philparker

I would keep the action high otherwise you will get fret buzz - you also have to play it differently than your electric bass and simplify some of your bass lines to suit!

I've just made the transition, but not on a whim, I have been meaning to give it a try for a long while. However, I bought my double bass without actually trying a double bass first!

I'm now four weeks into it, I'm taking lessons and studying and practising as much and as good as I can. It's quite addictive and the study I'm putting in is helping me improve as a musician (again) and focus on my task in hand.

GAS will no doubt come again in another year or so when I will want to upgrade to a more expensive DB!

Well, I'm also curious to see what all the fuss is about - and I've ordered a copy as well !

I bought an acoustic about 20 years ago with the notion that I could accompany my mate(s) on his acoustic guitar, but it's just not loud enough.

It kind of worked amplified when accompanying other acoustic players and gave a false authenticity to the whole 'unplugged' scene, when everybody played acoustic sets - plugged in! (Eric Clapton has got a lot to answer for) However, I now prefer electric fretless to accompany acoustic sets - and very soon I will be trying my best to keep up on the DB - plugged in!

Nylons always work for me.

I watched it and was also surprised at their popularity and what they had achieved - playing at Knebworth in '79!

Well worth watching, thoroughly enjoyable!

Thanks, I enjoyed that, I will give it a try on the DB later this morning!

[quote]OK, but what about fingering and positions? Do you readers normally analyse first?[/quote]

Firstly, it depends on how much time you have - and the more time the better even if you are a good sight-reader. However, yes, you analyse it as much as you can. If you have the time to run over the whole score you will immediately pick out the bars where the higher notes are and deal with them. With a sufficient knowledge of the fretboard you will work out each side of the higher notes to work out the better hand position for the range of notes around that (those) high note(s). Next you will look at the 'phrasing' and the number of bars you want to retain in each position by evaluating and segregating the lower and intermediate positions.

When you are able to read at speed you have to glance up to 4 bars ahead to take all this in whilst instantly returning to the specific note and next note in question.

If you want to learn a piece from scratch and don't need to play instantly and/or it is above your ability - the more time you spend analysing it by reading it without playing it will be time very well spent. Even in between practice sessions I will sit down with the music and spend even more time analysing it - and yes, I realise all the mistakes I have made and how I can improve it. It will be covered in pencil marks by the time I have finished with it!!

Bass guitar is also unique with playing backing/harmony/sequence to chord structures - and that is an art in itself that shouldn't be disparaged in musical study. I really enjoy the creative potential to this and I think it also requires an impressive knowledge of chord structure/harmony and theory to execute as a form of 'sight-reading' by itself!

[quote]Is there anything less pleasant than trying to read those dots?[/quote]

If you want an adrenaline rush whilst playing music and you can 'just' about keep up at the max of your limit then try sight-reading to support other musicians live in front of an audience!!...or just challenge yourself with ordinary sight-reading and you'll still get a buzz when it works!

For most mortals - sight reading will be about 3 or 4 levels lower than playing level (not taking into account many hours poring over a piece to learn).

One trick to improving sight reading is: take a very simple melody line, on a bass clef, with no rhythmic difficulties and a slow tempo, and all in one hand position, then 'study' the line starting with the time signature and the key to each and every note right to the end. Once you are content that you understand it and are able to play it - play it slowly and deliberately from start to finish without a metronome and assess yourself. If you played it flawlessly, you are ready to move on, if not try something simpler, but don't practice it or play it more than twice.

The development comes as you reduce the time to study the line; increase the rhythmic difficulty; increase the tempo; play in different keys; increase the number of hand positions etc.

This development will come hand in hand for some people learning to play an instrument from scratch over a long period of time. However, for many people, their playing ability will have already exceeded their music reading ability and their sight-reading ability. If you want to isolate sight-reading as an area for improving it will take time, effort and study, but there are books available where authors have assessed these needs and have selected pieces structurally in order of difficulty to improve all the things I mentioned at the start.

A quick look on-line, I have seen just one book [url="http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/018656/details.html"]http://www.musicroom.com/se/id_no/018656/details.html[/url] but I don't know this personally to recommend, but I've used a similar book for a different instrument and found it invaluable to improve my sight-reading and also very well structured.

Hold your hand out straight and natural and then wiggle your fingers quickly and independently.

Now do the same again and cock your wrist to the awkward angle that it is in, in that photograph, and wiggle your fingers with the same dexterity.

How does it feel? Probably stifled with more strain and less movement?

Apart from causing any injury, you are also reducing your playing development potential!

[quote name='bremen' timestamp='1350636253' post='1841431']


Likewise! I'm not dismissing it without hearing it, and can believe it sounds fantastic at low volumes but would it be enough for gigging with drums and guitar without PA support?
[/quote]

I bought one this year and I've gigged with it a couple of times; it is of course pretty amazing especially for its size. My gigs have been acoustic, without a loud rock drummer and egotistic lead guitarist and tbh I think it may struggle in that kind of environment.

As for breaking the laws of physics, I first heard that in the 1980s when friends and colleagues bought Bose HiFi systems and I now own one or two myself. The AER Bass One is very similar - it offers a unique package in a small size. I do agree that there is often no substitute for size, but for small to middle venues it can really fill a room and most if not all the other musicians I've played with have been impressed if not astonished. The house bassist at one venue has since put it on his wish list!

My GEWA Mittendorf is: 5 & 3/4" (but it's the only one I've ever played!)

