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COPIED

7 mins

Pushing the boundaries

Teaching techniques for jazz, Indian and Middle Eastern music

DAPHNA SADEH-NEU

Double bassist, composer and private bass teacher, UK

ANDREW FORD

• BORN

Tel Aviv, Israel

• STUDIED WITH

Eli Magen, Homer Mensch, Todd Coleman

• TEACHES

Private students aged 5–85, including undergraduate and postgraduate students (Bristol and Cambridge, UK, and internationally online)

All bassists seeking to broaden their repertoire will benefit from an initial solid grounding in classical technique. This way they have the tools to play accurately and sensitively, and to avoid muddiness. The bass is a demanding instrument physically, and it is essential to have strength and reliable tuning in the left hand, and good bow control in the right as a starting point, in addition to a good general level of stamina.

Many of the techniques described here are a personal response to working alongside musicians playing jazz, Indian and Middle Eastern music. Perhaps because it is largely improvised, it is vital that players listen, watch and imitate such players as François Rabbath for inspiration, and are open to experimentation to find their own ways of expressing themselves as they develop.

EXERCISES

A strong left hand is crucial. Build the strength of the muscles in the palm of the hand so that it can support the fingers, otherwise the hand is likely to get stiff and tense.

Hammer technique develops the strength of the palm, which in turn is good for vibrato and trills. Pizz the lower note, then ‘hammer on’ the second note without plucking, as in exercise 1:

EXERCISE 1 The combination of pizzicato and hammering the notes will help with palm strength

pizzicato

Then develop this further:

Without the bow, hammer each finger percussively on to the fingerboard in the following order, so that the each ‘note’ is audible: 1–2, 1–4 then 2–4 (2–4 is the hardest because of the structure of the bones and muscles between these fingers) Do the same with long bows (moving from note to note at a regular pulse) Repeat the above exercise in different places on the bass, including thumb position Once you are comfortable with these stages, practise trills in hammer technique with long bows and with a metronome

PIZZICATO

• Classical pizzicato tends to use a curved first finger. To start to explore the huge range of possible types of other techniques:

• Place the right side of the thumb softly on the edge of the fingerboard and pluck from the base knuckle of the finger – players tend to favour alternative plucking fingers (1, 2 or 1, 2, 3)

• You will get a different sound from the pizzicato depending where you place the thumb; near the top of the body the sound will be warmer and puffier, towards the bridge it becomes crispier and snappier as the string pings against the fingerboard

• Experiment with this and with moving between the different sounds so that you are free to respond to other musicians as you play in a group

Then try the pull-offs:

• Pizz the higher note, then sound the next note by lifting the finger without plucking (with a tinge of left-hand pizz). Refer to exercise 2.

• Play exercise 2 but fingering an upper mordent in the left hand prior to pulling off the finger

EXERCISE 2 Practise this exercise both with and without an upper mordent on the top note

pizzicato

EXTENDED TECHNIQUES

The palette of sound is infinite. Don’t just listen to double bass players. Listen widely so that you can draw on a wide range of sounds. Here are some ideas to inspire you to find your own voice on the bass:

WITH THE BOW

Indian violinists use a lot of glissandi (oscillating up and down quickly in pitch) in the left hand. To do this they apply coconut oil to their fingertips. On the double bass you may use Vaseline to imitate this effect (wipe off with a soft, dry cloth after each session).

Glissandi into and out of quartertones is expressive; an added squeeze in the bow accentuates this effect.

Combining and blending glissandi and vibrato is also expressive. Here you may find it easiest to use finger 1 for upward shifts and finger 2 for downward shifts.

Playing sul ponticello can work well in Middle Eastern and Indian music. You can use it to echo a melody that has been played with full sound by you or by another musician. To do this, try playing with the bow on the bridge and near the point. Use repeated notes to sustain the sound while the left hand uses expressive glissandi. This creates a throaty, vulnerable feel, with some breaking in the sound.

Tilting the bow to play on fewer hairs is a great way to alter your sound to add air and allow the music to breathe. Sometimes, less is more.

WITHOUT THE BOW

Guitarists often strum a double-stop once and glissando up or down. You can develop this by pizz-strumming two strings with the right hand while simultaneously hammering on a left-hand double-stopped chord – then immediately glissando up or down in tones or semitones. Squeeze the left-hand fingers gently into the fingerboard when you want the chord to sound as a separate entity.

Playing flamenco style is another way to increase your pizzicato options; pizz lightly and quickly over three strings using fingers 3, 2, 1, 3, 2, 1 etc. Play chords in your left hand as a guitarist would, or do it just on one note to increase the expressivity of a single note.

Bending the pitch with the left hand into and out of pizzicato gives a Jewish/Middle Eastern feel. This might be combined with vibrato in the note to open an Indian piece, imitating Indian flute players who will often start a piece with a long note punctuated with fluctuations of pitch. Where the key works, you can pizz the lower open string in addition to add depth and an organ-like timbre.

On certain notes it is possible to go for an octave effect without using the electronic piece of kit (called octaver); just keep the left hand in octave position and pluck the A and G strings (thumb and first finger). Slide or fluctuate the octave pitches.

It is also interesting to play harmonics pizzicato, although it is more successful with amplification. Touch the string with the left hand. The nearer to the bridge you pluck the string, the clearer it will sound.

IN YOUR PRACTICE

• Take time to warm up and always start with core classical technical work before broadening out

• Include slow bows on all open strings close to the bridge (10–20 beats), aiming for an even, intense sound

• Include slow bows with an even vibrato, checking that the bass doesn’t shake with the vibrato

• Include studies such as no.23 from Gradus ad Parnassum by Simandl (book 2) (example 1)

• Practise scales using the bow (major, minor, Phrygian mode and hijaz) then practise them using various rhythms and techniques (never practise scales first pizzicato as it isn’t easy to hear the precise pitches)

• It is also useful to practise all scales in thumb position only. It is important to play them on each string, not just on the G string.

EXAMPLE 1 Study no.23 from Simandl’s Gradus ad Parnassum by (book 2)

1. = 60 2. = 50 3. = 40 D G

TIPS FOR TEACHERS

RIGHT ARM

Check that students are comfortable playing anywhere on the bow. Check also that students can vary their sound. In solos they are free to play out but they need to be able to accompany and develop a more sensitive sound.

LEFT ARM

It is impossible to over-emphasise the importance of developing a strong left hand.

• The strength of the hand originates from the shoulder blade

• Check that there is a straight line from the elbow to the knuckles, with a firm wrist and the elbow up but not higher than the height of the shoulder

• The left-hand arm should move as one unit

• Think of the fingers as butterfly wings; they need to be free and agile

BLISTERS

• Blisters are an occupational hazard; don’t let the skin break and don’t peel it off. Instead apply an oily cream and allow callouses to grow. They warm the sound.

IN GENERAL

• Whether students are soloing or accompanying, there are an infinite number of colours on the double bass so students need to feel free to be curious and creative in seeking their voice.

INTERVIEW BY NAOMI YANDELL

FURTHER MATERIALS

Two of my albums that demonstrate these techniques (available on Spotify):