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Post by GKon on Oct 26, 2016 14:29:44 GMT
I've had my HB EUB500 for two years now. I've taken a few lessons, and practiced a bit on it, but my band required me to concentrate most of my playing and practice to my EB, and then my move from Greece back to NY put most things on the back burner, till now.
At this point, I have time to dedicate an hour of practice a day to the EUB. I'm enjoying it, although I do have quite a way to go, especially with my intonation. My left hand does not like to stay in the correct shape all the time, so my notes are often flat, sharp, or out of this world! I know that it is simply a matter of practice, so I plug away at it.
I'm still between jobs, so am not spending money on non-essentials at the moment. There are 4 books that I want to buy, specifically for UB. Hal Leonard's "Essential Elements for Upright Bass, Volumes I, II, III", and Johnny Hatton's "Rockabilly Bass". As a first purchase, "Essential Elements I" and "Rockabilly Bass" would suffice. Like I said, though, they'll have to wait. In the interim, I'm using my copy of Hal Leonard's "Electric Bass Method, Volumes I, II, and III" to help me sight read and play on the EUB. I get to play along with a CD which helps me work on my intonation. But, the books don't offer any specific information on how to play an UB. For that, for the time being, I use the internet, and remember the details I got from my previous lessons.
As you can imagine from my wanting the "Rockabilly Bass" book, I want to see if I can slap on the EUB. I've done some research on the internet and over at the TB forum. I've found a lot of people saying no, but then dug through the negatives and found posts by two people that actually DO slap their EUB's in Rockabilly bands, who say that it CAN be done. So there you have it.
If anyone happens to have any details or info on the subject, I would much appreciate it.
I'm currently using the steel strings that came with the bass. They are good for pizz (finger) style, and for arco (bowing), but I have a feeling that they would not be great for slap, although one of the two guys on TB uses steel strings.
Given that the HB EUB500 does not use a magnetic pickup, I've read that I can install gut strings, which are more conducive to slapping, and get good sound. A friendly acquaintance of mine who is in a pro Rockabilly band mentioned that he uses guts on 2 strings and steel on the other 2 (I have to dig around my notes to find out which!).
Anyway, I'm just sharing what I'm doing, what I'm looking to do, and opening up a new topic for discussion. I hope to hear from you all!
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Post by JAC on Oct 26, 2016 19:39:56 GMT
Hey GKon, as you know, I can be of exactly 0 use when it comes to UB, but I can say "Congratulations" on dedicating am hour a day to the UB, I wish I could dedicate that to the EB!!
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Post by GKon on Oct 26, 2016 21:30:27 GMT
Hey GKon, as you know, I can be of exactly 0 use when it comes to UB, but I can say "Congratulations" on dedicating am hour a day to the UB, I wish I could dedicate that to the EB!! Do be honest, JAC, I'm not expecting much in the way of advice from anyone as I don't see much EUB charter here on the forum. But I do like and appreciate the conversation! Truth is, the hour on the EUB is fun all in all. But that means I'm not playing my EB much. It's usually been a matter of one or the other. I do enjoy the EUB but I also feel I'm neglecting the EB. it's ok for now but there will come a point where it may be an issue. We'll see.
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Post by GKon on Nov 5, 2016 16:32:39 GMT
I've had a really crappy month, so I decided to treat myself to some inexpensive gifts. I ordered two book specifically having to do with learning to play UB. I mentioned above that I've been using the Hal Leonard EB Method book, but I wanted something UB specific. The first book I ordered is "Essential Elements for Strings 2000 - Book 1 - Double Bass (A Comprehensive String Method)"www.amazon.com/gp/product/0634038206/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1It was inexpensive, $9.99 new. It comes with a play along CD, and is geared towards beginning students of the UB. Yes, I'm playing on an EUB, but the principles are all the same. It covers left hand position, moving up and down the neck and staying in tune, right hand technique and even bowing technique. I do have a bow, so I'm looking forward to that. Good news is, if I like the book, there is also a Book 2 and Book 3 to keep me busy in the future. I also ordered "Rockabilly Bass: Slap Technique, Creating Bass Lines & the Rudiments of Rockin' String Bass"www.amazon.com/gp/product/1480354740/ref=oh_aui_detailpage_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1This book cost a bit more, $19.99, but from all of the reviews I've read, it is well worth it. It also goes through fundamental music theory, and then gets into the specifics of slapping. It is also UB specific, and I'm actually not 100% slapping is as easy on an EUB but, from forums I've perused, it is doable, although I might have to switch from steel to gut strings. This does not come with a CD. However, it comes with a code that lets you log on to a site online and unlock video lessons. Funny story, I was so fed up with everything going wrong that I ordered these books on Thursday. On Friday, I went to visit a friend and he and his wife surprised me with an Amazon Gift Card for $25. I though to myself, "damn, too bad I didn't wait to order the books, I could have used the gift card". When I got home, I logged on to my Amazon account. The order was not yet shipped, so I was able to apply the $25 gift card to it. SCORE! I ended up only paying a little over $7 for the books. I'll let you all know when I get them and how I like them.
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Post by GKon on Nov 6, 2016 17:29:08 GMT
Man, it sure is lonely over here in EUB land.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 6, 2016 20:48:21 GMT
Man, it sure is lonely over here in EUB land. I suggest you get a el guitar and join us guitards over in the guitar forum there's plenty of action there. Just joking! But hey I would love to see you join us with your EUB in the Studio Forum that would be wicked cool I think the Chop Wood tune could do great with EUB rocking the bottom part! only if you feel like it of course. Great to have you back on board!