Hi Daf, can you please add my dame to the list for the Honey's?

I haven't seen a thread of the Braid's, but would like to try them as well if possible?

Thanks for the replies.

That link is now also the cheapest place I've seen them so thanks for posting.

I had my first proper lesson last night straight into the business of playing arco (the introductory lesson being on posture, technique etc.) and in my previous practice I had been far too frugal with the bow. By the end of an hour with improved technique it was starting to sound promising! A result of which I don't think I need to be in a hurry to change the strings just yet, but I will get the action lowered at the end of the month.

Daf, that sounds like a much better idea so I will add my name to the list, many thanks for the service your providing!

Where's the best place, i.e. the cheapest/best value, to buy some new Innovation Strings.

Sorry if I've missed it in the numerous threads, but at the end of the month I intend to have a set-up to my new-to-me DB and it seems like the perfect time to also have the strings changed as well. I'm not too sure which strings are fitted at the moment; they are OK and do have plenty of life left in them, but perhaps a little bit high tension for me. The action is quite high from the bridge on the E string at about 14 mm so I intend to have it lowered to about 10 mm.

From what I've gleaned from this fine forum I think I want to try a set of Honey's as I will primarily be playing pizz, but I am having some lessons from a teacher with an orchestral background and also learning arco.

The cheapest I've seen on line is about £85.

I'm also a newcomer - so it is very interesting to me as well. Having played classical guitar since the age of nine and bass guitar since the age of 15, I've got a good reach and dexterity and I'm hoping to transfer a lot of my musical skills over to double bass. I had intonation problems when I first started playing fretless (10 years ago) and although I make the occasional flaw I am comfortable with most songs on fretless without any nerves or worry about intonation when playing live.

I've only practised up to position lll so far and I'm really pleased with my intonation and muscle memory - my biggest flaw is in the 1/2 position where I find my hand sliding downwards slightly and sharpening until I look and see what has happened, although my 'ear' tells me that instantly and same when I am playing. If I am a slight fraction out I can hear it and try and adjust.

I've got a long way to go to get half competent and I've got a good teacher from an orchestral background, but I'm also trying to absorb as much information and advice as I can take in!

PS: I love the name Nigella for a double bass!

I had a good look at that as I also need a stand, but I opted for the more expensive and hopefully much better Hercules stand, after receiving reviews and good advice from this forum!

Yes, I use licks all the time, but I try and make them my own!

I must admit, as a newbie to DB, I hadn't really heard of Scott LaFarro, so I've checked him out on iTunes and have just bought the Essential Jazz Album - 39 tracks for £3.49: bargain! I will tune my ears accordingly and 'listen & learn'!

Well I've only just started to play DB, but I was kind of hoping to get to that standard of sight reading by Christmas !

Unfortunately, you can't!

This is something that YouTube has changed sometime this year, preventing you from syndicating on certain copyright agreements.

This is one of my favourite bass lines and I look forward to reading your blog when I have the time to fully digest!

Shouldn''t that be 'demoted' to second guitar?!

Thanks for all the advice - it really did help and I am now the proud owner of a Gewa, solid tonewood, 3/4 double bass!

I'm stuck at work at the moment so can't play it until tomorrow, but I've had an hour or so on it this morning and I think it will soon be addicitve - I can't wait to get competent on it. I'm not too sure about the strings even though I was told they are good and will last, but I will have to wait a while to buy some new ones, along with a decent stand etc.

I'm hoping I can transfer a lot of my musicianship over and expedite the time required so that I can gig in anger, however, I am also having my first lesson tomorrow evening to start me on the right path and I will keep doing so until I am happy with my ability.

Although it's a difficult decision at this stage to know how far you wish to develop as a bass guitarist, it is worth considering having a teacher that can help you develop in theory and technique and overall musicianship as well as playing ability on the bass guitar.

If you only want lessons as a means to an end to learn to play songs and play in a band then this will broaden your availability of possible teachers, but may limit your progress in the long run.

I would recommend a teacher who is academic in approach (not necessarily B Mus or even qualified) who is at least able to take you through a progressively structured learning process to intermediate level and give you the best foundations to later help yourself, whether that be self-learning or more advanced lessons. A teacher (who can be self-taught) who is primarily a bass guitarist and is enthusiastic about everything 'bass' as opposed to a guitarist who occasionally fills in for bass and offers it as an extra choice to guitar lessons would also be a better choice.

I occasional teach my ex-wife's son with some guitar lessons, when they visit on holiday, and even though he's been having group lessons for a couple years the emphasis is on 'fun' rather than theory and musicality and I get frustrated having to explain things that should be elementary for his playing ability and wish he had been better 'tutored'.

It may take a few lessons to work out if the teacher is exactly what you require for your own development - so don't be concerned about quitting and finding another, most teachers won't be offended and you are the customer!

Good Luck and welcome to the forum - even though I'm a relative newbie myself!

[quote name='danweb22' timestamp='1348670015' post='1816722']
Or get a BSX Allegro (which I and Gareth walbassist have got) which sounds and plays like a double bass but is an EUB. Also played by Mike Pope and Brian Bromberg
[/quote]

I've just watched wallbassist' review of the BSX Allegro on YouTube and that's definitely the sort of instrument I hoped to get should I choose an EUB, but at the moment, I'm favouring the Double Bass!

Thanks for the tip regarding the robustness of the plywood bass - it's a good point!