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Double Bass Stability While Standing

#41
You should be able to stand perfectly straight with the bass, as if you were just standing normally. The spine should be straight and perpendicular to the floor. There should be no strain on the spine.

The reason it is better to listen behind the bass is that with your head in front of the neck and over the top, you are mainly hearing what is coming directly out of the instrument whereas by keeping your head back, you are better able to hear the sound more as it is in the environment (be it a performance hall, practice room, etc.) You want to try to hear what others will hear, not what you can hear a foot over the top of the bass.

(I'm sorry if this is unclear. I'm really bad at wording things.)
 
#43
Standing was hard for me when I began learning the bass...but everything was hard when I began learning the bass.

The vomit exercises helped me a lot to get up and down the fingerboard, but by far the best investment I made was getting an angled endpin feature going. My back never felt better.

In the beginning I would forget my angled endpin and have to play with the straight endpin. It didn't take long for me to never forget it again.
 
#44
CTakacs said:
You should be able to stand perfectly straight with the bass, as if you were just standing normally. The spine should be straight and perpendicular to the floor. There should be no strain on the spine.
Click to expand...
During lessons with Linda McKnight (Manhattan School of Music), she would spontaneously bark "Hands off the bass!" It was expected that the bass would be totally upright and not in danger of falling.
 
#45
Other than Rabbath, who uses a very angled endpin which will definitely not work for my jazz playing (I use the same bass for Orchestra and Jazz gigs), I see very few arco players who stand who are standing perfectly straight up. The majority of the players I see are at least slightly arching their back and leaning into the bass.

For me, it just seems like it is impossible to stand perfectly straight playing arco unless you have an angled endpin.

That being said, I still can't stand and play arco. I think I'm just going to say screw it and keep sitting on my 28" stool. Don't try to fix what isn't broken I guess right?
 
#46
I use the angled endpin for jazz playing. Its really comfortable, and its a universal technique. Thats what I like about it, its just about holding the bass steadily while leaving your arms totally free.

Where as, I cant imagine using gary karrs technique for example, on a jazz gig. Your arm would be held above your head all night!
 
#48
Yep, I hold the bass the same way all the time, just like rabbath. Its a good question about digging in, especially if youre using heavy strings.

Using your arm weight for pizz feels more difficult on the top strings, but not the E or A. I didnt really consider that since Im using pretty light strings anyways.

The thing that I like best on jazz gigs is keeping my weight on both feet rather than my right leg all night.
 
#50
Gave up the stool many years ago as my back and a** started to protest too much by the end of a 3-4 hour gig. Now my fingers might get ache (and possibly my head, depending on the drummer), but the rest of me is fine.

I use a straight endpin and have switched in the past few years from the "bass leaning into the gut" to the "straight up and down" approach. I even find that I sometimes lean the bass forward, into my fingers, especially as I get toward and into thumb position.

Even with the left knee touching the very edge of the lower bout (to keep the bass from turning), I feel I'm able to keep the weight evenly distributed on my feet. I also discovered that I was able to reach the higher positions easier by lowering my endpin a notch. I can comfortably reach the D harmonic above the octave without hunching over (if I think about it -- still trying to break old habits).
 
#51
Mike Goodbar said:
Gave up the stool many years ago as my back and a** started to protest too much by the end of a 3-4 hour gig....I use a straight endpin and have switched in the past few years from the "bass leaning into the gut" to the "straight up and down" approach. I even find that I sometimes lean the bass forward, into my fingers, especially as I get toward and into thumb position.

Even with the left knee touching the very edge of the lower bout (to keep the bass from turning), I feel I'm able to keep the weight evenly distributed on my feet. I also discovered that I was able to reach the higher positions easier by lowering my endpin a notch. I can comfortably reach the D harmonic above the octave without hunching over (if I think about it -- still trying to break old habits).
Click to expand...
Music to an Alexander teacheer's ears, especially lowering the bass to reach upper positions. This allows you to hinge at the hip socket, rather than bend the spine, to get forward. Lowering sounds counterintuitive, but it is healthier. Raising the bass too high is a disaster for the spine.
 
#52
Don Higdon said:
Music to an Alexander teacheer's ears, especially lowering the bass to reach upper positions. This allows you to hinge at the hip socket, rather than bend the spine, to get forward. Lowering sounds counterintuitive, but it is healthier. Raising the bass too high is a disaster for the spine.
Click to expand...
Right, except I struggle with proper placement of the bow between the board and the bridge as I play when the bass is to low. In other words I bring the bass up to be able to bow perpendicular to the strings at the appropriate spot between the fingerboard and bridge but then need the bass to be lower to hinge at the hip to reach over into the upper registers.

It's a dilemma I struggle with all the time besides the holding the bass up while standing with a huge gut.
 
#53
Hey Phil, as a fellow, ahem, gut player, I also have been experimenting with a longer endpin so my bow is in the sweet spot of the string when standing. (I play solos standing and play orchestral stuff sitting.)

When I reach for the upper thumb position, I think of it as sticking my bum out. This puts the crook of the neck in my armpit so the notes comes closer to my fingers rather than bending at the waist to reach for the far away notes.
 
#54
The two teachers I have had in the last 10 years disagree on these points...part of the reason I've been sitting.

I watch video of great players standing and even the porky ones look like their bass just stands up all on it's own. I've never found that spot ever.

One teacher had me standing up straight with a lower pin and even kinda leaning forward pizz, the other had me anchoring it in my gut trying to do some kind of tripod thing that never really worked but we had the bass up higher so I could get the bow where it needed to go.

None of that has allowed me the left hand freedom I need to keep from "holding" the bass. So I sit.

Still looking for the short fat guy who'll teach me how to stand.
 
#56
Uncletoad said:
Right, except I struggle with proper placement of the bow between the board and the bridge as I play when the bass is to low. In other words I bring the bass up to be able to bow perpendicular to the strings at the appropriate spot between the fingerboard and bridge but then need the bass to be lower to hinge at the hip to reach over into the upper registers.

It's a dilemma I struggle with all the time besides the holding the bass up while standing with a huge gut.
Click to expand...


Maybe your arms are just too durn short.:hiding:
 
#59
I didn't read this whole thread,
but I do have a suggestion.

When you sit, make sure your second finger in 1st position is at eye level. Meaning when you play a C natural in first position while sitting that it's at eye level.

When you stand, the bass should be at the same height. This will help you feel the same distance bet. your body and the bass and shifting should be much clearer.

When your rubber grip on your end pin isn't really really really gripping the floor, take the sucker off and drop that spike in the ground. It's MUCH easier to keep the bass from moving when standing while using the spike.

The bass traditionally sits with the corner on the right side of the bass in your hip area where the elastic would be if you had on tighty whities.

It's very important to get the bass titled slightly and leaned into your body so that you aren't really supporting it too much with your hands.

Let me know if this helps at all.

Best
 
#60
I have a similar problem to Uncletoad, except that I'm tall, but I apparently have short arms (especially on my plywood Kay which really seems to only speak well with a bow when I'm close to the bridge). The overall feel of the bass is better for me with a lower endpin but the bow placement isn't right. Even though I'm a large fellow and 6'2" should I be using a 5/8 for bow placement (please don't tell me that lol, I love my Kay).
 

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