Double bass technique on electric bass?

[@joninawhitecoat]

In my experience, good technique is the ability to play your bass part - regardless of its level of difficulty - in such a way that a recording engineer will not want to physically hurt you. You have succeeded at this if the bass lines on your record are what you recorded and not what was recorded in 20 minutes by the guitarist.

[@charleskleesattel6477]

Good technique is getting to the right note in the right time. Musicianship is knowing what that note should be and realizing that 'the right time' is the backbone of style.

[@LetzBeaFranque]

One finger per fret - just say no in the lower frets. Excellent video!

[@beefnochicken]

I so appreciate your opinion. I've been playing bass for 15 years and want to be able to make interesting harmonics on my bass. I wish I could have been more in to Simandl at the time so it's back to basics. Great video.

[@FBT]

Glad you enjoyed it, Karl. I'd also been playing for years before I got into Simandl, I wish I'd been on it since day one!

[@petersams5054]

Great video! couple quick thoughts: Upright bass you want to avoid open G and sometimes D because the tonal difference is too great. Arco exercises are excellent for improving intonation in the left hand, with pizz the pitch is harder to hear. Simadl never used the 3rd finger until thumb position (12th fret) where Rabbath and others used 3rd finger around 5-7th fret (player dependant). There are 3 distinct fingering positions on upright: Lower frets use 1,2&4, at the heel uses 1,2,3,4 and thumb uses T,1,2,3 (only T,1,2 on A&E strings). Getting around the heel of the neck is the big issue and you have to practice transitioning between all 3 smoothly. Think of the string as a light beam and your fingers move quickly on top, the thumb should move out of the way as the notes get higher. And rather than pushing a string down the weight of your arm pulls the string down. You can practice (arco preferred) playing octaves on the same string, 1/4 notes. On electric there are still 3 neck positions, but past 12-14th fret the technique isn't as radical. Mainly its a change in the way the hand sits on the neck differently, and at the nut the wrist has a tendency to collapse more. Keeping the wrist open and changing the angle of the thumb can help.

[@bakatronix]

"the listener doesnt want to hear your technique..." - thats the best advice ive ever gotten.

[@bassplaynme]

Simandl fingering is great in the lower positions but I myself am not as big a fan of it after position II. Do love the 30 etudes book.

[@FBT]

Everyone has their own preference, for me it's always a blend of Simandl and one finger per fret - I still find Simandl useful up to the 12th fret, but it's always about the context of the music.

[@royhoward119]

So what is the best way to begin to learn and apply the Simandl method to the electric bass? If you have been playing one-finger-per-fret for several years (with some pain from stretching), how do you start to transition? Start with scales? Triads and arpeggios?

[@FBT]

Hi Roy, I've sent you an email with some ideas for getting started, it might well have landed in your junk folder!

[@sdushdiu]

A very welcome, all too often ignored, important aspect of bass technique.

[@royhoward119]

When it be accurate to say that you use the Simandl method, you essentially never use the third finger by itself? To play a note, I mean?

[@FBT]

That's right, the third finger plays a supportive role; it's important to note that I don't use Simandl all the time, it's always a blend of Simandl, one finger per fret and extension fingerings. The music dictates the method that gets used.

[@royhoward119]

@@FBT That makes total sense, thank you!

[@royhoward119]

If someone told you that they agreed with everything you said in this video, and that they wanted to learn the Simandl method for their electric bass, how would you recommend they learn it? Is there a book (or series of books) you would recommend? A detailed reference that would help a student learn? If you could offer your thoughts and ideas, it would be VERY much appreciated!!

[@FBT]

The only book that I've used is Simandl's New Method For The Double Bass Book 1 - there are a few versions in print, the one I have is edited by Lucas Drew and published by Carl Fischer (orange cover with text in English and Japanese). Working through the early studies will give you a firm foundation of the 1-2-4 fingering system in the lower positions of the bass, which you can then apply to the rest of the electric bass.

[@royhoward119]

@@FBT Thank you very much for taking time to respond! I'm going to have to get that book! 🔥🎶🎸

[@jpmaximoo]

could you do a transcript of The Fairy Fellers Master-Stroke - Queen song?

[@jaex9617]

Love it. I guess this video is too *good* to get thousands of comments. Sigh.

[@FBT]

Thank you for your kind words and I'm glad the video was useful. It's a niche within a niche so I wasn't expecting to be drowning in views or comments...

[@leonardoramirez4863]

I really don't think that tone and technique are the same. I agree that technique is an important part of tone, but there are quite a few other factors involved in tone or the way you sound, such as your choice of strings, your pickups type and configuration, and so on and so on. I don't think that you can use those interchangeably, as you imply here in your video.

[@FBT]

My opinion (and it really is just an opinion, you're absolutely entitled to hold a different one) is that the way that your hands interact with the bass is the main component of tone. Obviously, the type of strings (the material, not the brand) will have an impact, as will pickups and preamps, but these are really the icing on the cake. My view is that bassists tend to focus more on buying gear to improve their tone rather than attending the fundamental elements of their technique which have huge consequences on how they sound, regardless of what gear they might be using.

[@petersams5054]

Tone is a direct result of your technique. All the ancillary things do have an effect but not near as much as the ability to get around on the instrument