Vibrato Technique for Double Bassists: Play With Expression

[@birdsaj6619]

I'm only in beginning orchestra and been playing double bass for 3 months but i recently found out that my teacher does not teach vibrato so i looked for a good video to teach me. Yep... this is the best thank you! Edit: i was told that by a person who is in advanced orchestra

[@MonkeyManBlues]

Thank you very much. I've been waiting for this lesson for a long, long time.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Great, I hope it's useful, cheers Geoff

[@roncardoza3375]

thank you so much. great job of demonstrating.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Glad it was helpful!

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

I've just released a new lesson on using vibrato to make your playing more expressive, check it out. kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3K4dIaKdsuUbrc

[@lucaswilleford1408]

This is a wonderful lesson! I've been playing for almost 6 months now and I have really been improving because of watching you videos and my lessons teacher of course. But these really help me remember what to. So thanks for everything! I'm going to be in my university's upper symphony this coming semester so you have been a big help and vibrato is something that I've been struggling with actually. I am not too comfortable with the larger fretboard than electric is. But this helps a lot! I hope there is a lot more videos coming out!!

[@lucaswilleford1408]

As well as what was the last song you were demonstrating? It's a 12 bar and I swear I have played it before. Just can't remember it. Is it turnaround?

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Hey Lucas, thanks for your message, it's great to hear the lessons are helping and I hope you enjoy the symphony orchestra, that will be a lot of fun. The 12 bar is 'All Blue's by Miles Davis, it's such a classic line and sounds so good on the bass!

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Just in case you missed it, I released a new lesson this week on using vibrato to play with more expression. I hope you enjoy it, cheers Geoff kzbin.info/www/bejne/e3K4dIaKdsuUbrc

[@OskarSvan]

Thank you!

[@nakyapack3319]

I'm a young player I've been playing bass for 4 1/2 years since 4th grade. I know alto on bass but I can never get vibrato I like this video its helps alto but is there any more tips for vibrato

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

+Nakya Pack Hey Nakya, it's a tough thing to do on bass and there's a lot of reasons why you might be finding it tricky. I suggest making sure your posture is good and that you are not squeezing with the hand, keep as relaxed as possible and work on keeping relaxed whilst practising vib. Also try relaxing the fingers which aren't playing and loosing your hand shape whilst you learn how it feels. Check your elbow isn't falling by your side and that your wrist is straight. Try not to move your whole hand, but just massage the note to try and get a good vib sound. I hope that helps, it's a tough topic as there's a lot of aspects, but I'm sure it will be something that improves over time. Best of luck, Geoff :-)

[@PaintedRavensong]

Thanks for the great tips. Centering the pitch first is great advice.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

I'm glad it helped, cheers Geoff

[@paule6101]

Thanks Geoff, this was really useful. Coming from a guitar background I natually want to bend the strings for vibrato, so shifting to rolling up/down the string is a big change.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

+Paul E Hey Paul, thanks for that, i'm glad it helped. Cheers Geoff :-)

[@holgerschulz701]

Thanks Geoff, i love it.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Awesome, I'm glad it was helpful. Cheers Geoff

[@mikemcgibney]

Great video and gorgeous sound from your bass. Best I've heard since Brian Brombergs!

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

+Mike McGibney Hey Mike, thanks so much, that's a really nice thing to say as I'm a huge BB fan! Thanks for checking out the video and have a great weekend, cheers Geoff

[@Rudenbehr]

How do you stop the bass from shaking when you do vibrato? No matter how firm I hold it to my body, there's always that little bit of shake.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

+AlcatrazSniper ... that's really hard to answer without seeing you play. If you are playing EUB that's a lot more common, but it shouldn't be an issue on a regular size upright. I'm guessing that for some reason you are using too much pressure when playing generally, or possibly squeezing a bit with the thumb..... probably a posture issue like standing with the bass too vertical but I'm really not sure. Try checking out this video to see if there's anything that might help: www.discoverdoublebass.com/lesson/left-hand-thumb-technique-for-double-bassists-l58/

[@MJGSabre]

Nice explained!

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

MJG Sabre Thanks :-)

[@darthmaul1047]

now I play the valse miniature from serge koussevitzky and I haven't learned to play the thumb position vibration, what is a big problem. So thanks a lot for the Tipp's !!

