Intonation Shifting Exercises for Double Bass

Geoff Chalmers !

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! Introduction

! I!suggest!the!following!exercises!are!added!to!your!practice!routine!in! addition!to!scales!and!arpeggios.!They!improve!intonation!by! learning!to!use!a!consistent!hand!shape,!with!accurate!shifting!and! careful!listening.!! Play!a!small!selection!of!the!exercises!as!part!of!your!warm!up.!Play! slowly,!carefully!and!from!a!point!of!relaxation.!If!it!hurts,!stop.!Focus! on!the!shifts!you!find!hardest,!to!improve!faster.!! ! Play!the!patterns!out!of!time,!checking!your!tuning!against!open! strings!and!harmonics.!Your!focus!should!be!on!pitch,!so!if!it!helps!to! slow!down!until!you!can!play!them!accurately,!that’s!fine.! ! Divide!the!exercises!into!smaller!sections!and!focus!on!the!part!you! find!hardest.!! ! The!suggested!fingerings!are!not!definitive!and!alternatives!should! be!explored,!especially!at!the!neck!heel.!All!exercises!can!be! continued!into!thumb!position!once!thoroughly!learnt.!!

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To play the double bass in tune you need a good ear, the correct hand shape and accurate shifts.

A Good Ear:

Try!to!hear!the!note!you!are!about!to!play!before!you!shift.!You!need! to!have!a!target!to!aim!for.!Small!adjustments!to!hand!shape!may!also! be!required!at!the!target!note,!so!careful!listening!is!a!must.!For!this! reason!I!also!recommend!that!you!play!as!much!as!possible!with!the! bow.!Don’t!worry!about!your!bow!technique.!In!this!context!it’s!just!a! way!of!producing!a!very!focused!sound.!This!makes!it!is!more! effective!than!pizzicato!alone.!! Listen!for!the!tension!between!notes!when!they!are!out!of!tune!and! how!they!sit!together!comfortably!when!in!tune.!When!making! adjustments!try!to!consider!if!you!are!sharp!or!flat!before!correcting! your!pitch.!! ! The!‘Bass!Player!Toolbox’!scale!backing!tracks!are!a!great!tool!to!help! reference!your!tuning!whilst!practising!scales!and!arpeggios.!Watch! !

Copyright © 2013 G Chalmers

all!of!the!scale!video!lessons!at!discoverdoublebass.com!to!help!you! develop!your!listening!skills.!! Put!careful!listening!at!the!centre!of!everything!you!do!and!it!will! soon!become!second!nature.!! ! Hand Shape:

Fingers!1,2!&!4!of!the!left!hand!should!to!be!divided!into!three!equal! semitones.!A!common!problem!is!that!the!gap!between!the!1st!and!2nd! fingers!is!too!small,!or!reduces!mid!shift.!! Try!to!apply!pressure!with!arm!weight,!not!by!squeezing!the!neck.! The!thumb!should!be!completely!passive,!its!role!being!to!help! measure!distance!and!stabilise!the!hand.! ! The!discoverdoublebass.com!left!hand!technique!lessons!will!help! you!to!establish!the!correct!hand!shape.!The!following!chromatic! exercises!will!really!help!you!focus!in!on!your!hand!shape!and! semitone!shifts.!Remember!to!play!a!small!selection!of!the!chromatic! exercises!at!the!start!of!your!practice!routine.!! ! Accurate Shifting:

Reaching!for!the!target!note!without!considered!practice!is!unlikely! to!achieve!reliable!results.!The!purpose!of!the!following!exercises!is! to!memorise!the!distance!of!semiPtone!and!tone!shifts.!They!should! be!played!as!a!slow!glissando!with!the!finger!in!constant!contact!with! the!fingerboard.!As!you!improve!you!can!speed!up!the!shift.!In! normal!playing!it!is!desirable!to!disguise!shifts!with!speed.!However! to!help!you!better!learn!these!distances!I!recommend!practising!the! following!shifts!slowly!and!evenly.!! Watch!the!shifting!technique!lessons!at!discoverdoublebass.com! before!starting!the!following!exercises,!or!if!you!need!more! information!on!shifting.! ! Play!a!small!selection!of!following!‘Chromatic!Scale!Exercises’!and! ‘Intonation!and!Shifting!Exercises’!at!the!start!of!your!practice! routine!to!improve!your!tuning.! ! ! ! “With practice you will develop more accurate and consistent tuning so you can focus on creating music, without the distraction of technique” !

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Geoff Chalmers

Copyright © 2013 G Chalmers