Plucked a few notes on a double bass..

Rocker

..in a shop in Dublin. All I can say is Wow! The sheer power and purity of tone blew me away. There were two in the shop, the cheaper one going for close on €900, the other many multiples of that figure. I plucked a few notes on the cheaper bass. Don't have the money or the space to accommodate it right now but when I win the Lottery....

slacker

I compromised and got an ns design next.

ICBM

You must have bigger hands than me. I found myself at bit of a folk jam session when I was on holiday in Lewis a couple of years back - having already told the organiser I played guitar and bass, and given that the guitars were already taken, he suggested I play the double bass they had. I couldn't. It was like a tree with strings on - the neck must have been two inches deep from front to back. I assume they aren't all like that - or are they?

Rocker

They are large @ICBM.  I did not 'fret' or attempt to on any strings, rather plucked the open strings.  Amazing feeling.  Simply amazing.

UnclePsychosis

ICBM said:

 It was like a tree with strings on - the neck must have been two inches deep from front to back. I assume they aren't all like that - or are they?

Its an extremely physical instrument. You need proper technique or else you'll damage yourself longterm, really.

I always laugh when the guys over at basschat are like "precision necks are too big, I can't play them"---there are professional double bass players who are women with small hands for goodness sake!

Winny_Pooh

Yep, correct technique & back/arm/shoulder posture are important as well as gradually building up strength.

Ravenous

Yeah the other week I was casually googling around looking for double bass neck sizes. The thinnest conventional one I saw mentioned was around 40mm if I remember right. Many seem to be up to 50mm.

(Not sure about Electric Upright basses, but that's another matter.)

ICBM

This just confirms my belief that Leo Fender is God .

Ravenous

Well he would be if he could do basses without a truss rod...

Bridgehouse

Ravenous said:

Well he would be if he could do basses without a truss rod...

So Travis Bean is God then?

Ravenous

OK I meant wooden necks.  I gather acoustic double basses use wooden necks with no reinforcement - at least traditional double basses.  I just guessed this was why they all seem to have such thick necks.

(I had a bit of quite thick wood lying around and was thinking of making a simple upright electric of some sort, but can't be bothered with all the truss rod stuff for it.)

StanleyAccrington

I'm  sure that you can get different size double basses. Both in total size and scalelength. 

ICBM

StanleyAccrington said:

I'm  sure that you can get different size double basses. Both in total size and scalelength. 

You definitely can. I'm pretty sure the one I tried was "full full size", but it was really the neck thickness that was the problem rather than the fact that it was taller than me .

Bridgehouse

ICBM said:

StanleyAccrington said:

I'm  sure that you can get different size double basses. Both in total size and scalelength. 

You definitely can. I'm pretty sure the one I tried was "full full size", but it was really the neck thickness that was the problem rather than the fact that it was taller than me .

Fretting technique seems different - thumb position, hand, everything - looks alien to me but one day...

Winny_Pooh

You don't need a particularly thick neck as most of the stiffness comes from the very thick (usually ebony) fretboards used and relief on the lower strings is carved into the fingerboard. There are thin neck Juzeks but medium sizes are generally more comfy for the hand position used.

Scale lengths vary with 3/4 being the standard. 4/4 are rare, I think a handful of orchestral players may pull them out from time to time but the string tension and larger body size make for hard work. 

Sporky

ICBM said:

StanleyAccrington said:

I'm  sure that you can get different size double basses. Both in total size and scalelength. 

You definitely can. I'm pretty sure the one I tried was "full full size", but it was really the neck thickness that was the problem rather than the fact that it was taller than me .

If it's like cello then your thumb rests very gently on the back of the neck - you don't "grip" to hold the strings down, you pull. Effectively you hold the strings down from your back.

fretmeister

Here you go.

Arguably the finest musician to ever pick up the bull fiddle? I think so

ICBM

fretmeister said:

Here you go.

Arguably the finest musician to ever pick up the bull fiddle? I think so

Amazing! Although presumably Vanhal must have written it with an equally good player in mind or the piece wouldn't have been possible. I never knew double bass was used like that in classical music…

I also totally see what Sporky means about the thumb just resting on the back of the neck, he's applying the pressure from the shoulder and half the time his thumb is on the fingerboard anyway .

fretmeister

Bottesini is considered the first proper DB virtuoso, but even in his early stuff you could hear the development of the use of the instrument with each new composition.

Even so - he came along after Vanhal.

There are a few modern recordings of Bottesini works with Thomas Martin on the DB. Well worth a try.

Edgar Meyer's recordings of Bach's cello works played on the DB are a must have. The bigger instrument really suits the compositions. Some of the stretches must be a nightmare on the DB though!

Sporky

ICBM said:

I also totally see what Sporky means about the thumb just resting on the back of the neck, he's applying the pressure from the shoulder and half the time his thumb is on the fingerboard anyway .

Certainly the "grip" approach to the left hand was one of the first habits my cello teacher worked on breaking with me.