any double bass players?

[Some Bozo]

[denden]

its the ring finger - it shreks into a single with the pinky,

Err, my sister plays classical double bass (probably not the same as what your after but hey) and she rips that shit up with the pinky. You just need to train that fucker to turn into a beast pinky.

BEAST PINKY

[thehenderson]

I taught briefly, and most methods I came across recommend you always pair your third finger with your fourth finger. I wouldn't risk the RSI

[clubhouse]

I'll bet you would. How often do you actually look at your frets?

You make a good point
I dunno, I just assume that it would be totally different to playing my acoustic... would be great to hide behind though in those moments where you wish the stage would open up and swallow you!

They're a really cool instrument to play! Sometimes its almost like dancing (slow or manic, depending on the vibe) with a someone/something... just groovin'. They're a very physical instrument to play both in size and sound.

I got so used to playing a DB that when I had to play electric bass, for the first few times, I had to play it sitting down with the neck angled straight up to remember note positions and chord sequences doh!

I remember I got my intonation chops started by playing open A string against an A note on the G string and the same for E note/string. I think the first song I taught myself was 'Fever' in Am as it has a simple bass line but sounds great on a DB. Pizzicato (plucking) is very forgiving in terms of intonation accuracy and close enough is usually good enough to inform the ear of correctness. Arco (bowing) is more demanding and the slightest inaccuracy is easily heard.

I recall in an acoustics lecture that the human ear/brain aural perception centre requires about five wavelength repetitions of a given frequency to determine pitch. With bass notes being so long in length (often many metres) and especially on fast tempo pieces, it can be difficult for a listener to determine pitch accurately as the note duration isn't held long enough to generate the required number of wavelengths...hence most bass solo work is performed down the neck where the higher pitches/shorter wavelengths commute greater pitch/frequency information.

If you can, definitely give it a go. Depending on the set up you'll find some basses don't intone across the fingerboard like a guitar does..you might have to make subtle adjustments to 'ear in' adjacent notes. Don't play too long or hard initially or you'll bugger your fingers (blisters), wrists or hand muscles...a little and often is best. For more legato/sustain work , use the side of your plucking finger...for a more accent/staccato sound, pull/pluck the string more like a guitar. And if you get the bug, find/borrow/buy a DB that is roughly sized so that the nut comes up to your forehead (standing) with or without the end-pin pulled out...for most its a 3/4 size.

Enjoy

[Kev77]

all true - I found after starting DB, palying frettless electric was cake - but now I have to sell my frettless alas

[Bg]

I recall in an acoustics lecture that the human ear/brain aural perception centre requires about five wavelength repetitions of a given frequency to determine pitch. With bass notes being so long in length (often many metres) and especially on fast tempo pieces, it can be difficult for a listener to determine pitch accurately as the note duration isn't held long enough to generate the required number of wavelengths...hence most bass solo work is performed down the neck where the higher pitches/shorter wavelengths commute greater pitch/frequency information.

Quite correct, the same principle applies with guitar synth technology, it takes a full wave to determine the frequency - hence guitar synths more of a lag on the lower notes as the synth tries to figure out the pitch.

[dayl]

I remember back at high school jamming out on a double bass, was coolish but not sounding right....

turned out to be a cello.....

what a noob.

[Vince]

sheehandoublebass.jpg

That must weigh a bloody ton, eh?

[ThatGirl]

sheehandoublebass.jpg

That must weigh a bloody ton, eh?

I would think so! Don't even want to think about that

[thehenderson]

I have a friend who did his masters in performance double bass in the states. I brought his bass over for him because I was going over, it was fully flight cased and the case had a special pressure thingy going on. It was MASSIVE. You could live in it

[robnobcorncob]

I have a friend who did his masters in performance double bass in the states. I brought his bass over for him because I was going over, it was fully flight cased and the case had a special pressure thingy going on. It was MASSIVE. You could live in it

A guy I know has a 'Chest' for his double-bass, it's literally about 7 feet tall. Bigger than a Port-a-loo even. Massive. Has wheels, just roll it everywhere...

[Bg]

a mate of mine in the uk was a jazz double bass player, played with some of the greats. After 25 years of humping the thing round he had a permanent stoop.

[clubhouse]

I've been lugging mine around for 21 years and no stoop yet...mind you I'm a bit of a Hobbit to begin with

I did have a very expensive French DB (c.1900s) a few years ago and had a fibreglass travel case for it...handles all over it, wheels for toting, thick plush padding...virtually hermetically sealed the bass from temperature and humidity variations. Shit it was heavy and cumbersome I sold it in the end because the whole thing got too unmanageable for touring and general transporting...beautiful instrument and tone to make you cry...I regard it as the Ferrari I'll never own.

Now, I've now got a Czech made, plywood top DB for dogging it and travel...I even played it with a strap running from neck heel to end-pin to play it in the Gypsy band I was in to do the 'wandering Gypsy' thing, walking and playing through the Hamilton Gardens Summer Festival...and a French style/indeterminant origin spruce-top one for some gigs/recording/teaching. Both are in cloth bags and for travel I use a Soundwear brand, padded bag. Its great as its tough as all hell, rain resistant and has straps and grab handles in all the right places...reasonably light too.

As far as left hand finger technique goes, the original method I learned from a jazz player paired the ring finger with the pinky but when I was taught rudimentary bowing technique, the orchestral player had me pair the ring finger with the index finger and the pinky stopped the note with the ring/index pair also stopping the string behind the pinky. I've become so mixed up with both methods that I accidentally slip between the two and often end up using all fingers in positions down(up) the neck.

Consequently I've seen some kids wince at my technique but I got a big thumbs up from the Russian, Auckland Philharmonic bass dude (name escapes me now) who loved our music and was blown away by my playing...first time in my career I felt I touched someone with my music (another time was when I was in the toilet at a gig for my noisy band and a punter yelled at me in barely contained excitement, "awesome gig man! I'm gonna get a root tonight because of you guys"! So Kiwi...so R'n'R ) sooo...

The Russian dude is very nice guy and was keen to get some interchange going and drink lots My kinda guy. Check him/them out for DB action if you can. He had a bass made for him by his maestro with an E extension when I met him...the slightest of touch and the notes flew off that top it was so responsive. I think he's traded up to a very nice French, Mirecourt DB c.1850s

[Fler]

Double basses are incredible. As mentioned, Dali and Denis' sister, Darija, is pretty intense to watch playing. Listen to a well played double bass in a good sounding room and it fills the place with overtones.

For jazz upright bass, no idea. I've had a go on a few and they're wicked fun. I ponder however, if the scale lengths are shorter than that of classical basses...hmmm....

[alanp]

Check out the video for Black No. 1 by Type O Negative. Specifically, the dude playing the bassline. (No idea if it's on Youtube.) Never seen a DB in RL (except for the liquid type) mind.