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Post by GKon on Nov 6, 2016 20:49:50 GMT
Man, it sure is lonely over here in EUB land. I suggest you get a el guitar and join us guitards over in the guitar forum there's plenty of action there. Just joking! But hey I would love to see you join us with your EUB in the Studio Forum that would be wicked cool I think the Chop Wood tune could do great with EUB rocking the bottom part! only if you feel like it of course. Great to have you back on board! Hey! To be honest I haven't dug too deeply into the Studio Forum, so had no idea what was going on over there. Things are a bit hectic, but I'll take a peek. If I can contribute, I gladly will. Thanks for the info.
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Post by GKon on Nov 12, 2016 23:14:52 GMT
My two music books came in today. Time for some practice!
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Post by JAC on Nov 14, 2016 11:24:32 GMT
Nice to see you still in love with the EUB!!
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Post by GKon on Nov 14, 2016 17:30:52 GMT
Nice to see you still in love with the EUB!! Thanks, JAC! I very much am. Actually, now that I'm not in a gigging band, I'm almost exclusively playing the EUB, trying to get more proficient at it. When I first got it, I'd play when I could, but gigging steadily twice a month, including rehearsals and adding new material kept me mostly on the EB. I had hoped to play the EUB on stage with my band, but I had to leave Greece before that happened. I figure, now that I have the time, let me get better on it. Although, that may be changing soon. Given that I'm still not working, I may start giving EB lessons to beginners, as well as looking for a gigging band I can play in and make some $$.
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Post by GKon on Nov 15, 2016 16:54:55 GMT
So, I've started with the "Essential Elements" book. It is geared toward brand new students of the UB, that are in an orchestra or band. I can already read music, so the "how to read music" parts are a bit basic, but that's quite alright.
It had some very basic, but important, information about left (fret) hand position which has helped me immeasurably. In the past, I've read about how UB used a 1, 2, 4 fingering method, but this explained it in such a way that, with the past info I have, has cleared up a few things. The most important was the shape of the left hand, which, when you learn to lock it in, will keep your hand in the proper position to hit the right notes.
Up until page 12, it has focused on pizzicato (finger picking) techniques. From page 13 and on, it seems it is all about arco (bowing). I do have a bow, and I am going to use it and learn how to, but I would prefer to work mostly pizz. style, so I'll likely just do the arco exercises as pizz., too.
Once I'm done with this book, I'll move right into the "Rockabilly Bass" book. I am curious to see if I'll be able to slap on the EUB. The strings seems too stiff. I may have to eventually switch strings. I may also have to get a mic for the fingerboard, which is how the "click" is heard on the AUB when slapping.
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Post by GKon on Nov 18, 2016 20:24:56 GMT
I've been working with the Essential Elements book now for 45 minutes to 1 hour per day, (minus two days ago, when I couldn't play). I have to say that, although at first I felt that maybe this was just too basic of a book, I realize now that the way it is structured and the seemingly easy exercises it has me doing are really helping with my left hand position, intonation, and being able to move around the fingerboard and hit the right note! I realized it yesterday, when I was able to play a simple song in the book, but which required shifting from I to III position on the neck. I was mostly able to do so without looking, and I still hit the right notes. having been playing EB for so many years, I'm inherently cautious about playing without any frets! I just can't believe that the right note can be hit every time on a fretless fingerboard but, it does see do-able. (Just as Charles Mingus or Esperanza Spalding )
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Post by GKon on Nov 20, 2016 0:05:58 GMT
As mentioned in a different thread, I went to our local, big music store today, Sam Ash. Besides seeing their "Help Wanted" sign and applying for a job directly with the manager (wish me luck!) I bought Volumes 2 & 3 of the "Essential Elements of Upright Bass" books. Since I like Volume 1, I figured I buy them since they had them in stock. Under $20 for both!
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Post by GKon on Nov 21, 2016 22:42:29 GMT
I had a nice surprise waiting for me from the mailman today.
The Essential Elements for Upright Bass books that I have have backing tracks that you can listen and play to, that follow each lesson in the books.
When you buy the books, you log on to the Hal Leonard website and enter a code that comes in the book. Once the code is entered, you can stream each audio clip and/or download it to your computer. You can also order, for free, a CD of the lesson audio clips. When I first got Book 1, 9 days ago, I filled out the online form for the CD. WEll, it showed up today! I'm still only just halfway through with the book so I can still use it for what I'm currently working on.
Although I did download the files to my computer, my EUB, amp, and stereo are in a different room than my computer. Till now, I've carried my EUB and amp into my bedroom to listen to the files I downloaded. Now, I can do all my practicing in my music room! Don't that just make me feel special, lol!
Also, since I bought the EE book 2 and book 3, I just downloaded their audio files and ordered the CD's, so by the time I'm ready to work on book 2, I will already have the CD for books 2 and 3 on hand.
Hooray!
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Post by GKon on Nov 27, 2016 2:45:41 GMT
I'm almost through Essential Elements for Upright Bass 1.
I'm getting better but I noticed that I'm having intonation issues (I don't know why the damn thing doesn't just have frets. I mean, really now).
When I first bought the EUB I put side marker dots on it to help me. It has up till now but now that I'm practicing a lot, it's not enough. The Rockabilly Bass book I have recommends using 1/8" pinstriping tape on the fingerboard as markers. I happen to have some so I went ahead and did. I haven't played with it on yet but am looking forward to trying it out.
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