I've joined the dark side......help needed please.

[spyder]

After many years of thinking about double bass, I today purchased a 5 string Gedo.

It plays great but I don't know if it can be tweaked to play better. 

The strings have black silks and the action seems ok to me.

Does anyone know a knowledgeable double bass player in the Torbay area who can give me advice on set up and playing tips.

After 4 hours playing I'm hurting and still enjoying the challenge.

I'm learning as many tunes as possible for my country band rehearsal on Friday.

[SubsonicSimpleton]

1 hour ago, spyder said:

After 4 hours playing I'm hurting and still enjoying the challenge.

Double bass is pretty demanding physically, even if you are using correct technique you still need to pace yourself carefully to avoid injury.

 

Heed this warning - once you have inflamed your tendons through overdoing it, you put yourself in the position where serious injury becomes a very real possibility, and the least serious outcome might be an enforced break from playing for several weeks/months, the most serious consequence being an enforced break forever. The older you are, the longer the recovery time will be, and the easier it is to get injured in the first place.

 

I still clearly remember the excitement when I first got my hands on a double bass - and the frustration of having to spend weeks only able to practise right hand technique on open strings because I assumed I could just play as long as I wanted without consequence.

 

Double bass is a wonderful instrument, so congratulations on taking the plunge - I'm sure that both yourself and your band(and other musicians) will be champing at the bit to for you to use your DB on gigs ASAP, but in the short term at least it is probably wiser to introduce it progressively a few songs at a time at a rate where you are not coming away from practice/rehearsal/gig in pain.

[petebassist]

Yes take it easy and enjoy!

you can find most stuff on YouTube, difficult to find tutors.  To kick off, find out how to hold the bass so that your ‘fretting hand’ is not supporting the bass, so you can use your arm weight to hold down the strings rather than straining your fingers and wrist, and likewise how to pluck strings using the weight of your other arm rather than your fingers. This should minimise the stress on your hands and wrists. I learnt this from the Ed Friedland CD lessons on how to play jazz on upright.

[jazzyvee]

I bought a Db in 2018 and really am enjoying the experience. I got a local tutor and one of his tips was ' don't try to play it like it's a bass guitar' or you can develop problems with your hands that will affect your electric bass playing. I'm still in the beginner stage but done a few gigs. Hope you continue to enjoy the db.👍🏾🎶
My DB is a fairly weighty EUB and i find it a challenge to play it standing up without feeling the weight on my left thumb and arm. Is it a good idea to use it on a stand or seated or would i be getting my muscle memory associated with that and then be stuck if i forgot my stand or stool?

Edited January 3, 2023 by jazzyvee

[Burns-bass]

10 or 15 minutes for a couple of times a day is best as you build up strength. This was the advice I was given and I’m currently following as I put in the hours to get back up to speed!

[Cairobill]

In the absence of a good teacher, this Rufus Reid DVD will help you focus on sound production, using the body and proper hand shape etc to get a good sound without overstraining your fingers etc. His left hand guidance is essential to avoiding trashing the tendons in your hand

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Evolving-Bassist-DVD-Rufus-Reid/dp/0757915655

[Richard Jinman]

I'm a DB newbie (about 8 months in). One point my teacher made fairly early is that I was plucking the strings too hard. I guess I wanted to be Paul Chambers in a hurry. Once I eased off on the right hand a bit my ability to play for longer increased substantially. Just a thought. The DB is a wonderful thing .. glad you've started the journey

[NickA]

Little and often.  Lots of left hand in 1/2 position and playing semi tone runs.  Really boring but gets your hand strength up.

 

Don't pluck too hard or always with the same finger.  Blisters stop you practicing.

[ezbass]

I’m struggling a bit for structure in my learning, but having acquired a tutorial DVD from these very pages, that should change. In the meantime, I’ve been playing along to some tunes that I’m very familiar with on electric bass and trying them on the EUB in lower positions, using open strings whenever possible and trying to stick to Simandl fingering technique (that pesky ring finger still wants to play though, but I’m getting there). I’m getting better, slowly and new band on electric bass is making sure that I don’t overdo it on the EUB. Some days are better than others, but it’s not as disheartening as the first week when I was asking myself if I’d done the right thing.

[spyder]

I really appreciate the advice guys.

I'm only practicing for 20 mins a day for this first week, concentrating on the left hand 1/2 position. 

 

Do you use two fingers on the right hand to pluck or just one.

 

I want to use this bass for my country band.

[petebassist]

50 minutes ago, spyder said:

Do you use two fingers on the right hand to pluck or just one.

Usually two on the lower strings when playing swing jazz, though for higher strings and fast little licks I use index and second finger.

I also use my ring finger and little finger together for 'fretting' strings rather than just the little finger, though only because I don't play upright exclusively so my hand strength is never 100%.

