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Burns-bass
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I'm trying to practice DB and have a wonderful and resonant old beast on my music room (I'm lucky enough to have one, for how long I'm not sure).

Anyway, my new baby is making practice difficult. I've just seen an NS NXT 4 with all the add ons for sale.

I'm still very much in the formative stages for my technique and am making good progress. Should I play less but fo is solely on DB (theory j can work at on the electric) or should I invest in an EUB?

Apologies if this has been asked before, I searched but it was mostly asked by beginners which I guess I'm not.

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Get a brigde mute. It's a shaped piece of foam rubber that slides over your bridge and dampens the resonance. You can also tape/block up your f holes or wedge a cushion between the tailpiece and the front of the bass. Any or even all three will be a lot cheaper than an EUB.

I'd stick with your DB if I were you. The NS basses dont feel especially DB like to play so I don't think it would serve the purpose you need.

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[quote name='Burns-bass' timestamp='1479674560' post='3178388']
I'm trying to practice DB and have a wonderful and resonant old beast on my music room (I'm lucky enough to have one, for how long I'm not sure).

Anyway, my new baby is making practice difficult. I've just seen an NS NXT 4 with all the add ons for sale.

I'm still very much in the formative stages for my technique and am making good progress. Should I play less but fo is solely on DB (theory j can work at on the electric) or should I invest in an EUB?

Apologies if this has been asked before, I searched but it was mostly asked by beginners which I guess I'm not.
[/quote]

Schaller magnetic pickup, 2x15 or 8x10 with 500W plus amplifier should be adequate to overcome any new baby noises :gas: In all seriousness what is the exact problem..

New born baby being woken by db?
'New baby' is the db and physical hand effort is tiring?

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The exact problem is I get home from work at 6 by which time the baby is asleep and wife doesn't want her woken up.

I work for myself so I can create a situation where I'm able to do an hours focused practice at some point during the day, it's just I often enjoy a glass of wine and a play in the evening.

An EUB does seem like an indulgence, so I'll take your advice and look into a strong mute. £15 is hardly likely to ruin me.

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I went through it... it doesn't last forever. They grow up so fast, you may miss it all and wish you could turn back the clock. Family first! Enjoy your birthright. Nothing else can stand in for a DB very well. But, it looks like your plan to grab an hour of focused practice on essentials during work with a sandwich and coffee is the way to go. It's all temporary, anyway.. Best of luck, Dad!

Edited by CrackerJackLee
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Thanks for the advice and the support. Having the new baby means spending huge amounts of time indoors at home, and I finally caught the DB bug after some lessons, and just don't want to lose the momentum.

But obviously I love being a dad and spending loads of time with the baby too! I just thought of there was some way to practice a bit at night that would work, but as you say, it's not forever.

Plus I'm not sure how popular I would be bringing a new instrument into the house!

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Our stories are so similar! My daughter is 10 months old now and I've just accepted that DB practice is on hold for a while. Instead I'm playing jazz standards on a telecaster at low volume and practicing my arpeggios on that. It isn't helping my technique on the DB but it is developing my knowledge and understanding.

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Stick to the DB. Aside from a mute you could dampen the bass considerably by putting a wrapped towel between the tailpiece and the bass. As for the baby . I remember as a student taking my first born to Orchestra rehearsal . She slept through the rehearsals.
Choose good music to rehearse and maybe you'll get the double whammy of improving technique and subliminally "jazz washing" your baby.

Edited by marvin spangles
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When I was in this situation I bought myself a cheapo Stagg EUB which meant I could practice pizz or arco any time of day or night (hey if you're gonna be up at 3am might as well be productive). It's not the same as playing a "proper" db but it scratches the itch, and helps you get practice, and when your kid is a bit older you've still got your lovely double bass to go back to.

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Thanks guys. After the advice I've decided to save the cash and concentrate on the DB. I've now worked out a bit of time everyday to spend (30 minutes) on the stuff I need to concentrate on (scales and technique) and I can do a lot of the theory off the bass or on an electric. If I get the urge I can finally fix my 60s Burns upright (which is in a few bits at the moment and never really worked).

I guess I was trying to compensate for being at home by purchasing a new toy, but it seems there's no need.

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I used to worry about waking the babies up. But actually, on the occasions my wife was oot and I thought bugger it ... they slept right through all sorts of noise. And I slap loudly.
I think a lot of continuing noise just washes over them. Its sudden noise that can wake them.
Mine are 7 and 9 now, and actually a much bigger problem after bed time.

Even so, + 1 for mute and f-hole covers for silent practice. Keeps very quiet for practice downstairs, if you have a downstairs.
I made f-hole covers myself, exactly like Doug's Plugs (had to buy big foam sheets, wasnt cheap ... and took a few hrs fiddling). Work a treat. http://www.dougsplugs.com/beforeafter.html
Mute - https://www.thomann.de/gb/ultra_kontrabassdaempfer.htm?glp=1&gclid=CjwKEAiAjvrBBRDxm_nRusW3q1QSJAAzRI1t8O1CQvf-IjGWKRSTgkUXJ_qkdEnQx0xCyFERqZKq2hoC-WLw_wcB
I added a bit of soft foam inside the mute to dampen the strings further.

Silent bass!

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