How I learned to play better in tune!

[@GregoryFaught]

This is how I like to think of it, when playing melodically, major intervals should be wide and minor intervals should be narrow, when playing harmonically major intervals should be narrow and minor intervals should be wide.

[@doublebasshq]

Molly does a great job making this stuff super clear!

[@JayCarterMusic]

Awesome! I'd absolutely like to see a full video on Molly's ideas i you do make one! Thanks for the great work Jason

[@doublebasshq]

She’s great. I’ve got the full podcast coming soon.

[@gillukaas]

Yes please! More info!

[@KevinJohnson-tw9ip]

hehe, i saw the title of the video, and thought, "oh this is for me" lol. Thanks for another one Jason! An eleven minute investment, well worth it!!

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks, man! Working on my title/thumbnail game, so 8m glad that it inspired a click. 😀

[@KevinJohnson-tw9ip]

@@doublebasshq awe Jason, that makes sense!!

[@nemo227]

This is really GOOD! I've been retired for 20+ years but I still like to learn new stuff. This stuff is good, good, good.👍👍👍

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you so much!

[@StephaniePatterson359]

Great video, Jason. Kudos on addressing intonation this way. Equal temperament is not always friendly to string players or singers.

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks for checking this out!!

[@MrDanilop45]

I have already bought the book and found it awesome. Thank you for another great video and yes it’s a main topic for a double bass player, I really would love to have more exercise based on this. Pitagora would be proud 😃. Stay awesome!!!

[@doublebasshq]

Awesome! Thanks for checking it out, and I’ll work on more ideas like this.

[@lesliebaker]

@@doublebasshq Yes it is the main topic for string bass! My mentor told me only the in tune notes count. We spend our lives on this, you've brought wonderful info here ;)

[@giovannisanguineti3955]

Hi, you own the book already. Does it conteins exs like Jason is showing or what? thank you. Giovanni

[@MrDanilop45]

@@giovannisanguineti3955 yes it does, also it goes pretty deep in explaining the reasons

[@jlmoses16]

Great video! I've generally known about this for decades, but I've never seen it demonstrated so clearly.

[@doublebasshq]

Her book is cool, isn’t it? It really helped me understand how this works.

[@tristen_jarvis_music]

This is so great. I can’t wait to read Molly Sharp’s book and connect it directly to Scott Dixon’s “Resonant Intonation” presentation at the last ISB in Indiana!

[@doublebasshq]

I’ll bet there’ll be a lot of commonalities!

[@dougfolkins7016]

OMG I have fighting this for years thinking this was a me problem to thinking this is quality of Of instrument problem. I can’t tell how many String and instruments (Basses) I have tried. I feel like a free man. Thank you much 😅

[@doublebasshq]

You bet--thanks for checking this out!

[@hilliardgreene8567]

I really appreciated this video. This will help me to continue to sort out what I want to do and why.

[@doublebasshq]

That's great to hear!

[@davidrobinson5808]

Speaking as a section player in a traditional orchestra: I have always pondered the question of intonation in this way - it seems to me that the instruments that have their sound resonators closer to the ear/tympanic membrane seem to be more consistently in tune and when not in tune make the quickest adjustment Thus, thinking about strings - in order of proximity to the ear - violin, viola, cello then double bass perhaps the frequency also contributes to the difficulty of playing in tune on a the double bass - I would love to hear what other players think about this. In a related comment: I have experimented with a learning tool or even for use in performance - what if we had a transducer clipped to the bridge or something similar to the realistic bass pick-up that is then connected to an in ear monitor. (most likely in one ear as the other would be needed to tune to the section) A similar practice tool exists in golf and it is the laser sighted putter - the in ear monitor could assist the player as it would provide instant feed back to the player. Furthermore, another topic that is rarely if ever talked about is the challenge of delay. Initiating the string vibration on a bass (mass greater) even slows the reaction loop to the player even more. When talking with other bassists about these issues - and possible remedies afforded us through technology - most respond dismissively - quoting things like playing in tune is about feel etc. I also get an argument against the in ear monitoring idea based on tradition - we are an acoustic instrument etc. It reminds me of the evolution of the electronic tuner, which took some time to be widely accepted as if it was somehow "cheating") I wonder if the same resistance was present when the first steel string was developed and then came in to wide spread use. I would love to hear what you all think?

