Volume I

Bass players must learn to navigate the fingerboard. The earlier you start understanding the relationship between the notes and their positions on the fingerboard, the better you will be at planning fingerings and learning new repertoire. The exercise in this video is the first step to start mapping the fingerboard. I’ll dive into this subject…...

Double bassists in string class instruction learn to shift very soon to be able to keep up with the rest of the strings. I prefer this practice to the old conservatory method of slowly learning the fingerboard a half step at a time. Learning to shift in the early stages creates confidence. However, little attention…...

Like in the first position, take your time to learn the notes in the fourth position. Focus on learning fingers 1 and 4 on the G, D, and A strings. That will be helpful for the next exercises. See if you can find the relation between the 1st and the 4th positions. PDF: Notes in…...

This exercise have so many applications that it’s hard to list them all. While it’s beneficial for students that are first learning the left hand shape, and can be introduced very early, it’s also great for developing endurance in the hand, coordination between fingers and bow, speed, articulation, trill, and much more. It can be…...

Watch the video Bow Arm Angle for Each String before playing through this exercise. If you’re still getting used to reading music and learning the name of the open strings of the bass, play pizzicato first to learn all the variations.  PDF: String Crossing with the Bow Related videos: 19. Bow Arm Angle for Each…...

Related videos: 6. Body Balance and Posture7. Standing with the Double Bass8. Sitting with the Double Bass32. Shifting on the Double Bass… Bass Bites Volume I Membership Required You must be a Bass Bites Volume I member to access this content.Join NowAlready a member? Log in here...

It’s important to understand how to move the arm to use the whole bow, from frog to tip. In this video, I break down the arm motion into two different movements. I learned this exercise from a friend over 10 years ago, and I’ve been using it ever since. In the pdf below, you will…...

Related videos: 16. Arm Weight for Bowing17. Sound Production with the Bow18. Bow Control: Playing in the Lower Half19. Bow Arm Angle for Each String28. Arm Movement: Moving the Bow Straight… Bass Bites Volume I Membership Required You must be a Bass Bites Volume I member to access this content.Join NowAlready a member? Log in...

Up for a more challenging version of our blues exercise? Let’s add the first finger to the game! Revisit the video First Notes to understand where the notes are. Take your time to absorb the information and don’t try to play it too fast before knowing all the notes. Like in the other two versions,…...

Let’s revisit our Blues in D Major, but this time adding notes to the 4th finger. This version aims to get students used to playing with the 4th finger with the assistance of all other fingers and the correct hand shape. In this version, the blues in the video is also at 120 bpm. Practice…...