what else to practice with in 1/2 position ?

[thunderbird13]

Sorry, if this is in the wrong place but I'm assuming its all db !

Anyway - I've just started learning db and I can play in 1/2 position and which basically means that a practice session for me is playing F major and a few little riffs based on that . Which TBH can get a bit dull after a while Would anyone have any ideas for anything else I could practice just using this position , as I want to learn how to do this properly before I start shifiting position

Thanks

[fatgoogle]

Have you got simandl. The book has no end of exercise's in all positions and keys.

[iiipopes]

After you get the Simandl, there are a lot of other things to practice which a good tutor can refer you to. You can also start reading jazz/dance band standards charts. Most of them, because of the horns, are in flat keys that work very well in 1/2 position.

[thunderbird13]

[quote name='fatgoogle' timestamp='1342704137' post='1739608']
Have you got simandl. The book has no end of exercise's in all positions and keys.
[/quote]

Thanks I might try that

[Clarky]

If you can wait until 1st Aug I can lend you my copy. Its very 'traditional' (no tab!)

[MandShef]

Funnily enough I was practising in 1/2 position today. As well as the Simandl, I used Keith Hartley's Double Bass Solo 1 which has actual tunes to play rather than just exercises (makes it less boring!).

[thunderbird13]

[quote name='Clarky' timestamp='1342709247' post='1739738']
If you can wait until 1st Aug I can lend you my copy. Its very 'traditional' (no tab!)
[/quote]

Thanks Clarky that would be really useful . That gives me under 2 weeks to work out what those funny dots mean

[Clarky]

Oops, sorry Al I have scoured the house and cannot find it - or for that matter my Ray Brown double bass tutorial book. Guess I must have lent them to some one and forgotten who ...

I do have a couple of other DB books I will bring along on Wednesday, one a very basic beginner's DB book and the other a bit more involved (walking DB bass lines). You are welcome to have those for as long as you like!

[Gareth Hughes]

Never mind the first position. Find the octave E on the A string and the higher octave E on the G string. Figure out where those E's are in relation to the crook of the neck and where the fingerboard meets the neck joint.

With your first finger on the E you've got these following notes available:

E string: B, C, C#
A string: E, F, F#
D string: A, Bb, B
G string: D, D#, E

Plenty to get you going there. And while you're there, find the E major and B major scales.

Another thing to do is to thin outside the box with relation to where you start notes for a scale/arpeggio/pattern. For instance - with the A major scale, keep your hand in this E on the A string position. Play the open A string to start with. Then play the B and C# on the E string. Next, either stretch/shift a little to play the D beside the C# on the E string, or play the D on the open D string. Then play the E and F# on the E string. Then stretch/shift back a little to play the G# on the D string. Then return the original position and you've got the octave A. Repeat that process and you've got the B on the D string, and the C#, D and E on the G string. So in that one position, and with using open strings and a minimum of shifting, you've got an A major scale + a fifth.

With the same process you've also got the D Major scale up to the 9th and down to the 6th - the B on the E string.

Another thing to help you get up to this position confidently is to play your F major scale in half position so you can solidify the sound of it in your head. Then, play it this way - F and G on the E string, then A, Bb and C on the A string, then open D string and shift up to this new position to play the E and F on the A string with your first and second fingers. When that begins to get solid, try shifting on the open A string so you've got F and G on the E string, open A string, then Bb and C on the E string (the Bb requires stretching back a little) and then the open D string, and the E and F on the A string.

I wish I'd been told this years ago. Instead, I got Simandl and slowly crept my way up the neck, all the while nurturing the FEAR OF THE DUSTY END!!!! It needn't be like that - just find those octave E's and get your disco freak on!!!!!!!

Edited July 30, 2012 by Gareth Hughes

[fatback]

+1000 to everything Gareth's said.

As a beginner, i've concluded that this slavish following of Simandl is fine if you're ten years old. If you already play bg and you want to get gigging, forget all that. The important thing is not to strain your third finger, so that part of technique is important, but how you finger any particular line is not important. In fact, you should be able to play it in numerous different ways.