it gives me the feeling that I'm standing (which is great for my back), but I can also let the bass rest against my groin and not on my thumb! This being said, my endpin is 2 notches out (Gotz) and the bass is slightly angled in towards me but NOT facing inwards!
I also use a footstool for my left leg so my foot can be very relaxed and flat, and not in some funny position where my toes are touching the rungs.
It completely depends on your setup, if you stand/sit, and how high you sit. I'm 5'6" and I have a gas shock stool that can go from 22-32", I usually sit at about 29", an inch shorter than my inseam, so it gives me the feeling that I'm standing (which is great for my back), but I can also let the bass rest against my groin and not on my thumb! This being said, my endpin is 2 notches out (Gotz) and the bass is slightly angled in towards me but NOT facing inwards!
When I sit (one a midsize stool, probably pretty close to where you have yours set), I'll bring my bass down about a notch. I'm not sure which endpin I'm using (it's something funny that I'd like to replace, actually, but that's another thread). I agree that it depends on your setup, but either way having the endpin all the way in seems a bit much for someone taller than me.
Not really. Ira Gold who is slightly above 6'0" uses a 3/4 size bass with a 40.5" mensure and sits with both feet flat on the floor with the endpin fully in, he also has the bass centered between his legs, like a cello. He feels that makes him feel more grounded, makes sense, but I need to be higher so I can see the conductor and not get in arguments with my stand partner in regards to stand height heh.
Lyn Christie is on the short side, plays a beautiful 5/8 Juzek.
Jerry Bruno, frequently called by Sinatra for recordings, looks about 5'4", plays 3/4 basses. Solid as a rock.
Jerry Bruno, frequently called by Sinatra for recordings, looks about 5'4", plays 3/4 basses. Solid as a rock.
Let's not forget that everyone was shorter, on average, back in the day. ( like the 18th -19th century). Pictures of Simandel have him looking pretty short by today's standards. His method seems custom-made for short fingers. Anyone know how tall Dragonetti was? I know for a fact Mike Richmond is 5'2" (was, perhaps shorter now). I also know that despite impeccable technique, Mike has had operations on both hands from years of heavy playing. There is definitely an advantage having a body shape like Ron Carter-- how about Hendrix hands! I won't say being shorter than normal is a disadvantage, rather that proper technique is even more vital.
Dragonetti was apparently huge, or at least had monster hands. He revolutionized bass playing because he had the hand strength to play it as a solo instrument.
