Taking Another Crack at Double Bass

The Double Bass

I have two underused double basses.  When I got them, I imagined that it would be fairly easy to move from bass guitar to double bass.  I was wrong.  Double bass (aka acoustic bass, stand-up bass) is a very different instrument.  A double bass requires more precision in setting it up, and more technique to master.  Your left hand fingers have to be just right, creating a "handshake" on the strings.  You need to learn to use a bow, not for playing necessarily, but to practice arpeggios and exercises, because you can hear the sound better that way.

Further, getting a pickup attached so you can increase volume is important, and they are expensive, and you need one that helps stop feedback.

There is no easy or fast way to learn double bass.  I have learned the hard way, that you cannot just ignore the experts and use whatever fingering and plucking you like.  If you don't do it right, your hands will get very tired and you won't make it through a gig.

This week I realized that I do indeed want to be proficient on double bass, and that I need to stop fooling myself and learn all the proper techniques.  You must be patient and take it one practice at a time.  You need to pay careful attention to your intonation -- when playing anything, do it over again until you get the rich bass tones you need.  You need to replace the "thunk thunk thunk" sound with a nice "boom boom boom."

Want to learn double bass?  Do it right, and do it slow until you get it.

Zen and the Art of Playing Bass; and Introducing "The Abe Train" Jazz Quartet

My Big Band music class starts up again tomorrow.  This morning I began practicing the songs (on my string bass) that I learned in the last session.  I noticed how much easier it is to read notes this time around.  What once was torture is now an achievable task.  You do something many times over and it becomes easier to do.  Funny how that works.  I am not "there" yet, but I am further down the road.

Before I started this class, my two string basses sat in their stands, untouched, gathering dust.  No more.  Now they both get handled a lot, played, tuned, adjusted and repaired.   I am forever tweaking the setup of each one, always seeking the best playability (the "action") and sound possible.  I even ordered a well known book to teach me better how to do that:  Chuck Traeger's book, Setup And Repair of the Double Bass for Optimum Sound: A Manual for Players, Makers, And Repairers.

Mastering an instrument is similar to learning a new language.  It requires immersion, study, practice, contemplation and great patience.  Zen might help too, except that it is difficult to play bass while holding the full lotus position.  

Stick with it long enough and you may come up with something like "The Abe Train" (see video below).  The Abe Train is a jazz quartet of young musicians in their twenties.  They are from the San Francisco Bay Area and damn good.  The bass player really grooves.  Use headphones so you can hear every note of their rendition of "Autumn Leaves."

Cleaning and Organizing My Music Room

Since I began a serious study program for double bass, I have been busy doing odd things.  Like cleaning up my music room.  Yesterday I began cleaning out my desk drawers of old junk:  obsolete computer programs, obsolete cables and computer accessories, old bills, correspondence and bank statements (these are shredded).  I am being ruthless in tossing stuff I no longer need or use.  Today I will continue, clearing out my book shelf and a chest of drawers, a closet clogged with junk, all to make more room for currently useful items.

Having a neat, organized practice space is conducive to good practice habits.

I took my three bass guitars off of their stands and put them into their cases, to protect them and make more room.

My two string basses sit on these big metal bass stands, similar to the smaller stands used for guitars.  The feet of these stands, where the bottom of the bass rests, are covered with foam rubber sleeves to protect the bass from scratches.  However, these foam rubber sleeves quickly wear out, developing holes and exposing the bass to scratches from the metal surfaces.  Yesterday, I removed the worn out rubber sleeves, and replaced them with clear plastic tubing from Ace Hardware.  The tubing protects the bass very well and will not easily wear out.

My String Bass Practice Routine: It's Working!

My Calin Wultur Panormo
Carved String Bass

I have been playing my upright bass for the past 3 or 4 days, using Vince Guaraldi's Christmas album as the music to accompany.  My idea was to bring myself up to speed, physically, on the string bass so I can look for bands and gigs.

The practice routine is working.  Each day I seem stronger and can play longer before tiring out.  In fact, my progress is faster than I expected.  The first couple of days provided a blister on my right index finger -- the one used for plucking.  It's no longer sore and is becoming a callous.

Some aspects of playing an upright or string bass should be considered carefully before switching from bass guitar.  The upright bass is much more physically demanding.  You may be able to remove some of the stress by using medium or light gauge strings instead of heavy gauge.  I changed mine, and the results were quite beneficial.  Lighter gauge strings don't have as much volume, but if you are amplifying your bass with a pickup or microphone, that doesn't really matter.

Another physically demanding aspect of the upright is the neck.  Yes, it is much thicker and also much longer.  However, the length does not give you more notes.  The upright bass neck actually offers you less notes, not more.  The neck is long, but so are the half steps (what would be frets on a bass guitar) down the bass.  An upright player must use the open strings more often than is necessary on a bass guitar.

I was surprised this week to find how easily I can press the strings to play arpeggios and bass lines.  Yes, the neck is thick, but not so thick that an experienced bass guitarist can't handle it.

In short, my conquest of the string bass is easier than I expected, though it does require effort.  My next goal is to buy the best pickup for the bass that I can afford.  That will cost me around $195   Ouch.