In September 2018, I discovered Modacity as new way for preparing and organizing my practice routine for the Assistant Principal Double Bass audition for the Oakland Symphony.
Modacity’s main benefits for me:
Click the link below to get started.
Come check out this exciting event happening in SF on March 8th, 2020, Sunday.
Canceled due to the Cornovirus.
Almost any smartphone today has an app that can replace any physical electronic devices needed for a student or professional musician. We don’t have to keep changing our 9V batteries or find an outlet to plug in our Dr. Beat or Petersons’ Strobe Tuner.
One of the best and precise tuning apps is the iStroboSoft by Peterson. I highly recommend this to anyone playing at a professional level. It’s $9.99 to own the app.
Click here for more information.
Double Bass players use either a “French” or “German” bow to produce an arco sound.
Here are a few tips and exercises I use with my students about practicing with a French Bow:
1. Keep your fingers gently curved over the bow
2. The thumb is positioned at a 45 degree angle
3. Keep an equal grip with all five fingers
With a slow bow speed, play long tones with the “3” methods below, while keeping a relaxed grip with only 3 fingers.
Hold the bow with only…
These six steps will help you learn how to have a solid left hand to improve these common problems:
Curved knuckles allow your fingertips to strongly hold down the strings. There is more clarity in pitch and sound production when we use our fingertips to hold down the string. Sliding up and down the string is easier with fingertips that are formed by curved knuckles.
We need to have a “half step” between 1st and 2nd finger that is equal to the distance from our 2nd and 4th finger. There needs to be an extra finger width of space between 1st and 2nd finger and fingers 2 thru 4 are clumped together for any position within the “1st Octave” of the bass.
Alden F Cohen 