Double Bass Using The Nanny's Method Books?

[bass4art]

okay Folks
My teacher just switched me from the German Butler Bow to The French Bow. I am finding it is so much easier to play.

For years, since my college days, I have been using the Simandle Book 1 to warm up with. especially the Scale exercises, bow exercises and arpeggios exercises.

My last teacher had switch me over to the Nanny Books 1+2, but I had walked away from the DB for a couple of years to play Electric Bass. And I just bought myself a new DB to play in which I have been practicing the instrument for 2-3 hours a day with the Simandle Books. A did a little out of the Nanny's Books also.

But now I am getting back to were I had played a few years ago, now my goal is to Master the Nanny Method, plus I am working on my Jazz BAss sTuff at the same time, I do everything with the bow also even my Jazz stuff.

Now here is my question for anyone who have done the Nanny Method, how did you see your playing approve with it, and what was the best way to approach it?

My teacher is very open to using the method as when so you know. He has been playing DB for over 55+ years, he is 81 years Old studied with the Masters of American Bass in his day.

 

[damonsmith]

Nanny is a solid method, I think we should try to make ourselves aware of the strengths of all available methods and not just "I use Simandl/Rabbath/Billie/etc.". My general advocacy for Simandl has to do so many trying to find another method in order to "get around" Simandl rather than add to it.
If you trust and like your Teacher it is best to work out of whatever book they use, provided it is one of the accepted methods - there is no reason to re-invent the wheel, especially these days.

I wouldn't put away your Simandl book for good, there are some great exercises in there that should compliment your Nanny studies. Try to get other methods when you can as well.

 

[anonymous02282011]

Now here is my question for anyone who have done the Nanny Method, how did you see your playing approve with it, and what was the best way to approach it?

The Nanny method advances a bit more quickly than Simandl from one etude to the next. They're both good methods and each has their strengths/weaknesses.

How to approach it? A metronome and a tuner are a good place to start. Take one page at a time, identify the passages you find most difficult, mark them and master them.

Good luck and have fun.

ps -- who's your teacher?

 

[bass4art]

Josepg Stagnitta here In Syracuse, NY , he is my fourth bass teacher since I started bass 15 years ago in college. I majored in Double Bass in College and studied with the professor of Bass and Cello for 2 years after I switched from Tuba.

 

[davidsbass]

The nanny method has beautiful etudes that are loads of fun to play and a lot more musical than simandl. Simandls a bit easier to get through though. Did you know nanny worte dragonettis concerto? Thats the kind of musicality you'll see in these etudes (even though they're all scale)

 

[sirero]

My previous instructor had me start with the simandl book but I never really went anywhere with it.

Almost all the work my current professor assigns, aside from actual pieces to prep for juries, is in the form of scale exercises or etudes from the Sturm etude book. However, on the very rare occurence that I will actually be assigned something from a method book it almost invariably comes out of the Nanny book. My professor has on several occasions planned on having me do exercises out of the Bille method, only to find better/equivalent exercises in the nanny.

That being said she tends not to care for the Nanny fingerings for page 127 or so (don't have my copy in front of me), the transition into thumb position exercises, and has me change them.

Anyone have a good reason to use thumb on F?

The etudes are very musical though, even then ones that are only there to develop rhythm and smart bowing feel more musical to me then the ones in the simandl.