94CB8586

[jazzyvee]

Hi Edward, I expected a response from you quickly and I appreciate it. I did plan to email  you but couldn't find your email address on your profile.
I have spoken with my tutor and he recommends French style bow and carbon fibre or carbon composite. Nothing said about the length of the stick so I presume that is less important and if the length difference is a few centimetres then that won't matter much to me as a novice and it is doubtful I will be running out of stick length anytime soon.
I had a couple of bows last week on approval to try out from a local Violin shop that makes, services and sells classical string instruments. One was wood and French and the other was Carbon composite and German style and I preferred the weight and balance of the carbon fibre bow and the French style.
So on the basis of the negligible difference I will just find a reasonable quality one and go for whichever length is the best price.
Thanks again.

[charles_holmes]

Hey Jazzy! Choosing a bow depends on what grip you prefer to use. Like edwardofuncote said "Try a lot of them. Bows are a very personal thing, and finding one that feels 'right' and balanced in your hand is quite critical". It took me a few years to find the right bow. My bow is French & it's slightly weighted;from the tip to the screw measures 27 1/2" & the Hair length(From tip to Frog) measures 22 1/8". The very 1st double bass I brought was an Engelhardt  & I bought a German bow but I soon switched to French as my teacher Carl Torello suggested. But on youtube I've watched a few bassist use the German bow and they play "florid" passages with the same ease as a bassist that uses the French Bow.  Edwardofhuncote has tweaked my interest in a carbon fiber bow & I'm going to go try one out!! Keep working out on that Classico & in no time you'll be getting around on it quite comfortably!!

[jazzyvee]

My teacher suggested French and a carbon fibre or carbon composite. hi Chalie, i think im making decent progress and quite impressed with how my intonation is improving. I record most of my practice sessions and listen back to how in tune I am.  I recently started practicing with the ireal book and silencing the bassline so i can play along. I have a gig with my band in early march and have 500 miles high (RTF) and Sakura Sakura by Stanley Clarke trio on the setlist to push myself.

[jazzyvee]

Here are some links to the bass in the "Post a pic playing your bass" thread.









I'm not sure why they came across so large.....

[rv_bass]

Very nice, Jazzyvee.  How’s the upright playing coming along?  Bet that sounds nice!

[jazzyvee]

Hey rv_bass, it's coming on slowly but surely some days most of my notes are off pitch and other days they seem to be bang on. I have started recording myself just on my ipad during some of my practice sessions and I can hear a lot of pitch correction going on. My tutor thinks I'm doing well in that respect but says it takes a while for muscle memory to get locked in. So I do try to play every day for a minimum of about 1/2 hr.
As for the sound, to me and the other bass players who commented at my gig, it sounds just like a double bass but fuller, has more sustain and cleaner. Well if it sounds like that with a beginner playing, who knows what it will sound like when I can really play it properly.

[rv_bass]

That’s great, glad to hear it’s coming along well!  I played string bass in the early 80s, it’s been quite a while and I miss it.  Glad to hear you are enjoying the Classico, beautiful bass!!

[goran]

Hey, well I studies classical music on db, so I started with french style, while I went to high school on double bass, my other teacher played german style. It's all the same, no difference, just stick to one. But also, I know guys that can do both... so, decision is yours.

get the 3/4 bow, that mostly what people use in jazz and some classical, the 4/4 is longer and same as the double basses, they also come in 3/4, 7/8 as mine, 4/4 and 1/4 1/2 younger generations. 3/4 is almost usual that people use. The 4/4 is usually used in orchestra because it's massive, and has bigger sound (but also depends on double bass).

Btw. bowing.. check this guy Renaud man he sounds great

[jazzyvee]

Here is a pic from my second trip out with my classico and two other family members.

[edwardofhuncote]

That is a beautiful hall. Must be a great experience to play there... 

[jazzyvee]

A bit of time free today so did some one take videos of my classico bass using my iPad and playing through my Phil Jones Briefcase combo with the eq set to flat.

Bob Marley & The Wailers Smile Jamaica

A snippet from Stanley Clarke's Bues for Mingus before the build up to the impossibly fast fun.

To Be Alive Stanley Clarke

A quick tour of the Classico

[edwardofhuncote]

Well done, Jazzy. Very natural and unforced. You are becoming a fine upright bassist. Your playing already displays a touch well beyond the amount of time you've been working at it.

Nice overview of the instrument too... I know good-n-well if I play one of those Classico basses, I'm going to want one. I mean... it has TWO OMEGAS! Twice the nice.

*fixt hasty spelling...

[jazzyvee]

Thanks for your kind words Ed, I am still on the steep part of the learning curve but less steep than it was a year ago. Joining the Brazillian music band has given me a visible target to work towards so is helping greatly. Sight reading is developing much more slowly though. 🎶🎵

[rv_bass]

Very nice, Jazzyvee, sounds great!!! 

[jazzyvee]

Just completed my 4th trip round the sun with this bass.