Weird bowing sounds? This checklist will help!

Download the checklist! - jason-heath-llc.ck.page/good-...
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0:00 Introduction
0:27 DEEP DIVE
0:36 NOT GETTING THE FUNDAMENTAL
1:11 CRUSHING THE STRING
1:55 BOWING TOO SLOW
2:30 BOWING TOO FAST
3:03 CROOKED BOW
3:46 BAD SOUND AFTER STRING CROSSING
4:47 STRING SLAPPING INTO FINGERBOARD
5:45 BOWING TWO STRINGS WHEN YOU DON'T WANT TO
7:10 CRUSTY SOUND

[@skinnystrong]

I like to aim the bow by default smack in the middle of the C bout - that's what yours looks like when you do the 6:1 thing, and it's easy to see if you video yourself. Helpful video, thanks for posting.

[@doublebasshq]

Good tip!

[@sheenatran1230]

You're my hero ❤ Thank you so much!

[@doublebasshq]

You're welcome, and thanks for the kind words!

[@MaQuGo119]

I need a channel like this but for cello 😭😭👌👌🤠🤠

[@olsenj62]

Fantastic video, as always! One to add might've been a kind of 'squeaking' sound you get when playing high on the fingerboard, which I've put down to not playing close enough to the bridge

[@doublebasshq]

That’s a good one to add!

[@FaithInHisBloodOrg]

Thanks for the tips!

[@doublebasshq]

You bet!

[@vincentcolletti7664]

great tips. I like to use a comb before I start playing to separate the bow hair too. Also for players with short arms, on a properly setup bass, the distance from the bridge to the tailpiece where the strings hook in should be 1/6 the string length so you can use that to judge

[@jovanfilipovic3456]

I use a toothbrush to clean off my hair before putting rosin again, helped me a lot with my tone and feel in general

[@doublebasshq]

Great tip!

[@aria.vega5]

hmm never thought of that-- normally i just add more rosin on top of the old

[@inkthelosermoonshine2094]

My director told me the best way to measure is to match your bridge height with your natural standing knuckle on your finger, the one closest to your fingertip :) I'll definitely be trying combing too that sounds interesting!!

[@thomascordery7951]

Now I'm wondering if running that same comb through my hair will improve manageability. Probably not so good for the bow, though. 😅

[@bassmonk2920]

I wipe the Rosin off the string if I am not dialed in during a gig to get a balance...

[@thomascordery7951]

The bit about maintaining a similar timbre by moving where energy is put into a string relative to changes where it's stopped I think applies to all stringed instruments. I expect it's also taken into account by piano makers. I'm curious to check for that next time I peer into one. Some really great content here!

[@jonathanwinspear6232]

Thanks for that Jason, I’m probably guilty of all of those 😀

[@doublebasshq]

Ha--me too!

[@PixelWavesGuru]

Thanks, like the vibes

[@doublebasshq]

Thanks!

[@aria.vega5]

Number 7 been driving me nuts lately

[@doublebasshq]

Me too!

[@davidbteague]

I found this useful. Thanks

[@davidbteague]

I am having difficulty figuring out where to download the check list.

[@doublebasshq]

Glad it was helpful!

[@doublebasshq]

It's in the description - here's the link: jason-heath-llc.ck.page/good-bass-tone

[@desmodromic640]

This was right on time! Thanks!

[@bernardgallone7573]

Many thanks Jason! great checklist! About good sound on a slow bow, I remember a little exercice given by Tom Martin, during the Rencontres de Contrebasses en Roussillon(RCR):bow an open A string, hold the note for 30 seconds, metronome at 60... part of the final exam at the Royal Academy of Music , it seems! Tom's advice: start the note at around 1/6 of the string length and slowly get closer to the bridge without stopping...quite difficult, my personal record:24 seconds😂

[@doublebasshq]

That's a good exercise from Tom!

[@michaelnancyamsden7410]

Interesting show I do not play a voil instrument.. My .instrument... piano and formerly flute. Love music. At my music camp years ago...55 years...Gary Karr played a concert. He had just won something in the beginning of his career. Our cabin counselor played string base. She was very nice.

[@c.l.4895]

When does part two of the interview come out? 😂 Great stuff!

[@doublebasshq]

I'll try to make something happen soon!

[@amysscentsandsongs]

Oh gee whiz. I do all of these nasty sounds. I'm an adult and have been playing for 10 months. I have to remind myself that this takes time. Every now and then it sounds wonderful, but usually not. Someday it will be more often. I must be patient. Thank you for a wonderful video.

[@MrDanilop45]

❤️

[@b1644]

Hi Jason, regarding the "6 to 1" ratio for bow placement, I get it, and it does seem to work for open strings, but as soon as you finger a note the vibrating string length is shortened and that optimal point is going shift towards the bridge... potentially a lot. So how can we find this point when fingering a note if we don't have 3 arms to be able to stop the note, find the minor-7th harmonic, and bow at the same time? Practice more and learn to recognize the feel of that "sweet spot", I guess. 😀

[@doublebasshq]

That’s a great point! We actually have a video coming out tomorrow that digs into that reality. It’s featuring Andy Moritz, who just came out with a book that focuses on this 6:1 concept and how it works as you start to shift around the bass.

[@MrBassflute]

Great tips. Just curious, what kind of bass do you play? Is it new(ish)?

[@doublebasshq]

It’s a bass from 1995 made by a bass maker named Albert Jakstadt. I’m actually doing a video all about my bass next month, so stay tuned for a more comprehensive look at it!

[@fabriziocavalieri4077]

i have a tryout tmrw and my bass was sounding super weird turns out my bow was just crooked

[@doublebasshq]

That's a great discovery!

[@georgefarmerbass]

Any advice on what’s happening when you play arco and there’s a type of didgeridoo-like sound in(side) the notes?

[@doublebasshq]

Hmmm… it could be a lot of things. Might be an open seam? It could be worth a trip to a local string shop to help diagnose.

[@b1644]

Like at 3:38 in the video? I get that some times... it's just a lack of fundamental. In my case it's caused by my inattention to bow placement/angle, bow speed, or a lack of rosin.