Welcome

     Hello and welcome the The "Bass"-ic Blog! My name is Bill Dickson and I have been a professional bassist for the last 28 years, playing primarily big band, musical theater, and accompanying high school and middle school show choirs. During that time I have also spent many hours as a clinician and rhythm section coach for school jazz ensembles. I recently returned to college to complete my BA in Music with the goal of earning my teaching credential and teaching music in an elementary or secondary school. This blog is starting as my senior project, a requirement for graduation. In my years of working in various school environments I have noticed bass players in orchestras and jazz ensembles are often at a disadvantage because most teachers only have a passing knowledge of the double bass the goal of this blog is to provide teachers who don't play bass with some insight into the world of double bass playing with a focus on the grade school environment. Some of the subjects I plan to cover include choosing repertoire that keeps your bass players engaged in rehearsal, classroom setup that takes into account the size and space requirements of the double bass, differences between various method books, and bowing issues encountered by younger bass players. Obviously this is not an exhaustive list and hope to cover more topics as they present themselves. Feel free to share your thoughts and opinions in the comment section or recommend topics you would like to see covered.

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Bass Method Books Part 1: Simandl

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     Most music educators agree that the best way for  beginning students to improve on their instrument is by working out of method books specifically designed for that student's instrument. In the classical bass world, it often comes down to a question of Simandl vs. Rabbath. In the next few posts we will look at the pros and cons of each of these method books. I will also explore a third method for orchestral bass (The George Vance Method) as well as what I have found to be the best book for teaching jazz bass playing. New Method for the Double Bass by F. Simandl      The orange cover of New Method for the Double Bass  has become a staple on the music stands of bass players around the world. The most recent edition, published in 1984, maintains the same fingerings, bowings, and page numbers as previous editions. The only changes are clarifications of the translation of Simandl's original remarks and the addition of footnotes intended to upd...
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Bass Method Books Part 2: Rabbath

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     The second most popular method book for orchestral bass playing is New Technique for Double Bass , written by Francois Rabbath. Devised as an alternative to the Simandl method, the Rabbath method uses the "pivot technique" to allow the bassist to cover more than 1 whole step per string in each hand position. Here is a video of Hans Sturm , former president of the International Society of Bassists and bass educator, explaining the pivot technique to Jason Heath of Contrabass Conversations : Here is a look at the pros and cons of the Rabbath method: Pros The Rabbath method was written as a way to break bassists from their usual role as accompanist. As Rabbath states in the introduction, "the young player should rather begin his studies with higher aims - to become a soloist and to direct his efforts in that direction." The "pivot technique" allows players to cover a wider range of notes without shifting. In the Rabbath method, a 1 octave ...
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Bass Method Books Part 3: The George Vance Method

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        While Simandl and Rabbath dominate the discussion of method books among bassists, a third method has been making waves in the world of bass pedagogy since it was first published in 2000. In his series of books titled Progressive Repertoire for the Double Bass , George Vance combined elements of the Rabbath method with elements of the well known and long established Suzuki method for strings. Perhaps the most obvious Rabbath influence is that the majority of music used is melodic in nature, as opposed to the largely chromatic exercises that fill the first part of the Simandl method. Vance also divides the neck of the bass into 6 positions, another nod to the Rabbath technique. The Suzuki influence can be seen in the musical selections studied in book 1 of Progressive Repertoire for the Double Bass.  The majority of the exercises presented in volume 1 are folks songs, many of which are the same songs used in the Suzuki method ( Twinkle, Twinkle, Li...
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