[Huge Hands]

In regards to setup, I found my NS Design NXT-5 was shipped to me with a really low action, much more like a bass guitar.  I did keep it that way for a long time, until tried to learn to bow on it - the action was way too low for that and it was nigh on impossible to get the bow at an angle where I wasn't playing 2 strings at once.  I raised it and found it easier, and also was much easier to do the rockabilly slap thing.  However, I hardly play bow (I found out I have a skin allergy to roisin) nor do I play much rockabilly, so ended up going back towards the lower action. 

 

In summary, you will probably want to set it to suit your style of play once you get more into it.  Enjoy experimenting! 

[ezbass]

I started with the action as low as it would go on my WAV, but I'm now increasing it a little as my playing adapts.

[JoeEvans]

5 hours ago, spyder said:

I really appreciate the advice guys.

I'm only practicing for 20 mins a day for this first week, concentrating on the left hand 1/2 position. 

 

Do you use two fingers on the right hand to pluck or just one.

 

I want to use this bass for my country band.

I use two fingers for a strong note, more of a push down and pull across then release than a pluck, if that makes sense; two fingers with a plucking action for a softer tone; one finger for a delicate note or first and second fingers alternating for fast runs.

The most important thing for left hand is to curl the fingers over so that you're playing on the tips as much as possible, and relax the thumb so you're not squeezing the neck. And while you're playing on one string, keep the first finger down while you play notes on the other fingers, if that makes sense, to reduce the strain on the weaker fingers.

[Jslack]

On 03/01/2023 at 12:58, jazzyvee said:

I bought a Db in 2018 and really am enjoying the experience. I got a local tutor and one of his tips was ' don't try to play it like it's a bass guitar' or you can develop problems with your hands that will affect your electric bass playing. I'm still in the beginner stage but done a few gigs. Hope you continue to enjoy the db.👍🏾🎶
My DB is a fairly weighty EUB and i find it a challenge to play it standing up without feeling the weight on my left thumb and arm. Is it a good idea to use it on a stand or seated or would i be getting my muscle memory associated with that and then be stuck if i forgot my stand or stool?

Sweet looker..

[NickA]

I pluck with one finger, or more accurately the side of one finger.  I used to use my middle finger but now gravitate to the index finger sometimes alternating with the middle one ( string crossings), thumb hooked under the fingerboard for purchase.

 

Some orchestral players pluck with both fingers at once, but they're usually playing fewer notes and plucking at right angle across the strings to get an accurate and clear "plonk", whereas I'm after a jazzy mwah noise ( Eddie Gomez style).

[Marty Forrer]

Pay attention to the left hand. Thumb should be anchored in the back of the neck and the elbow should be high enough that the fingers are pretty much at 90 degrees to the stings. Less than right-angles can cause dodgy intonation and damage to the finger joints down the track. Ask me how I know.....

 

[MJJS]

I’d advise you to take a few lessons with a DB tutor as most starters I have seen don’t naturally develop correct left hand technique (if you’re right handed). You should get more from that than you’d believe, including holding the bass. If you sit, as I do, invest in a good adjustable seat.

 

Consider an adjustable bridge, it doesn’t look like yours is. That allows you to lower the action when you start out which eases the effort required(at the sacrifice of unamped volume).

 

Finally, as has previously been said, play for short periods at the start. Injury is bad news.

 

Good luck.

[spyder]

First full rehearsal with my country band last night night and after 2 hours my arm and hands called it a night.

It has been a steep learning curve with some set backs .... But what fun.

 

Question on amplifiers if I may.

I have a GK neo 112 800w combo for electric bass. This sounds great with the DB but is relatively large. I also have a Phil Jones preamp ( new blue one ) or a Headway pre that I want to use with a very small powered amp on a stand ( ear height ) for small tight stages.

What can you recommend...

Small powered PA cab?

Specialist DB amp?

 

Thanks.

[JoeEvans]

For a country band I guess you want a fairly meaty, electric tone rather than a delicate, natural acoustic tone, so I guess a small, modern bass amp would do fine - Trace Elliot ELF? Just got one and it sounds great for that type of tone.

[Happy Jack]

1 hour ago, spyder said:

 

Question on amplifiers if I may.

 

Are you doubling with electric bass, or just playing the DB?

[spyder]

Just DB.

Just now, Happy Jack said:

Are you doubling with electric bass, or just playing the DB?

 

[Happy Jack]

Ideally you want an amp that's optimised for piezo pickups but, in the real world anyway, it makes surprisingly little difference what you play through. Ultimately, what gives a DB its particular sound is its DB-ness rather than what amp you're using.

 

My stage rig is always the same: amp head close to my right hand (with a DI to the board), feeding a Crazy 8 on an old PA pole so that the cab is at head height behind me. Works perfectly every time - small pubs, big halls, festival stages - with no feedback issues and perfect monitoring.

[Happy Jack]

 

[spyder]

As I have a PJB preamp already how about taking a feed into a small PA speaker like this...