Double Bass That Symbol for Putting the Bow Down or Up?

[CaseyVancouver]

I can’t for the life of me recall what the standard symbol is for putting the bow down before pizz and picking the bow up for arco. I have been writing notes like ‘put bow down’ and ‘pick bow up’ on charts like crazy. The next guy to read the chart will laugh.

Also, what does a bass player do when he has to get a tricky orchestral reading part together for the next rehearsal but also has a fretless electric bass gig in two days?

Well, he reads that orchestral part while playing fretless of course!

 

[Don Kasper]

I can’t for the life of me recall what the standard symbol is for putting the bow down before pizz and picking the bow up for arco.

There is a "symbol" for that???????????????????????
Jeez... I'm OLD.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

Yeah it’s something like a ‘Y’ ….but not!
There’s one for each

 

[Don Kasper]

Yeah it’s something like a ‘Y’ ….but not!

It's not "Ye" is it???
Sorry...Too Much Newz.
I'll show myself out.
Thx.

 

[salmon256]

I'm sorry I really can't help much, total newb still at DB, but I just want to comment to say beautiful bass collection and instrument man-cave. Also lovely fretless! GL!

 

[jmlee]

I’ve been rehearsing the musical “Something Rotten” written for 5-string electric and acoustic. There’s markings in the acoustic section that read “bow down”. I’m such an idiot that the first couple of times I thought it meant to bend over. I thought that was an odd suggestion.

 

[elberon]

How about marking “arco” in the music right after a pizz passage is finished and “pizz” directly after an arco passage is done? It’s the arco/pizz markings right at the beat or two before you have to play (and make a change) that get you.

 

[CaseyVancouver]

There’s a legit symbol for it, aside from the usual arco pizz notation

Someone is going to nail this
@PaulCannon ? @Jon Stefaniak ? @David Potts ?

 

[TK1820]

There's no symbol for that, guys. Feel free to make one up!

 

[CaseyVancouver]

There is one honest! (two actually) You just don’t see it very often.
It has been discussed online lol!

 

[Don Hergert]

Pictures, or it doesn't...

The internet world is watching anxiously!

I'd actually use it in our gig floor sheets if it can be found.

(@CaseyVancouver, in a web search, there's Up Bowing ⋁, Down Bowing ∏, and Paganini's violin pizz symbols 〇 ⦾ ➲ etc. I don't think those are what you're looking for though.)

 

[Don Kasper]

There is one honest! (two actually) You just don’t see it very often.

Have you asked these guys? They might know.

 

[Carl Hillman]

I've seen it like "down bow" and "up bow", but with an arrow.

Thusly:

 

[TK1820]

There is one honest! (two actually) You just don’t see it very often.
It has been discussed online lol!

I have played professionally in an orchestra for 35 years. Never seen anything other than "bow down" or "bow up" written in the part by another player.

 

[Carl Hillman]

I have played professionally in an orchestra for 35 years. Never seen anything other than "bow down" or "bow up" written in the part by another player.

I can only dream what that must be like.

 

[BargeOn]

Are you thinking of these

 

[TK1820]

I can only dream what that must be like.

View attachment 4891450

View attachment 4891451

It's pretty cool. Lots of DNA on that music...

 

[SAlcott]

No. OP is asking about putting the bow down for a long pizz passage.

 

[neilG]

I can only dream what that must be like.

View attachment 4891450

Not nearly as mind-numbing as playing "Wicked" 8 times a week.

 

[Don Hergert]

Stop the bow (pizz).