Double Bass Turning pages

[Enzo]

Hi again

there are some parts where the last bar is right before turning the page (and invariably a difficult passage follows..) - usually I try to keep the music in separate pages so at the first opportunity I can change it over to the next. Are there any other tips on how to best "look ahead"?

Thank you

 

[notabene]

Accordian pleat-tape the part, always have two pages up, and turn the pages at rests, so that the current page is on the left, as much as possible. Requires planning ahead, still.

 

[IronMaiden]

Sometimes it ends up that right after that little section on the next page there are rests so I just memorize that section.

 

[Simandl Fan]

I always turn pages with my left hand (I play German bow). I just lean in, reach over, grab the corner I've already folded up, quick flip, and I'm onto the next page without having to regrip the bow.

 

[SAlcott]

Have your stand partner do it.

 

[SplitNick]

Is using standouts an option? I just finished Don Giovanni and the standouts made things a lot easier. I just copied pages that were difficult to change, and laid them out four wide on the stand.

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[Simandl Fan]

sure, that works. Whatever it takes. I played the Colas Breugnon overture last month, and the page turns are brutal with the fast tempo. I copied the part, cut it up, and
re-taped it so all page turns happened during rests, something the original layout did not allow.

 

[weary gill]

I love those standout things

 

[fergus currie]

You must mark at the bottom of the page if you have rests on the following page or if you must turn the page early so your desk partner doesn't miss a note.
Write: 'TIME', if you have rests and: 'V.S.' (volto subito - italian for 'turn now!'), if you don't.
Also mark the rests at the top of any page which has time at the bottom of the previous one. For example, if there are 24 bars split into 4,12,8 bars by 2 rehearsal letters before a pageturn then write
|-4-|-12-|-8-|
at the top of the next page so you can count the rests after you've turned.
Never get sidetracked by the turning on your neighbouing desk and keep counting.

If you're on your own copy out the bars before or after the page turn up to the next, or from the previous rests where you can turn.
After a while you will know when to turn and you will get faster with time but never overestimate yourself. your desk partner won't thank you!
FC

 

[David Potts]

There are two other ideas that work. One is to photocopy the next page and cut out the top line(s) to the next bars of rests. Tape this strip of music to the bottom of the previous page so you can turn later. Use minimal strips of sticky tape at each end that will be easy to remove later without damaging the original.

The other (and much more drastic) idea is to cut the page horizontally from its edge to the middle fold (ie right across) if there is an opportunity (long enough rests) earlier up the page. This lets you turn over part of the page early. The bottom part can be turned later. This is not a good idea for original parts but works well for photocopies.

Cheers....

DP

 

[robobass]

This is getting to be a bigger and bigger problem as publishers take their jobs less seriously, cutting corners to save a few pennies, and modern composers and arrangers think it is enough to simply click on the "print parts" icon on their notation program. Fortunately, most everyone has access to a copier these days. Sometimes I will just handwrite the first few bars of the coming page below the last line of the current page. Sometimes I will do a lot of copying and go to it with scissors and glue stick. Sometimes I conclude that if the composer doesn't care if his parts are playable, then why should I?

 

[fergus currie]

@ robo +1