[@doublebasshq]

Cool about the tool in golf! I’ll looK into that-thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[@mr.astronuts3825]

You can feel the vibrations through the corner of the bass resting on you. The tartini tones are very noticeable to me through my body

[@funkybassymf132]

Thanks for the video! Just one thing I wanted to point out is that in order to get the correct sounding Just Intonation interval on the TE app you have to make sure to to change the the key based on the tonal center. For example playing a Major 6th D and B you'd want to change the key from A to D, the interval will sound drastically different depending on what key is set. Best wishes!

[@doublebasshq]

Yeah, I figured that I screwed some of that stuff up. Will work on those features for future content.

[@tristen_jarvis_music]

Yes! Scott Dixon have a presentation on changing the “key” of the bass to D rather than A for this exact phenomenon

[@heinrichnutzel7031]

....also a good tool for a "simple" intonation practise by ear is the TUNING-CD by RICHARD SCHWARTZ (MP3-download, available for 440 and 442 hz), actually designed for wind players!

[@oronshifman]

Very cool! I'd love to see some thing about playing melodicly in tune as opposed to harmonicly

[@SimonWojcik1]

Wow, Jason. When you played the equal to just Major 6th difference, my brain just exploded.

[@doublebasshq]

It's quite a difference, isn't it?

[@SimonWojcik1]

@@doublebasshq Absolutely.

[@Dr_E_Yekley]

As a bass trombone player this has been very helpful, I don't have multiple strings but I do have Tonal Energy drones to compare my sound to.

[@doublebasshq]

Tonal Energy is awesome!

[@interex956]

Love the UTRGV shirt! My alumni!

[@doublebasshq]

That's awesome! It's a great school.

[@psalm91forever]

Best on intonation that I’ve heard. Thanks Jason and more Molly please. What’s the tuner app?

[@doublebasshq]

Thank you so much! The app I used in this video is Clear Tune, but I actually use Tonal Energy most of the time. I just liked Clear Tune’s simplicity for this one.

[@charleskleesattel6477]

Wonderful video. Lots of good information. The question that comes to mind however is, what is the more useful skill, the ability to play the intervals in Just intonation, or matching a pitch?

[@doublebasshq]

Both are useful in my mind! The Just Intonation knowledge is helpful for understanding pitch tendencies, but it’s of course really helpful to be able to match a pitch quickly.

[@kamikan22]

What's the name of the app that let you listen to equal or just intonation between intervals? There are some intervals like 6m that just sound awfull when intune that I may just start listening to get used to :')

[@doublebasshq]

I'm using Tonal Energy for this--it's super useful! Here's their page: www.tonalenergy.com/

[@charleskleesattel6477]

Just discovered your channel. I'm working on all this. But.... on fretless electric guitar. The problems are the same... that is, getting the pitch in tune. I've discovered that while the techniques that you are talking are core and iron-clad truth, in reality it boils down to this: can you make your pitch match the sounds that are happening around you? The essential skills here are 1.) learn just exactly what in tune sounds like. (your talk on the stable and unstable intervals is very interesting). and 2.) accepting that you will never get to the correct intonation 100% of the time, but rather developing the skill to identify what you need to do to correct, and how fast can you do that correction. It would be lovely to see some videos on those skills. Thanks and keep up the good work.

[@doublebasshq]

That’s awesome! Makes sense that you’d have the same issues on fretless electric. Thanks for checking my channel out!

[@justbassbeat4331]

Thank you for being a great resource for those of us working to improve. I've turned to your material frequently and found it quite helpful. I'm curious about application of the technique - Is this intended exclusively for practice sessions at home to help with overall intonation and quality of sound? Or can it be applied in an (community) orchestra, jazz combo or other group session play? Not related to this topic but I noticed your headband cam perspective while bowing the exercises. Would you consider augmenting the bow holding video with actual playing examples using the headband cam perspective?

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks for the kind words! This kind of intonation adjustment is used in orchestras all the time, but it is something that isn’t necessarily taught that scientifically. I didn’t get much of it in music school anyway, which is probably why Molly’s book resonated with me. Yeah, I keep trying to work in that head cam footage. Getting a good angle can be tricky because I keep forgetting to point my head in the right direction. 😃 I’ll keep working on it, though-I think it can be a cool perspective.

[@giovannisanguineti3955]

hi jason, wich app do you download as toner? I have soundcorse but it doesen't play the double interval. Thanks

[@doublebasshq]

Hi Giovanni! The app I use is called Tonal Energy. It’s for iOS and Android and is very useful!

[@MacTeee]

Sharp…unfortunate surname for an intonation expert 😂