Thumb position Q

[fatback]

Slogging away at thumb position; i might even get there. A q though:

when i shift down the board to say thumb on the d harmonic, the string is more under the side of my thumbnail than under the thumb joint. I don't seem to be able to reach far enough to use the joint all the way down the board. My arms aren't especially short, although the bass has quite fat bouts.

Dunno whether this is a problem or not, and I can't see on vids. Am I storing up a bad habit here?

Thanks for your help

[ubassman]

Couple of things spring to mind ...sounds like it might be postural.

It could be that your need to experiment with the height of the end pin. As a rule of thumb if you extend both hands either side of the fingerboard the first and second joint of the index fingers you should be able to reach between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. It means the when you bow with your right hand your hand will be in the right zone and that for the left hand it can reach beyond the fingerboard to hit all those nice little harmonics !

Do you play with the bass at an angle or square on cello style? If its the first then that you maybe are having to reach too far ...effectively
playing in line with your right hip rather than in line with the belly button i.e. your left arm may be foreshortened . To explain what I mean ...if your put both arms out in front they are equal ...if you then form an arc and move your right arm through 90 degrees out to the side and let your left follow it will end up near your right shoulder). The more you play to the right the shorter the left arm will reach. Squaring the bass more up like this ( see below - if you normally play to one side ), should put everything within easy reach ! Hope this helps !

[fatback]

[quote name='ubassman' timestamp='1370350580' post='2099475']
Couple of things spring to mind ...sounds like it might be postural.

It could be that your need to experiment with the height of the end pin. As a rule of thumb if you extend both hands either side of the fingerboard the first and second joint of the index fingers you should be able to reach between the bridge and the end of the fingerboard. It means the when you bow with your right hand your hand will be in the right zone and that for the left hand it can reach beyond the fingerboard to hit all those nice little harmonics !

Do you play with the bass at an angle or square on cello style? If its the first then that you maybe are having to reach too far ...effectively
playing in line with your right hip rather than in line with the belly button i.e. your left arm may be foreshortened . To explain what I mean ...if your put both arms out in front they are equal ...if you then form an arc and move your right arm through 90 degrees out to the side and let your left follow it will end up near your right shoulder). The more you play to the right the shorter the left arm will reach. Squaring the bass more up like this ( see below - if you normally play to one side ), should put everything within easy reach ! Hope this helps !


[/quote]

Great, thanks. I'll try this laterz.

I've shortened the end pin (again) because there's no doubt its better for my left hand wrist posture, but it's not optimal for bowing. Hmm.

Edited June 4, 2013 by fatback

[ubassman]

Renaud Garcia Fons has a hugely long end pin - very cello like ..he plays to one side but with the laborie end pin he is able to get maximum reach in the upper register. In complete contrast , I had the privilege of watching Paul Ellison at the Royal College the other week and nearly all the soloists were more square on but had traditional low end pins ! I figure that as everybody's anatomy is different , as are basses, that its a case of figuring out what works specifically for each an everyone one of us !

Edited June 4, 2013 by ubassman

[fatback]

I've experimented like mad with endpin lengths and angles since a couple of good posts brought up the subject. Definitely I find the flatter angle / longer end pin puts strain on the thumb and slows down the left hand - too much supporting going on. Near vertical and I can even use the weight of the bass to reduce the work the hand has to do.

It does seem like there's a potential conflict between the optimal height for bowing and for pizz.

For thumb position, I can see why some folks like narrow bouts.