Bass Method Books Part 3: The George Vance Method

   

    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, Little Star; Lightly Row; Go Tell Aunt Rhody). Vance also uses the same bowing variations for pieces as Suzuki throughout Book 1. Finally, Progressive Repertoire for the Double Bass includes a CD which aligns with the Suzuki philosophy that "students must be immersed in the sounds of music to be able to have a complete education."

    Here are some pros and cons of the Vance method:

Pros

• The Vance method focuses on simple tunes that may already be familiar to the young student.
• By starting in 3rd position, where the thumb rests on the heel of the neck, players with smaller hands do not have to worry about stretching as far, reducing the risk of injury. (See cons below)
• Since the positions are based on natural harmonics, students have a reference point for intonation when playing in these higher positions.
• Introducing a song followed by a series of bowing and rhythmic variations allows the student to put the left hand in "auto-pilot" while focusing on right hand technique.
• Thumb position is introduced early in the book, possibly alleviating the fear students of other methods often face when first presented with playing so high up the neck.

Cons

• The notation used for introducing harmonics is confusing, with no real explanation of meaning in the text. A student would most likely need assistance from an instructor to understand what the author is intending.

  

  Notation of harmonics looks like double stops.

• Attempting to play higher on the neck on an instrument that is poorly set up could lead to hand injuries, particularly in younger students. The extra strength needed to press down the stings on a bass with high action, an unfortunate characteristic of many school instruments, is often not adequately developed in younger players.
• The first piece played in thumb position, Scotland Burning, requires the bassist to stretch their third finger out to play a harmonic D on the G string while keeping their thumb on the octave D harmonic on the D string. On my bass (3/4 size), the distance between these two notes is just over seven inches. My 11 year old son (who has long fingers) has a reach from thumb to third finger of 6 3/4 inches, meaning this would be impossible for him, and many younger students unless they were playing a smaller bass.
• The frequent use of treble clef. Learning to read treble clef is important, but can be confusing to younger students who are still getting familiar with bass clef. The Vance method exclusively uses treble clef for all exercises in thumb position. Also of note is, when treble clef is introduced, there is nothing to bring the change of clef to the attention of the student. I can imagine the confusion younger students might face if the clef change is not noticed.

    Overall, the Vance method presents a unique approach to learning double bass and definitely deserves the moniker "progressive" that appears in the title. Unfortunately, I feel it falls short of being an effective means for students to learn double bass on their own. If the student has an instructor working with them, Progressive Repertoire for Double Bass could be an effective learning tool for the young bassist that avoids some of the issues found in either the Simandl or Rabbath methods.

Click here for part one of the series on method books, The Simandl Method.
Click here for part two of the series on method books, The Rabbath Method.