Using Weight in the Bow

[@daveroberts2378]

Thanks so much. I've been pressing down with the French bow, which creates tension and pain on my first finger. It was so bad I bought a German bow, thinking the problem was the French bow, only to find that the German bow was more awkward. I could have saved the $200 I spent on it if I'd watched this video first.

[@izzohood7172]

Italian system for holding the bow is the best way for playing with french bow... Great sound, great stability and great control! I recommend !

[@MattnUska]

What difference do you find with the black hair on your bow? My teacher suggested I try out black hair because she has heard it is grippier. I play an NS design omnibass which is a short scale electric upright bass. I also play German bow and I find that I often have to dig in to get a good tone.

[@luisamil1556]

Lauren, thks for your videos !!! a question...., at this moment I'veen practice scales with long tones ( whole notes at 60bpm) is really slowly, and my sound gettiing worse reaching the high notes, What things may I pay attention to get a good sound...Sorry for my English....

[@RogerBaysinger]

You make it all look quite ez! 👍🏼

[@lukasonbass2155]

Love it all! Great teaching on every video

[@jindraschwarz4525]

Looks like really great idea! Is that same with the German bow?

[@bustabass9025]

I noticed you play positioned behind the bass, in more of a cello-esque posture. I play standing to the side, with the bass positioned at about a 45 degree angle off my inner left thigh. I think it makes a difference as to how effective the weight vs pressing technique can be. In my case, the weight tends to slide a bit askance along the strings, whereas in your case, weight is applied by simply collapsing the bow on the strings. I do think though that a combination of both techniques may yield a better result for those of us who employ a more standard posture and stance when playing the double bass.

[@Captain_Rhodes]

she is sitting down so thats the typical position. Im guessing you play standing

[@bustabass9025]

@@Captain_Rhodes I do.

[@veroovan]

Dear Lauren: All your videos are really userfull for me, thanks for shraing your knowledge. I would like too watch you explanation about how to take the french bow. It is sometimes confusing where tu put the first finger. Because some teachers put it in the U and others do not. Do you use the italian technique? Thanks again for your videos.

[@AlexKaragiorgis]

Do you find it more difficult not to use muscle tension when playing double stops? I feel double stops need much more force on the bow so I grip my whole arm and hand so much. It doesn't feel very right but if I don't do this I'll not get a consistent sound at all.

[@LaurenPierceBass]

+Alex Karagiorgis Hey Alex, The way you use the bow does change quite a bit when you play double stops, but that should come from the amount of weight you're using (more weight), the speed of the bow (faster speed), and the placement of the bow (closer to the bridge). It sounds like you're actually using quite a bit of tension when you're playing double stops, which is probably hindering your tone, let alone hurting you if you do it for extended periods of time. Are you only practicing double stops in your music or do you have an exercise for double stops? I would do this simple exercise for 15-20 minutes every day: Take two open strings and put your fingers on the octave harmonics. Practice playing double stop long tones (hold for 4 beats at 60 bpm) on these strings - focus on relaxing your hand and arm, and try to get more weight in, rather than pressing down (which is what I think you're doing). Also experiment with the bow speed and placement. After that, switch to half notes and try to get the same consistent tone, paying attention to your weight, speed, and placement. Next, move on to quarter notes, then eighths. I think if you do this every day for a couple of months, you'll be able to focus your energy on the right things (weight, instead of pressing - bow speed, rather than force). Eventually, all of this will seep into the rest of your playing and you'll play double stops like a champ! :)

[@dujeoffice]

hi Lauren! I want to ask you how your arm feels when you bow g string? I see you place your bass more forward where g string is more away from you so when you come to the tip while playing full down bow on g string do you feel any strain in your shoulder, or it might happen but you control it?

[@sc45470]

How would this change using German bow, say? I play German, and often it poses a technical challenge playing on the E string because of the angle needed to play that string with the hold is very different compared to French. Although, that's not to say I don't feel comfortable with German (I play very comfortably with my hold and technique), I just feel it may be one of the struggles/disadvantages of the bow compared to French. Of course with French, it is much "easier" to get a legato sound, but I've never felt comfortable with French bow on bass. (naturally, I started playing cello, and it feels completely natural for me to play with a French bow with correct technique on there... it's something odd about myself that I can never quite figure out) To sum up, do you think that how we use weight in the bow differs based on the style of bow (French v. German)? I feel that with German, naturally, your arm is in a position to use the weight; if you drop your arm and let it relax naturally so that the forearm can pivot up and down, rather than side to side, the weight is in the string in a different manner compared to French. What do you think?

[@LaurenPierceBass]

sc45470 This is a great question. I agree with you that it's a bit easier to use weight in German bow because it seems to just be designed that way. I do believe the way we use arm weight changes depending on the bow - admittedly, I am not much a German bow player, so I can't get a specific as I wish I could. I found this thread on TalkBass that you might be interested in. There's some great discussion going on there about the muscles used in German bow playing - I think it would answer your question and provide some better insight than I could: www.talkbass.com/threads/does-a-powerful-sound-stem-from-the-shoulders.1148520/ And feel free to participate and ask questions - TalkBass is full of really nice and knowledgeable people! :)

[@realinowidianto2301]

Taks you so mach ms Laurent im in country indonesian

[@pla586]

hey. im wondering are u always keep your kontrbasses tone one note higher? u dont confuse when u play with orchestra with normal notes?

[@LaurenPierceBass]

oğuz alp erdoğmuş Thanks for the question! I keep my bass tuned up for solo music only. If I'm playing with an orchestra I'll switch to orchestral strings, which are tuned in the standard tuning.

[@pla586]

aa thanks for quick answer and sorry for bad english :)

[@joshuatendoornkaat7401]

why is your D string tuned to E?

[@3340steve]

This is soloist tuning...the entire instrument is tuned a whole tone higher in pitch...the idea is probably be able to play music written for cello...

[@mrbluemoose4296]

@@3340steve it’s not just for music for the cello, there are many bass concertos that are played up a whole step in solo tuning.

[@3druflexbass]