A double bassist's guide to refining performance practices

The author draws on his career as a double bass musician and teacher in this compendium of performance philosophy, bowing and phrasing recommendations, tutorials on fingerings and scales, and exercises for bowing and string crossing. This book addresses technical obstacles in musical performance, offers advice on instrument and bow purchase, and provides a detailed approach to the fundamentals of bass playing.

Critical Analysis of Physical Performance Techniques. Use of Self ; Toward Creating a More Competent Bassist ; Practice Habits ; The Left Arm and Hand ; The Shifting Process ; Ah Yes, Vibrato ; The Bow Arm ; Sound Production ; More Thoughts on Performance Practices ; How Much Input of Energy is Too Much? ; Developing an Automatically Responsive Bow Arm and Left Hand/Arm ; How to Problem Solve ; Perfecting and Resolving Techniques ; Scales -- Perfecting Techniques through Employing Scales, Exercises, and Orchestral Excerpts. Essential Bowings to Use in Scales ; 2- and 3-Octave Scales (3 sets of fingerings) ; 2- and 3-Octave Arpeggio Fingerings ; Chromatic Scales ; String Crossing Exercises ; Trill, Finger, and Shifting Exercises ; Related Orchestral Excerpts -- Informative Essays for Double Bassists. "Basses, You Are Late" ; Chamber Music ; French Bow vs. German Bow ; Auditions and Recitals ; Thoughts Concerning Teaching ; Thoughts Concerning Directions for a Professional Career ; Musical Education for Public School Music Teaching ; Orchestral Training ; Music Schools and Education of Orchestral Musicians ; Summers ; Some Recommendations for Setting Up and Buying a Double Bass ; Aw…