Rickresource Rickenbacker Forum

I got an early Christmas gift from my girlfriend yesterday - my first upright bass (luckily the thing was so big she had no room for it in her house!)

I've been messing around on it a bit, playing "I Got Rhythm" and some other standards, as well as just messing around with playing scales and improvising in blues progressions. Muscles in my hands are hurting that i didn't know I had - this thing is a beast!

It also came with a bow, so i've been messing with that a little too. I find the sound odd, I think because i'm used to hearing the cello as the lowest stringed instrument - this almost reminds me of what a 5-string electirc bass is to me right now.

So, any other upright players out there? Any tips to offer?

I've also been watching these Ray Brown videos - he's my favorite upright player:

http://www.youtube.com/user/bass443

Good for you John. That's a good little woman! My 1940 Kay M-1 is in the shop right now. Hopefully I'll have it back with the neck joint fixed in a week or two.

I don't play an upright, but my buddy Ralph does.

I had a NS Designs CR4M for a while; that was a bit of a workout.

here is a real upright bass.

I have never liked those electric uprights, like the NS. But I realize that once I have to gig this beast, they'll suddenly look a lot better!

Hope I can scrounge up a a piano player and a drummer this weekend to play some jazz with.

Me and the new bass:

Slick!

Sick!

Dat's NIIICE!!!

Best tip I can offer... don't take days off from playing it... your hands WILL suffer and all that endurance you build up goes away pretty quick. I tried swapping back to electric, neglecting the upright for a while and I feel like I'm starting over... it's like I got used to the lower physical effort of an electric all over again. Make sure you make time for both!

Wait, am I giving bass advice or telling you how to keep a wife and a mistress happy?

Nice bass John. What brand is it? Stick that left arm out though, parallel to the floor.

blueflamerick wrote:Nice bass John. What brand is it? Stick that left arm out though, parallel to the floor.

It's a Carlo Robelli. Thanks for the tip!

Any pickup reccomendations?

And should I always be using one finger to pluck, or is using a 2nd finger sometimes okay?

very nice,john! i am a big fan of scotty lafaro,from the bill evans trio of the sixties. i love the sound of these big boys,but have never really tried to play one, for that matter,i don't do real well on fretless bass guitar,either! good luck!