Technique Tuesday is a collaboration by Lauren Pierce and Double Bass HQ that explores techniques from Lauren’s best-selling books, Scales, Scales, Scales, Please Play in Tune, and Basstudes.
For many bass players, achieving clean articulations in fast passages with the bow can be challenging. Today, I’d like to share a simple yet effective technique that can significantly enhance your speed and improve your articulation.
Avoiding the Frog
When we’re first taught to play with the bow, we often learn to start down bows at the frog. This makes sense for many musical situations, as it gives us the full length of the bow to work with.
However, when we’re trying to play a series of fast notes, playing at the frog gets a little clunky. What happens is that we’re forced to use the entire arm, and a lot of weight presses into the string, which slows us down.
A Better Approach for Fast Passages
Instead, try this:
•Move the bow about a third of the way away from the frog towards the middle of the bow.
•Focus on using the wrist and forearm for this motion.
•Keep the upper arm still.
This placement gives you several advantages:
•The bow is more balanced at this point
•You can rely more on smaller, faster joints (wrist vs. shoulder)
•There’s less weight to manage, allowing for quicker response
Economy of Motion
You’re only using the wrist and a little bit of forearm to generate the bow movement — your upper arm should remain still.
Keep in mind that the faster we play, the smaller our motion should be. So be careful not to use too much bow when playing fast notes as well. This is a common mistake that causes players to lose control during quick passages.
The Benefits You’ll Experience
I think you’ll find that when you incorporate this into your own playing, you will:
- Be able to play faster
- Produce cleaner, more articulate notes
- Maintain better control during rapid passages
- Experience less fatigue in your arm
Practice Suggestion
Try practicing some simple scale patterns or etudes that feature fast notes. Start slowly and focus on:
- Beginning your bow stroke a third of the way in from the frog
- Keeping your upper arm still
- Generating movement primarily from your wrist
- Using a small amount of bow
Gradually increase your speed as you become comfortable with this technique. I hope that helps!
For more of Lauren’s insights, visit her Technique Tuesday series and sign up for the Double Bass HQ newsletter to have the series delivered to your inbox each week.
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