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Any upright players?

jsklbrd	Date: May 11, 2004 @ 12:50 AM just wondering cause there really isn't that many upright bassists. I study upright at Mount Allison University I havn't been playin it as long as I have 4,5,6, string but oh man great instrument. Check out Joel Quarrinton he heads the Toronto symphony orchestra bass department.
bastardo23	Date: May 11, 2004 @ 11:01 AM yeah!! i do as much playing out with my upright as possible. and yes it is an incredible instrument, arco or pizz.. it's a quite long road to learning it but worth the extra effort to adjust ones technique. laurence mollerup, who heads the bass department at Vancouver Community College amongst other things, taught me upright as far as i understand it today. (if you search his name you'll find his page on the net) where's MAU? outside of T.O.?
sqrlcub	Date: May 11, 2004 @ 11:02 AM I can play an upright but I haven't had an upright in a very long time. I was only ever just ok at it. I could play in tune and sight read though.
100thmonk	Date: May 11, 2004 @ 2:38 PM at least you can sight read..? i can read, but the sight reading is very slow for me, still. i just don't find myself actuall doing it alot.. sight reading that is...
sqrlcub	Date: May 11, 2004 @ 4:40 PM It gets easier the more you do it. My bow technique was really bad, but that was probably a hold over from the Viola da Gamba (medieval instrument... not to be confused with the viola) since I am more used to french bowing and the double bass bow is so much bigger and heavier. I could do ok playing pizzacato though but still get tired fairly quickly since it isn't my main instrument.
100thmonk	Date: May 11, 2004 @ 10:34 PM you could not play french style bowing? why is that? i play german myself, because that is what my teacher taught us, but i have seen some amazing french style arco players. viola da gamba. hmm... here in vancouver there was a local band called time waits that had a viola da gamba in their line up. the show of theirs i attended was the first and only time i had ever seen one.
sqrlcub	Date: May 12, 2004 @ 12:53 AM Actually I play french style more naturally but it doesn't really work on the upright bass to me. It makes it sound to weak. German bowing just doesn't feel right since I got up some light Gamba technique.
100thmonk	Date: May 13, 2004 @ 6:44 PM i hoped i could use violin technique some how, but as you discovered, this doesn't necessarily work out. i think you have to be a big mammoth eastern european guy to play french comfortably.
jsklbrd	Date: May 16, 2004 @ 8:24 PM I wish I was a mammoth... haha I play french mainly I've tinkered with the german but I find french a lot more comfortable. I have to get a new upright now mine is getting pretty shitty and they aren't very cheap. Anyone here ever wander into the world of fifth's tuning?
bastardo23	Date: May 17, 2004 @ 1:26 PM i tried cello about five years back.. more solo oriented tuning... apprently robert fripp uses a similar tuning
sqrlcub	Date: May 17, 2004 @ 2:04 PM Solo oriented tuning? How is that different from the standard CGDA tuning for the cello? When I play the bass gamba it is tuned with lute intervals (CFBbDGC...notice the third is in a different place than on the guitar). Is it tuned something closer to that giving it more of a tuning in 4ths and thirds rather than 5ths?
jsklbrd	Date: May 17, 2004 @ 2:21 PM once again you guys have to check out Joel Quarrington on upright he plays that thing like it's a violin. He'll change the way you play upright bass forever. I did one of his pieces from virtuoso reality, at my audition for Mt.A very nice piece.
bastardo23	Date: May 18, 2004 @ 11:31 AM it's(tunings in 5ths) solo oriented to me because in one scalar motion you end up way up the neck, very quickly. you jump ocaves rather quickly.. i will check out mr quarrington, thanks
sqrlcub	Date: May 18, 2004 @ 11:41 AM I totally misread what you typed originally. I somehow got it into my head that you were tuning a bass to a "solo tuning." I wondered why it wasn't making sense in my head.
Miniature	Date: June 1, 2004 @ 9:14 AM Yeah i play upright and bass guitar... i prefer bass guitar tho... just a better sound... different anyway...
bastardo23	Date: June 1, 2004 @ 11:04 AM you prefer electric mini? interesting..
jsklbrd	Date: June 5, 2004 @ 1:22 AM I am more devoted to my electric bass playing, maybe just because I have been playing it longer but I love upright the sound and blending with an orchestra it is just amazing. But I don't really like that extra creamy kraft dinner, I much prefer the original stuff oh man and load that baby with pepper.

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