Geoff Chalmers

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Introduction
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I!suggest!the!following!exercises!are!added!to!your!practice!routine!in!
addition!to!scales!and!arpeggios.!They!improve!intonation!by!
learning!to!use!a!consistent!hand!shape,!with!accurate!shifting!and!
careful!listening.!!
Play!a!small!selection!of!the!exercises!as!part!of!your!warm!up.!Play!
slowly,!carefully!and!from!a!point!of!relaxation.!If!it!hurts,!stop.!Focus!
on!the!shifts!you!find!hardest,!to!improve!faster.!!
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Play!the!patterns!out!of!time,!checking!your!tuning!against!open!
strings!and!harmonics.!Your!focus!should!be!on!pitch,!so!if!it!helps!to!
slow!down!until!you!can!play!them!accurately,!that’s!fine.!
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Divide!the!exercises!into!smaller!sections!and!focus!on!the!part!you!
find!hardest.!!
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The!suggested!fingerings!are!not!definitive!and!alternatives!should!
be!explored,!especially!at!the!neck!heel.!All!exercises!can!be!
continued!into!thumb!position!once!thoroughly!learnt.!!

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To play the double bass in tune you need a good ear, the
correct hand shape and accurate shifts.
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A Good Ear:
Try!to!hear!the!note!you!are!about!to!play!before!you!shift.!You!need!
to!have!a!target!to!aim!for.!Small!adjustments!to!hand!shape!may!also!
be!required!at!the!target!note,!so!careful!listening!is!a!must.!For!this!
reason!I!also!recommend!that!you!play!as!much!as!possible!with!the!
bow.!Don’t!worry!about!your!bow!technique.!In!this!context!it’s!just!a!
way!of!producing!a!very!focused!sound.!This!makes!it!is!more!
effective!than!pizzicato!alone.!!
Listen!for!the!tension!between!notes!when!they!are!out!of!tune!and!
how!they!sit!together!comfortably!when!in!tune.!When!making!
adjustments!try!to!consider!if!you!are!sharp!or!flat!before!correcting!
your!pitch.!!
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The!‘Bass!Player!Toolbox’!scale!backing!tracks!are!a!great!tool!to!help!
reference!your!tuning!whilst!practising!scales!and!arpeggios.!Watch!
Copyright © 2013 G Chalmers
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all!of!the!scale!video!lessons!at!discoverdoublebass.com!to!help!you!
develop!your!listening!skills.!!
Put!careful!listening!at!the!centre!of!everything!you!do!and!it!will!
soon!become!second!nature.!!
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Hand Shape:
Fingers!1,2!&!4!of!the!left!hand!should!to!be!divided!into!three!equal!
semitones.!A!common!problem!is!that!the!gap!between!the!1st!and!2nd!
fingers!is!too!small,!or!reduces!mid!shift.!!
Try!to!apply!pressure!with!arm!weight,!not!by!squeezing!the!neck.!
The!thumb!should!be!completely!passive,!its!role!being!to!help!
measure!distance!and!stabilise!the!hand.!
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The!discoverdoublebass.com!left!hand!technique!lessons!will!help!
you!to!establish!the!correct!hand!shape.!The!following!chromatic!
exercises!will!really!help!you!focus!in!on!your!hand!shape!and!
semitone!shifts.!Remember!to!play!a!small!selection!of!the!chromatic!
exercises!at!the!start!of!your!practice!routine.!!
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Accurate Shifting:
Reaching!for!the!target!note!without!considered!practice!is!unlikely!
to!achieve!reliable!results.!The!purpose!of!the!following!exercises!is!
to!memorise!the!distance!of!semiPtone!and!tone!shifts.!They!should!
be!played!as!a!slow!glissando!with!the!finger!in!constant!contact!with!
the!fingerboard.!As!you!improve!you!can!speed!up!the!shift.!In!
normal!playing!it!is!desirable!to!disguise!shifts!with!speed.!However!
to!help!you!better!learn!these!distances!I!recommend!practising!the!
following!shifts!slowly!and!evenly.!!
Watch!the!shifting!technique!lessons!at!discoverdoublebass.com!
before!starting!the!following!exercises,!or!if!you!need!more!
information!on!shifting.!
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Play!a!small!selection!of!following!‘Chromatic!Scale!Exercises’!and!
‘Intonation!and!Shifting!Exercises’!at!the!start!of!your!practice!
routine!to!improve!your!tuning.!
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“With practice you will develop more accurate and consistent tuning so
you can focus on creating music, without the distraction of technique”
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Geoff Chalmers

Copyright © 2013 G Chalmers

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