[@sidebar6822]

Great video! You should use the bow more often - it sounds fantastic! (which is not to say your pizz. doesn't also sound excellent ;)

[@silversky2664]

love the technique!!! I was wondering, should the speed of vibrato change faster or slower if the rhythm changes to faster or slower? I'm currently trying to play the solo in emerald falcon and want to impress my teacher with it. thanks

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

You can do the vibrato in time with the music by playing the subdivisions...but I think it's more about finding the right speed that works in the context of what you're playing so it's not possible to gauge the vib speed by the speed of the piece. BTW Lauren filmed a great lesson on this you might want to check out too: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rJ7SgGiKZaeDhdU Good luck with your practice :-)

[@silversky2664]

Discover Double Bass thanks this really helps!

[@paula.m.4996]

Silverblitz gaming hey I have that solo too!!

[@chloebowman2600]

So everybody in my orchestra joined in 5th grade and I just joined in 8th grade on the bass which makes me pretty behind, I can vibrato pizz but when it comes to the bow its a little hard got any tips?

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

It might be that when you play pizz you get to support the bass slightly with your right hand. The motion of playing jazz pizz is part of keeping the instrument stable. So I think it's slightly harder (or certainly a different feeling) to get the bass balanced properly with the bow if you are playing standing up. That could mean you are having to grip the neck a bit. That would stop you from being able to keep the hand loose enough to play with good vib technique. I hope that helps and good luck with all your playing, cheers Geoff :-)

[@bonnie04]

Hello! I'm just about to buy my first double bass soon and I'm unsure about the sizes. From what I read, 3/4 is the most common size for adults and in orchestras? I was wondering if 3/4 is the right size for me - I'm 26 years old, but I am 5 foot 1 (152 cm) and I have fairly small hands - however I am a proficient violinist, violist, cellist and pianist. Do you think 3/4 is a good choice size for me? I'm excited to use your videos and resources to learn!

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

+bonnie04 Yes I think 3/4 is the right choice, your other option would be a 5/8s which are a bit rarer and I would go for a 3/4. Just bear in mind that 3/4s can vary quite a lot in size, so if you have a choice I would go for a smaller 3/4.... The best thing is if you can find somewhere to play a few basses, but I would guess that a well set up 3/4 would work well. Best of luck :-)

[@bonnie04]

+Discover Double Bass that sounds great. Thanks for taking the time to respond! Look forward to joining the DDB community. Is there any reason why someone would opt for a full size double bass? I suppose with the other string instruments, it is normal for an adult to get a 4/4 instrument. I don't quite understand why that doesn't apply to double basses too.

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

It's a weird quirk that the standard adult size is actually 3/4. The 4/4 basses are actually quite rare now. Some may be louder due to their size than a smaller bass which is helpful in an orchestra, but a well set up 3/4 can be just as loud, or louder depending on the instruments. Unless you are pretty tall I wouldn't even consider a 4/4.

[@bonnie04]

+Discover Double Bass makes sense, thanks so much for the explanation :)

[@tal9331]

What songs did he play?

[@Fairylandkitty]

Does vibrato work while playing the electronic bass too?

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

It's a lot harder to get it to sound due to the frets, but it certainly does on the fretless bass guitar. Often guitar or bass guitarists bend the note instead of using vibrato.

[@carljuvy]

How can you not squeeze hand your hand while doing vibrato?

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

+kar must It's all about arm weight pulling the fingers down, not the thumb squeezing up. Check out this lesson which should help: www.discoverdoublebass.com/lesson/left-hand-thumb-technique-for-double-bassists-l58/ cheers Geoff :-)

[@kaybhee6]

keen o

[@Fairylandkitty]

When I play vibrato, do I separate my fingers?

[@DiscoverDoubleBass]

Yes.. I generally think that it's the normal hand shape..but the spare fingers can rise up like I show in the video to relax the hand.

[@michaelanderson001]

What I'd like to know is when to use vibrato? I've just watched Sylvia Hosking of the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (kzbin.info?search_query=AMEB+Double+Bass+Series+1%2C+Grade+1) play pieces of music from the Australian Music Examinations Board (AMEB) and she used vibrato a lot. I liked all of the pieces and will endeavour to learn the grades 1 - 4.

[@nakyapack3319]

Not alto...alto*

[@nakyapack3319]

Alot

[@josepheacobar7743]

I don’t agree with ur vibrato technique you shouldn’t teach to use your wrist fro vibrato using your wrist will actually give it a in audible vibrato you should teach a more of a technique but with ur arm the back of ur arm is where vibrato should come from not from the wrist