Double Bass Using electric drones.

[Witjas]

If you tune each note of any passage to a single fundamental (a drone), if you are successful the result will that you play the passage with 'pure intonation'. As it happens, without the drone, that is, just played through as a melody or whatever it may be, it will sound all wrong though, since what would sound in tune would actually be either 'tempered intonation' (like piano) or something approaching 'Pythagorean intonation' (f.ex if you are playing a melody).

If you are aware of all that and choose to use the drone anyhow - for example as a reference point for some notes (the tonic will at least match!) or for unaccompanied arpeggios.. or just a passage in a ****** key like D flat - that's well and good. I'm guessing most ppl don't choose which kind of intonation they will be using for certain passages however. And the ones that can and do are likely to be sensitive enough not to have any need for a drone to hold them in key anyhow.

Here's my advice when it comes to finding the right notes: practise with your eyes closed! It helps you listen better and also increases your tactile sensitivity. Those are really the only tools you need to play in tune. Closing your eyes sharpens those tools

 

[damonsmith]

This "Orchestral" forum is kind of a catch all for basic technique. I would say in general it is not a great thing to rely on, but I am also not trying to win an audition.

I advocate checking in with a tuner regularly, but not relying on it. Same goes for drones.
There is a huge difference between not being able to HEAR a pitch and not being able to PLAY a pitch. I find it is more often the abilty in hands to make the subtle movements than our ears - most of us know what the music we are trying to play sounds like.
If you find you are having trouble hearing a pitch it could be a good practice.

 

[PaulCannon]

I use drones and midi accompaniments as a tool to assist my ear and my muscle memory. I also try to make informed decisions regarding just vs. tempered intonation and will adjust accordingly. My ability to play in tune has much to do with the time I've spent with reference pitches (drones) and midi accompaniments. The fact that I'm playing more in tune now that I use them regularly is proof enough for me that these practice techniques are a good idea.

 

[Stick_Player]

I found it interesting that my teacher claimed C (on the g string and in thumb pos.) was one of his hardest notes to play in tune because the bass' open strings don't really "activate" so the instrument resonates very little than say when compared to playing an A.

I've heard that about the violin as well - C natural.

I use a Moog Taurus 3 for droning.

 

[agreatheight]

I don't play DB, but I do play fretless electric. I don't use drones, but I will go so far as to sequence the parts or record them on fretted to practice along with before a studio date. Truth is, I don't play fretless enough to stay sharp, so I got practice smart before breaking it out.

 

[damonsmith]

I use drones and midi accompaniments as a tool to assist my ear and my muscle memory. I also try to make informed decisions regarding just vs. tempered intonation and will adjust accordingly. My ability to play in tune has much to do with the time I've spent with reference pitches (drones) and midi accompaniments. The fact that I'm playing more in tune now that I use them regularly is proof enough for me that these practice techniques are a good idea.

I can see that helping as a basic practice concept - I might try for a few weeks and see. For problem solving, I think we need to be clear what the problem is. For example, I like to use the the first movement of the first menuet from the first suite as a warm up.
If the B or any other notes are out of tune, the trouble is with hand/position - because I know what that music sounds like!
In other situations like hearing a line in a hard key like Db I could see it being very useful.

 

[Les Fret]

I think it is very helpful to play along with drones (or midi accompaniment). If you don't have perfect pitch hearing (most of us don't have that) it is useful to have a reference pitch.
Most players also use open strings to check if they are still playing in tune and a drone works somewhat like that. It is just a reference pitch and it helps me so I don't think too much about it.

 

[lunarpollen]

RiyazStudio is a downloadable application that includes both shruti box and tanpura drones as well as tabla beats, and you can select any pitch.

 

[bejoyous]

I use a electronic keyboard and hold down notes with a stick of wood or some tape to produce the drone. I use a simple chapel organ sound so there are few overtones and no vibrato.

I have found it useful to play lower drones and play above them in pitch to improve thumb position notes. It is also fun to experiment with various scales - Ionian, Dorian, Mixolydian etc., plus various pentatonic and Middle Eastern scales such as Hijaz.

More importantly, I have found it useful to play the drone in a higher range on a non-root note of the scale (say the fifth) in order to tune my scale notes. I do this because this is what we, as bass players, do in real life most of the time. It is much more important to play C consistently on the A string in tune than C a fourth above the octave G.

Here's me playing Eshkhemed using a G drone and using an altered G harmonic minor scale (G, A, Bb, C, C#, D, Eb, F#, G).

 

[damonsmith]

I'd stress that it is a fine tunning activity for intermediate to advanced players. NOT for beginners. It is something that should be done with good technique once you have good facilty in your left hand to make fine adjustments.
Forcing notes in tune with your left hand "any old way" doesn't help anyone. It may, however, do me some good!

 

[ritchietime]

I run my Dr. Beat through some computer speakers. This takes the tinny sound away and gives a bit more volume. I also like to alternate between the Tonic and Fifth for the drone.

 

[trevastation]

It was not until I took an old veteran's advice and studied the underlying structure of scales and arpeggios that I began to pre-hear the notes coming towards me as I played.


I would rather carefully hear the scale as two tetrachords, the basic building blocks of a structure

totally agree. this is the only way to go. one's intonation and second natured-ness will get there faster and stronger by going this route. to start, i recommend my students (and myself) sing along with a piano while playing a major scale to REALLY entrench the intervallic relationship. All you need is one major scale in any key obviously as it will apply to every other one intervallically. This helps "pre-hearing" the notes that are coming because you "know" what a major scale sounds like thus feeling in your bones what will come next. This works for all the other typers of scales.

fingering is also very important as some shifts are inherently more consistent blah blah. dont want to get too preachy. I just really think this method of scales is best.

another thing i think helps is using the open D and A strings as drones underneath melodies or scales to develop a sense of where the notes feel on the neck. and I'm done! no more babbling!

all the best