Choosing Repertoire
Choosing repertoire is one of the more important decisions music teachers make and can directly effect the learning outcomes of your ensemble for the entire semester. While there is often a tendency to choose literature that will wow the parents at your next concert, one must also consider the educational value of each piece and often that value varies from instrument to instrument. According to Bob Phillips, Director of String Publications for Alfred Music, older pieces for string orchestra tend to have large gaps in difficulty between the parts. That gap often looks something like this:
As you can see, there is often a major discrepancy between the difficulty of the bass part and all the other parts. Here is a musical example demonstrating what Bob Phillips is talking about:
As you can see, the first violin plays a simplified melody from Eine Kleine Nachtmusik while the bass part is a very repetitive figure that consists entirely of open strings, with the exception of the four low Gs played at the end. This discrepancy creates several issues for both music teachers and young double bass players. These include:
1. Young bass players will quickly get bored with the music presented to them in rehearsal.
After playing through the above piece a few times, most bass players will have learned the part and quickly lose interest and focus while the ensemble is rehearsing. This can lead to goofing off and general restlessness from the bass section, creating disruptions for the rest of the class and the teacher possibly having to interrupt rehearsal to address the behavior of the bass section.
2. Students in the class will progress at disproportional rates.
While the violins are learning changing notes, string crossings with slurs, etc. the bass players are not given much to sink their teeth into, possibly slowing their progress on the instrument.
3. Bass players will not be motivated to practice outside of class.
Besides the lack of physical technique needed to perform the above part, it is musically very boring. Most young bass players do not have the self-motivation to practice such a repetitive and non-melodic part.
In his interview with Jason Heath of the podcast Contrabass Conversations (link to Bob Phillips episode), Mr. Phillips suggests several ways to balance this discrepancy between bass parts and the parts for other sections of the orchestra. Three of his suggestions are:
1. Pick repertoire that provides challenges to all parts of the ensemble.
According to Bob Phillips, all new music published by Alfred Publishing intended for educational use must have great musical content in every part. Composers like Richard Meyer, Deborah Baker Monday, and Soon Hee Newbold are writing music for young string orchestras that are interesting, both to perform and listen to while challenging each section of the ensemble.
2. Don't be afraid to change the music.
Feel free to split your bass section into two groups based on ability. Have more advanced bass players play their part 8va or give them the cello part.
3. Take bass lessons yourself.
How can we expect to instruct our students if we ourselves don't understand what we are expecting them to do? The double bass is different from the other string instruments in so many ways: amount of shifting required, fingerings, and sheer size of the instrument. By taking some bass lessons, you will better familiarize yourself with the instrument and the challenges it presents to younger players.
While most orchestras have at least a few really strong violin players, it is often the strength of the bass section that defines a great student ensemble. By choosing literature that allows your bass players to progress at roughly the same speed as your other students, you not only set your ensemble up for success, you give your bass students the skills they will need as they progress on the instrument.
Overall Grade: 2.5
| Part | Part Difficulty |
|---|---|
| 1st Violin | 3.0 |
| 2nd Violin | 2.0 |
| Viola | 1.5 |
| Cello | 2.0 - 2.5 |
| Bass | 0.5 |
As you can see, there is often a major discrepancy between the difficulty of the bass part and all the other parts. Here is a musical example demonstrating what Bob Phillips is talking about:
 |
| Excerpt from Accent on the Classics arr. by Lorie Gruneisen (1st violin and bass part) |
1. Young bass players will quickly get bored with the music presented to them in rehearsal.
After playing through the above piece a few times, most bass players will have learned the part and quickly lose interest and focus while the ensemble is rehearsing. This can lead to goofing off and general restlessness from the bass section, creating disruptions for the rest of the class and the teacher possibly having to interrupt rehearsal to address the behavior of the bass section.
2. Students in the class will progress at disproportional rates.
While the violins are learning changing notes, string crossings with slurs, etc. the bass players are not given much to sink their teeth into, possibly slowing their progress on the instrument.
3. Bass players will not be motivated to practice outside of class.
Besides the lack of physical technique needed to perform the above part, it is musically very boring. Most young bass players do not have the self-motivation to practice such a repetitive and non-melodic part.
In his interview with Jason Heath of the podcast Contrabass Conversations (link to Bob Phillips episode), Mr. Phillips suggests several ways to balance this discrepancy between bass parts and the parts for other sections of the orchestra. Three of his suggestions are:
1. Pick repertoire that provides challenges to all parts of the ensemble.
According to Bob Phillips, all new music published by Alfred Publishing intended for educational use must have great musical content in every part. Composers like Richard Meyer, Deborah Baker Monday, and Soon Hee Newbold are writing music for young string orchestras that are interesting, both to perform and listen to while challenging each section of the ensemble.
2. Don't be afraid to change the music.
Feel free to split your bass section into two groups based on ability. Have more advanced bass players play their part 8va or give them the cello part.
3. Take bass lessons yourself.
How can we expect to instruct our students if we ourselves don't understand what we are expecting them to do? The double bass is different from the other string instruments in so many ways: amount of shifting required, fingerings, and sheer size of the instrument. By taking some bass lessons, you will better familiarize yourself with the instrument and the challenges it presents to younger players.
While most orchestras have at least a few really strong violin players, it is often the strength of the bass section that defines a great student ensemble. By choosing literature that allows your bass players to progress at roughly the same speed as your other students, you not only set your ensemble up for success, you give your bass students the skills they will need as they progress on the instrument.
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