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Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog
An Introduction to Double Bass Playing - my book
The Rhythm Ruler - a tool for educators
First, thank you for supporting the arts and your daughter / son's musical education!
There are many benefits to this, which have been documented in many sources.
Now...What can you as a parent do to help your child on their musical path? Plenty. But first let me say that I advocate a holistic education. I believe in a well-rounded education. I don't mean that a student can't have a favorite subject but overdoing any one thing can be detrimental. That being said, it doesnŐt necessarily do a student, or person, any good to be a jack-of-all trades and a master of none. Some area should be focused on. A balance must be found. I have had students in high school take all advanced, or AP, classes only to be stressed and struggling with all of them. I believe it would be better to take one or two advanced classes in the areas that interest the student and take ÔregularŐ other classes. This will also allow for practice time for orchestra and private lessons.
- Be supportive.
- Go to their concerts.
- Talk to their teacher.
- Ask your child about their lessons, concerts, etc.
- Be positive about driving your child to concerts, don't seem like it is the
last thing you want to do, even if it is . - Support and encourage their practicing.
- Attend professional concerts with your child(ren).
- Little gifts such as rosin or a new CD can be a huge motivator.
Sometimes it is helpful to attend their private lesson with the student. It is also beneficial to leave the student and teacher alone sometimes as both can be a but more honest without a parent there.
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HOW TO I PUT THIS THING INTO THE CAR?
Fitting a bass into a vehicle, any vehicle, is much easier than you think. Although a bass can fit in any type of vehicle, the easiest type of car to put a bass into is a wagon (such as a Volvo or Subaru) or small SUV such as Subaru Forest. Regardless of which vehicle you use make sure that the weight of the bass is resting on the neck and nothing will hit the bridge.
Vans & SUVs - I've found that many vans & SUVS aren't as convenient as one would think. In some models the seats don't fold down flush with the floor and it can be problematic balancing the bass.
Hatchbacks - These work well despite their small size. Fold the rear seat down. Open the hatch and put the bass in scroll first so it ends up between the front seats.
Sedans - Most people think these won't work, but they do! Fold the front passenger seat back as far as it will go. Put the bass in scroll first into the driver seat area and bring the scroll over the driver seat so the entire bass comes to rest on the passenger seat. The endpin will be near the bottom of the dashboard and the bass will use the space of the front and rear passenger area.
Wagons - These are very convenient - especially if the rear seat fold down flush the back compartment (as most do). Then just put the bass in scroll first so it rests on its back. Multiple basses can fit if placed on their side. Again, just be careful not to rest any weight on the neck and that the bridge will not get bumped by anything.
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SOME GENERAL ORCHESTRA QUESTIONS I'VE RECEIVED
Q: For the first-time student, do you recommend renting the instrument or trying to find a used one (either through a shop or the classifieds)?
A: DEFINITELY RENT for several reasons:
1) String instruments come in different sizes and a 10 year old will outgrow the current instrument and need larger instruments several times over the next 5 years. The rental place should exchange these as part of their system.
2) Things will go wrong with the instrument and remember strings will break! Again, the store should cover this.
3)They should provide an instrument that meets MENC (Music Educators National Conference) standards and thus play well. An open market instrument could be in any condition and unless the parent really knows what to look for it could be bad. 99.9% of the time I have seen the parents get ripped off when they try to buy an instrument.
Q: I was hoping you could help a friend with this question. His 10 year old daughter wants to play violin or viola. Which do you recommend?
A: I'm always for the viola for a few reasons: 1) The world needs violists 2) It's less squeaky than the violin - It's pitched lower and therefore sounds a bit more mellow. The household will enjoy listening to a beginning violist more! 3) Young players really cant tell the different since the violin and viola are played similarly.
Q. I found a couple of teachers for my child so I'm just going with the cheapest. What do you think?
A. ARGGGHHHHH!!! I do not believe that a teacher's cost is necessarily a direct result of the competency despite that it is often true. But I have seen parents who want their child to be professional musicians but will not spend a few more dollars for a great teacher. IF YOU WANT YOUR CHILD TO BE A GREAT MUSICIAN, THEY SHOULD STUDY WITH A GREAT MUSICIAN FROM DAY ONE! Do not view private teachers as something to be upgraded every couple of years. Study with a professional musician AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. Otherwise, when the student does move on, the teacher will spend many lessons correcting problems, bad habits, or things that were never learned. Many symphony musicians (like the Chicago Symphony, not a random community orchestra) will teach young students. Yes, they may charge a little more and you may have to drive a little farther, but IT WILL BE WORTH IT
