Bach in 5ths Tuning on bass?

[Rob MacKillop]

9 hours ago, zbd1960 said:

I have enough of a challenge trying to play a standard 6 string bass viol without trying the 7 string French type bass

 
Me too. My wife has. 6-string bass viol, which I’ve been playing for a while, but I’ve just recently received a 7-string, and am ‘in transition’. Most of my repertoire remains for six strings. 
 

Good to know there’s another viol player here! 

[zbd1960]

11 hours ago, Rob MacKillop said:

 
Me too. My wife has. 6-string bass viol, which I’ve been playing for a while, but I’ve just recently received a 7-string, and am ‘in transition’. Most of my repertoire remains for six strings. 
 

Good to know there’s another viol player here! 

Most of the rep that needs 7 strings with the low A is the French solo repertoire.

 

I mostly play tenor. I got rather frustrated at the lack of people to play with for consort playing. I'd only get o play on weekend workshops etc which gets very expensive. 

Edited Monday at 08:51 by zbd1960

[Hellzero]

Just for the record, Jannick Top and Philippe Bussonnet (both Magma bass players) are tuning their bass in fifth (C G D A).

 

Jannick Top being a classical cello player he started tuning his bass in fifth in the early 1970's...

 

Philippe Bussonnet is using the same tuning in fifth because he wanted to sound like JT.

[Beer of the Bass]

55 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Just for the record, Jannick Top and Philippe Bussonnet (both Magma bass players) are tuning their bass in fifth (C G D A).

 

Jannick Top being a classical cello player he started tuning his bass in fifth in the early 1970's...

 

Philippe Bussonnet is using the same tuning in fifth because he wanted to sound like JT.

 

Also Georgie Born with Henry Cow in the 70s, she was coming from cello and I think she hadn't played bass before the band. Though that was on a short scale Dan Armstrong bass which would have been less stretchy for the left hand than a Fender. 

[Rob MacKillop]

Henry Cow! Haven’t heard them since the 70s! Great band. 

[deepbass5]

Thanks for all this input guys, May i just recap 😊 - the reason i have difficulty playing my Mel Bay - Bach for Bass by Josquin des Pres,  is that i am still in 4th's tuning, this is a discussion i have had with others many times, but couldn't figure if it would be any easier but never tried re tuning and from all your comments i would have struggled to do so, with existing strings etc.  fascinating thread cheers guys 

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers. I had a student trying to work from the Josquin book, so I have a good insight into how very much more difficult even the first (simplest) suite is in EADG tuning. I’m not saying it can’t be done, or doesn’t sound good, just that it is far harder than on any other tuning I know. I encourage everyone to explore Bach’s music on their instrument, irrespective of the tuning. It’s still good for the soul! 

Edited 18 hours ago by Rob MacKillop

[Rob MacKillop]

Bach seemed to have a didactic purpose behind the suites: the first four suites increase in difficulty, the fifth introduces a scordatura, and the sixth adds another string in the treble! 

 

By the way, here's my favourite Bach performance. It's on the 5-string piccolo cello by a student:

 

 

Edited 14 hours ago by Rob MacKillop

[Hellzero]

Thanks for that Rob, I'll listen to these suites when I can have an hour of free time as I really love them.

 

I think I have something like 12 different recordings of these...

 

My all time favourite is the Anner Bylsma version and I quite loathe the first version of Jean-Guihen Queyras complete cello suites recording.

[Bassman2019]

Mate, respect for the Bach deep dive. Not tried fretless bass yet but run a 5 string in CGDAE for Dowland, sounds lush. For 4 string 5ths grab a thick .135 low C from Kalium, then .100 G .075 D .055 A. Or full cello vibes with Thomastik Spirocores medium, proper growl on fretless. Tune CGDA and the Gm scordatura will rattle windows. Needs high action and solid setup but worth it. Anyone gigged this?

[Rob MacKillop]

41 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

I think I have something like 12 different recordings of these...

 

My all time favourite is the Anner Bylsma version and I quite loathe the first version of Jean-Guihen Queyras complete cello suites recording.

The first set I had was the first recording of all six by Anner Bylsma, which I still love some 45 years later. Not so much his second recording of all six. Not sure why. I have his book discussing the suites, and his approach to them which goes against what everyone else does 😆

 

I don’t know of Queyras. 
 

Interpretations tend to fall into two camps: Romantic/Heroic or Earthy Dance Music. Sometimes a combination of the two is attempted. 
 

If you can stand listening to the tenor banjo, here’s my take on the first suite: 

 

and the 2nd suite on a classical guitar tuned a fifth lower, with special strings from Aquila:

 

 

Through illness these last two years I now find it very difficult to play fingerstyle, so am spending more time with a bow on my viola da gamba - as close as I’ll get to playing a cello. I find I can also play bass with thumb and index, which explains my investigation in how to transfer Bach to that instrument. It has been useful reading all the comments here. 

[Rob MacKillop]

50 minutes ago, Bassman2019 said:

Mate, respect for the Bach deep dive. Not tried fretless bass yet but run a 5 string in CGDAE for Dowland

Dowland on the bass! I never thought of that. I’ve played most of his works on the lute, where it sits perfectly of course. Never thought of it in 5ths tuning, let alone on a bass. Kudos for exploring that! Any online recording?