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Double Bass So i'm gonna pull an "edgar meyer"...

#22
Forgive my ignorance, but if you wanted an aide, wouldn't it be better to have it on the back of the neck or onthe edge of the fingerboard?
I have pencil marks on the edge just to give me a little help on my rental bass. But, I'm thinking of when I took cello lessons, we had pinstripe tape on the back of the neck where the thumb would be placed. Especially for higher up the neck. Then we could fine tune from there (sharp or flat).
 
#23
Bassius said:
...and i dont give a flyin crap!



So i can play my URB in tune with my eyes closed....
Click to expand...

I really don't care either... put dots on your "URB", smiley faces, corporate logos, whatever. You won't be the first or the last to do so.

But if your eyes are closed, why do you need them?

See how Edgar is not looking anywhere near the fingerboard? That's because he knows where his hands are going, and his ears will tell him when he's there. Having met Edgar, and knowing that he has a very sly sense of humor, I still think that part of the reason he put them on there was as a goof.

The eyes have almost nothing to do with it, in my experience. If you're looking at the fingerboard, your neck, shoulders, and back will be killin' you in short order.

I can't remember that last time I used my eyes to check out how I sound. Eyes are for one thing only... to check out the "talent" in the room.:D
 
#25
To stay on target. I think dots are perfectly acceptable. Tons of pro orchestra players use 'em. I think having a bias just kind of shows you have hang ups. Dots or no dots its how you play the music that matters. How it sounds.
 
#26
Marcus Johnson said:
I really don't care either... put dots on your "URB", smiley faces, corporate logos, whatever. You won't be the first or the last to do so.

But if your eyes are closed, why do you need them?

See how Edgar is not looking anywhere near the fingerboard? That's because he knows where his hands are going, and his ears will tell him when he's there. Having met Edgar, and knowing that he has a very sly sense of humor, I still think that part of the reason he put them on there was as a goof.

The eyes have almost nothing to do with it, in my experience. If you're looking at the fingerboard, your neck, shoulders, and back will be killin' you in short order.

I can't remember that last time I used my eyes to check out how I sound. Eyes are for one thing only... to check out the "talent" in the room.:D
Click to expand...

hi marcus...

i dont need them...neither does Edgar, as you mentioned...i edited the original post....

"So, I can play...in tune with my..."

my statement about "eyes closed" refers to the point that it would be for looks...and not me lookin at the FB

however, i'm starting to change my mind...the project may manifest it self to be a big pain in the ass...


and i agree with you, i've played many-a-talented room...;)
 
#27
scotty77 said:
Forgive my ignorance, but if you wanted an aide, wouldn't it be better to have it on the back of the neck or onthe edge of the fingerboard?
I have pencil marks on the edge just to give me a little help on my rental bass. But, I'm thinking of when I took cello lessons, we had pinstripe tape on the back of the neck where the thumb would be placed. Especially for higher up the neck. Then we could fine tune from there (sharp or flat).
Click to expand...

dont want them as an aide or aid or whatever...:hiding:
 
#29
Marcus Johnson said:
I really don't care either... put dots on your "URB", smiley faces, corporate logos, whatever. You won't be the first or the last to do so.

But if your eyes are closed, why do you need them?

See how Edgar is not looking anywhere near the fingerboard? That's because he knows where his hands are going, and his ears will tell him when he's there. Having met Edgar, and knowing that he has a very sly sense of humor, I still think that part of the reason he put them on there was as a goof.

The eyes have almost nothing to do with it, in my experience. If you're looking at the fingerboard, your neck, shoulders, and back will be killin' you in short order.

I can't remember that last time I used my eyes to check out how I sound. Eyes are for one thing only... to check out the "talent" in the room.:D
Click to expand...

So what youre saying in essence, is that the mildly radioactive Venus de Milo is a better idea.
 
#31
Having seen Edgar a few times, all the way back to 1986 when ( I think) he was still at Indiana, I can say the following:

1. He doesn’t need them (the dots)
2. He doesn’t use them (much), and when he does its all in the high registers

Some folk suggested side markers- I don't think they help much (at least for me- I know- I tried them once). Actually, the times when they might come in handy usually come and go so quickly in a reading situation, that I don't think they help at all.

And to James Condino, I did the same, I used white-out to see if I liked the idea (just a drop at the octave). I did like it, kept the dot there for a long time- I don't think it has caused any problems.

I agree totally with Mr. Arnopol; the proof is in the pudding, its pretty hard to argue with whatever Mr. Meyer is doing.

The “eyes-closed” issue: Edgar plays a lot of chamber music where he is reading…..you can't read with your eyes closed....at least I can't.

My 2-cents worth
JS
 
#32
I played a bass not too very long ago that had dots inset using pernambuco. It looked great.

Several years ago, I bought some abolone "dots" that are stick on. The are only about .2 mm think or so, and have a sticky peel off back. I have stuck them on the the side of my neck a few different times. I have them on there right now. I like the fact that I can have them on there and they look professionally done, but I can pop them off any time I want.
 
#33
I really don't understand why bass nerds (relax, I'm one of 'em...) get so worked up over this issue. I regularly play in bands where almost everyone can cover a lot of ground on multiple instruments and we switch off all of the time during the set. The number one reason I have dots on my bass is to make the instrument more accessable and more fun for people who have not mapped out the entire fingerboard from years of practice.

If this simple step can help an individual or the community to grow and get more people into our instrument, then I encourage it completely. If it's not for you, fine. Get worked up about the war, the economy, or a thousand other things that matter and nobody seems to give a $#!% about, not hassle someone who is trying and has found a simple way to help him enjoy the bass a little more whie he is still learning and developing. Almost all of us agree that log enough time on the instrument, and eventually you won't need the dots.

j.
 
#34
I depend on fret lines, when playing fretless electric bass. I yanked the frets myself and filled the slots with a fairly dark colored material. The lines are amply visible to me, but pretty subtle from a distance. You'd have to be a bassist in order to notice.

Of course the dots are still there as well.
 
#35
james condino said:
I really don't understand why bass nerds (relax, I'm one of 'em...) get so worked up over this issue. I regularly play in bands where almost everyone can cover a lot of ground on multiple instruments and we switch off all of the time during the set. The number one reason I have dots on my bass is to make the instrument more accessable and more fun for people who have not mapped out the entire fingerboard from years of practice.

If this simple step can help an individual or the community to grow and get more people into our instrument, then I encourage it completely. If it's not for you, fine. Get worked up about the war, the economy, or a thousand other things that matter and nobody seems to give a $#!% about, not hassle someone who is trying and has found a simple way to help him enjoy the bass a little more whie he is still learning and developing. Almost all of us agree that log enough time on the instrument, and eventually you won't need the dots.

j.
Click to expand...

+1

I have side dots on my fingerboard, but the more I play, the less they matter. They helped me develope muscle memory when I first started playing.
 
#39
Gearhead43 said:
+1

I have side dots on my fingerboard, but the more I play, the less they matter. They helped me develope muscle memory when I first started playing.
Click to expand...

i hope that's the case. i started playing upright about a month and a half ago. i bought a shen plywood used which has a slight blemish on the fingerboard ... right where fourth position starts. <_<

i think the muscle memory has been developing as i can get there without bending around the bass ... but the very fact that it's even there worries me that i'm dependent on it.
 

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