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Please help ! Bow or not to bow


kevvo66
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Hiya people , I've recently bought myself a stagg eub . I am now thinking of buying a bow as I've decided I want to learn some classical music such

as pieces Bach cello suites and such I love classical music even tho I play in a covers band it satisfies my soul hence the wanting of a bow ,any bow recommendations full lenght or short lenght ? And best place too get them from as I have questions and don't want end up with a useless toy bow , thanks a lot Kev

Edited by kevvo66
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After a fair amount of research and some time with borrowed bows, I ended up with a Carbondix carbon fibre bow from Thomann. In my inexperience it seems as good as some more expensive bows I've tried. Now for a decade or so of practice to learn to play properly with it...

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Yita do a decent carbon fibre bow for a budget price: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Best-Selling-Carbon-Fiber-Double-Bass-Bow-French-Silver-/141566365921?hash=item20f60350e1 But it might be a hiding to nothing, bowing an EUB. I know mine sounds rubbish with the bow and is difficult to keep upright as well. You might need a proper wardrobe!

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I used to play arco on an NS eub. I wouldn't spend a fortune on a bow, given it's not going to make a marked difference to the sound on eub, unless you're planning to use it on an acoustic db in future. A 3/4 db bow would be good to start with.

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[quote name='kevvo66' timestamp='1446914294' post='2903483']
Prober bass theres a thought:-D
[/quote]

This is where it'll end :D


Are there doublebass dealers that sell cheap EUBs to lure people in, knowing full well how addictive they are?
You know the scenario, "My mates got an EUB, do you want to have a try on it?"
Where's the harm? It's just an instrument.
Before you know it you've bought said cheap EUB, you only use it once a week at the weekend but before long it's a daily occurrence. You're now on the slippery slope towards the doublebass dealer, he has you in his grips.
And it won't stop at one doublebass, suddenly you're considering one for gigging and the road and another, more expensive one for home use.

Well it seems that's how a lot of us start :D

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I am learning to bow on my half size contra bass. It is said that bowing is very useful for intonation etc. I love the sound on the Kania except for the E string which is difficult to balance properly. I am very tempted to get a proper DB but the ease of transportation and storage has seduced me for the time being. Not to mention the cost but I can t see me going on without giving in to the slippery slope. I also like the idea of two instruments with different types of strings,,,,nylon and steel ......but where does it end......poverty and isolation and finally madness

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Make sure you buy a bow with good quality horse hair(avoid the very cheap bows which usually come with artificial hair which won't grab the string effectively), Yita and Violins4You both use decent hair on all 3 tiers of CF bow.

Finding a good classical teacher would probably be very helpful, as it is much easier to learn good habits than correct bad ones, it's also usually best to use the same type of bow as your teacher, so you might want to find a teacher first before commiting to french/german grip.

Arco isn't easy, but it's very rewarding - you'll need to be patient with yourself, and you'll also need a full length mirror to practice in front of (really helpful for developing good technique).

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I bought this carbon fibre bow to play with my NS EUB:

http://www.djmmusic.com/p-54-lgchen-carbonfibre-weave-french-double-bass-bow.aspx

A steep but enjoyable learning curve. Obviously it's important to get strings that respond well to the bow or you'll cause yourself no end of unnecessary frustration.

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