NickA Posted August 28 Share Posted August 28 8 hours ago, Bloopdad1 said: As I've said before, plucking a bass is only about 10% of what it can really do... he's right if course; but I really like that 10%. 😁😁 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 21 hours ago, MacDaddy said: As someone new to EUB (4 days in 😆) who would like to try arco, this thread is making me very sad... 😉 Don't panic! If you're fancying a try then seriously anything is better than nothing. Even a very basic bow will let you know whether you fancy pursuing it further. 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hubrad Posted August 29 Share Posted August 29 On 28/08/2024 at 14:51, Bloopdad1 said: Playing the Bottesini is made so much easier with a quality bow... It gets interesting about halfway through... The bow is an extension of your arm and should require no effort to keep it under control. It always has to be in perfect contact with the string to draw out the tone and power the top of the bass to "sing". As I've said before, plucking a bass is only about 10% of what it can really do... I got really into Bottesini duets, way above my ability but great listening and quite inspiring. My bass teacher once I knew I wanted to get more out of the bow followed the Bottesini method; actually really nice studies in their own right, and after a few you start to pick up on what each one is aimed at. Here's the Gran Duetto Nr.2, which I originally heard transcribed for db and viola. This is two double basses, pretty intense! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickA Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 On bows... again. I was at Oxford Violins today to see and pay for the restoration of my dad's cello. Got to play it with my own bows and: A new bow by Mark Yakoushkin... Flexy, quite nice. A WE Hill bow from around 1920..priced £8.5k... lovely A Tubbs bow from 1880... Just...wow.. and very much not for sale ( but they're £10-20k if you find one to buy. They all made my £1300 arcus t4 seem a bit basic Sadly I'm wondering if there is something about these "lovely antiques" after all. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Owen Posted September 13 Share Posted September 13 Slippery slope...... 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neilp Posted Saturday at 22:03 Share Posted Saturday at 22:03 When I gave up serious competitive sailing about 10 years ago, I turned my beautiful, highly competitive but elderly (relatively) Flying Dutchman dinghy into a new bow from Andrew McGill. Its a thing of beauty, and when I demonstrate to students the difference between an OK bow and the real deal, it always leaves them open mouthed. Do make sure you have anything you're considering on trial with something to compare it with, it took me 3 weeks for the McGill bow to grab me, but when it did.... It will never be for sale!! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bloopdad1 Posted Sunday at 12:19 Share Posted Sunday at 12:19 14 hours ago, neilp said: When I gave up serious competitive sailing about 10 years ago, I turned my beautiful, highly competitive but elderly (relatively) Flying Dutchman dinghy into a new bow from Andrew McGill. Its a thing of beauty, and when I demonstrate to students the difference between an OK bow and the real deal, it always leaves them open mouthed. Do make sure you have anything you're considering on trial with something to compare it with, it took me 3 weeks for the McGill bow to grab me, but when it did.... It will never be for sale!! Exactly. The importance of the bow is often misunderstood and usually ignored. I know many players who save up for years and trial many basses, eventually settling on their dream instrument costing +£20k and not think if their bow is suitable for the new bass ... Then after 6months state that their bass "isn't speaking" as they'd like.. The bow is the double basses amplifier and how you can express your personality and musicality through the bass. (but you also don't have to spend thousands on one either.... It just needs to suit your style and bass). 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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