Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
Welcome to TalkBass! Want to remove ads? Register an account and login to see fewer ads, and become a Supporting Member to remove almost all ads.
Double Bass Up or down bow
- Thread starter Andy Mopley
- Start date
If you are the only bass player, watch what the other strings and concertmaster is doing.
With section follow your leader. It comes down to taste and emphasis of the bars - is it ONE-two-three ONE-two-three or do you count ONE-two-three one-two-three.
I think that if you were playing this passage as quietly as it should be played, you would find that repeated down bows would be a lot of effort expended without achieving the desired effect. Your goal should be to make this sound and feel effortless.
If you find that your up bows swell unintentionally and you aren't getting that waltz feel that you need, you should learn how to shape the up bow notes the same as the down bow ones.
If you find that your up bows swell unintentionally and you aren't getting that waltz feel that you need, you should learn how to shape the up bow notes the same as the down bow ones.
Here I would play alternating.
If I remember correctly, the melody starts as a pickup to bar 4 with regular 4 bar phrases, so play the first piano note down, then alternate. Then the down bows will go with the phrasing.
When it is loud at the end, then I would think all downs would be fine.
Mmm, Berlioz. As a general rule, repeated down or upbows are only for specific effect. Repeated notes in piano don't require that, so default to alternating bows. As for doing what other sections are doing, you need to realize that repeated downbows are a piece of cake on other instruments, but can be really tiring on the bass. In those cases, if I'm principal, I may opt to do something else if the passage goes on for a while.
From bar 2 use down bow for the two bars slurred and play the tied note with up bow in four-bar sub-phrases that gradually grow and become more strident. The shorter 4 notes slurred fall on a down bow with time after to recover for the following down bow. As such a long continuous 28 bar crescendo goes on past your No. 21 (bar 30) I would break the last two slurred bars into two bows to end strongly on a down bow. The final fortissimo Ees could either be played as measured notes or tremolo. I would normally play alternating bows in the "comfort zone" to relax and control the following smoother richer sounding quarter notes.
This is a popular passage for auditions.
This is a popular passage for auditions.
Why not the importance of context, Jon? This symphony requires far more musicianship from bass players than just playing the dynamics?
Context, sure.
Everything up until reh 22 is an introduction. The whole piece is a dream/hallucination, and this is the mysterious entrance to the ballroom. Bowings and phrasing can vary - You could try to keep a steady crescendo through the longer notes, or make your crescendo in steps coming back slightly, then growing more with the moving notes.
From 22 you are playing the accompaniment to a melody that starts (I think) on the pickup to the fourth bar. like I said before, play the bowing as it comes, with one corrective down on the 2nd bar to keep your downs in line with the four bar phrases.
They are quarters and in piano, so there's not a strong argument for playing all downs - unless suggested by the conductor. Begin the notes clearly, but in piano and hold them. Might be really sustained, or a ringing, nebulous resonance. I'm in favor of keeping control over the ends of the notes here - it makes a difference when the tempo changes. Pay attention to any rubato and respond to the conductor- it helps the other sections.
Give a lot of direction to the pizz that comes after - don't drag.
Respectfully David, I don't think there is a tradition of playing the double slashed E dotted half notes as tremolo. Even the most extreme tempo wouldn't put the rhythm beyond expectation of playing the notes as written. If there are some conductors suggesting this approach, it is the exception and note the rule. Otherwise, I agree fully with your assessment of the passage.
Depending on the speed, I would do different things. If it is exceptionally fast then I would just alternate bows. If it is slow then I would certainly do retakes and repeat downbows. If 22 is the end of a piece and you are playing in an orchestra then the conductor will tell you if you should finish on a strong downbow or if you should finish using an upbow flourish. I hope this is enlightening