Last year around August my band teacher moved me from percussion to double bass so I could learn it for jazz band (Ive played electric for four years), and I have to say I'm enjoying playing it in an orchestral setting so far. I've never had a lesson yet, only occasional pointers from college players. I got Simandl the other day and have half-5 position memorized (positions 6-12 I know chromatically) , play with what I believe to be proper technique (3 fingers, GermAn grip, grip, etc) and am able to keep up with the other bassists who have played for years. My only trouble is intonation, and hitting all the notes in especially fast passages. I realize this may sound cocky or naive but what can a teacher offer me that I can't l earn from a book or youtube? It feels like my playing has hit a wall and won't progress any further.
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Double Bass What a teacher has to offer
- Thread starter JamesMichael
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A teacher can comment on your actual playing and technique. A teacher can see if your elbow is in a bad position, or if you are tensing up when you play fast passages. Just because you think you are copying what you see in a YouTube video doesn't mean you actually are. Intonation is a big deal. Bad habits are hard to break. Get a teacher now before you learn bad technique you'll have to break out of later.
I studied upright with a Berklee teacher for one year.
Prior to this I was a 8 year rock player and had really bad habits.
We worked thru the Nanny Method book. He was really tough on me.
It turned my playing around 100% in that year.
Intonation issues? Try playing a scale, all on one string, return your left hand to the nut after each note.
Prior to this I was a 8 year rock player and had really bad habits.
We worked thru the Nanny Method book. He was really tough on me.
It turned my playing around 100% in that year.
Intonation issues? Try playing a scale, all on one string, return your left hand to the nut after each note.
- Jan 24, 2002
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A good teacher will show you things you didn't know were possible. A great teacher will help you do those things yourself.
The list of truly great self-taught double bassists is pretty short. Most of us need all the help we can get.
There are techniques to playing in tune. There is a lot involved in a proper shift to achieve spot-on intonation. A teacher can help you implement these techniques as well as many others.
Most of all for me is my teacher can hear on a level that I am not able.
Time, intonation, accent, phrasing dynamics... it's just the tips of the iceberg.
Time, intonation, accent, phrasing dynamics... it's just the tips of the iceberg.
My double bass textbook has a chapter on shifting, the different types of shifting and how they are performed. As well as how to first learn shifting to establish rock solid intonation. Experienced teachers are worth it!!
There are so many intricacies to learning and playing and only live interaction can maximize those potentials.
Bow technique and articulation were the first big lessons I learned when I began studying with a teacher. Those are difficult concepts to convey in written texts without the help of a teacher. Look at Andy Anderson's videos on YouTube, and you'll start to see what kind of insights a teacher can give to you.
Bingo. I can't believe, in retrospect, that I could have been so oblivious to some of the things I was doing that were holding me back.
- May 30, 2000
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If the other bassist are playing in tune and hitting the notes in the fast passages. you aren't keeping up.
A teacher takes you far beyond Youtube to answer the age old questions WHAT,HOW, WHEN and WHY.
I repeat my simple acronym for what I think basic teaching/learning entails, HEE, which stands for training Hands, Eyes and Ears. Add to that Theory, Musicianship, Experience and all the other things a good teacher already has been through before you, and you should see their value.
Lots of good advice above!!
Best Wishes,
DP
I repeat my simple acronym for what I think basic teaching/learning entails, HEE, which stands for training Hands, Eyes and Ears. Add to that Theory, Musicianship, Experience and all the other things a good teacher already has been through before you, and you should see their value.
Lots of good advice above!!
Best Wishes,
DP
