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ronan
Administrator
Canada
2103 Posts |
 Posted - 10 March 2010 : 11:48:06 AM
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You can give the double basses rapid passages, but, because of the size of the instrument, the players might need to rest before and after short rapid sections.
For a (fairly) fast passage for double basses alone, listen to "The Elephant" from Saint-Saens' "Carnival of the Animals."
Double stops are rarely used because the srings are pitched so low that the sound can be muddy. However, thirds and fifths are easy enough for the player. Similarly the bottom fourth (or sixth if you have an E string extended to C), are not very clear for melodic passages (think of mud) and should rarely be dipped into.
Don't be afraid of the DB's upper range--like the other strings, going up to an octave above the open string is easy--something players should be able to do cleanly after their preliminary lessons. The range above that octave is more limited in the DB than the other strings, but up to a high D (a perfect fifth above the octave above the open G string) is doable. |
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