Taught by renowned double bassist
Joel Quarrington
Joel Quarrington takes us through five mechanical exercises from his “Canadian School of Double Bass” technique, that he believes are essential to playing the double bass with effortless expression. It should be noted that Joel tunes his bass in fifths (C - G - D - A), but all the information presented here relates to fourths tuning just as much.
5 Mechanical Exercises
While this technique all stems from a search for a beautiful and relaxed vibrato, it goes so much much further than that with its benefits. This first part of the course deals with just the five basic mechanical exercises - Find the Weight, String Crossings, Hanging, Long Shifts with the Move, and Slow Shift and Pivot. It should be noted that Joel tunes his bass in fifths (C - G - D - A), but all the information presented here relates to fourths tuning just as much.
Advanced Exercises and Musical Application
In this second part, Joel discusses some more advanced exercises that make use of the 5 Mechanical exercises discussed previously. Joel also demonstrates how this technique applies to our standard classical repertoire. It should be noted that Joel tunes his bass in fifths (C - G - D - A), but all the information presented here relates to fourths tuning just as much.
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Unlock Course →Joel Andrew Quarrington CM is a Canadian double bass player, soloist and teacher. He is the former Principal Double Bass of the London Symphony Orchestra.
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