SOME ELEMENTS ABOUT INSTRUMENTAL PEDAGOGY APPLIED TO THE DOUBLE BASS.

Thierry Barbé.

INTRODUCTION

One of the first functions of the professor is of course to transmit to the pupil his knowledge concerning the techniques, uses, and repertory of its instrument, while taking care of its good comprehension and assimilation. But it is not suficient if one wants to train a complete instrumentalist. This is why in a first part, we will try not only to quote the technical objectives to reach according to cycles', but we will point out what any musician must have to interpret a musical piece.

Each time one poses an objective with the pupil, how to help it to carry it out itself?. To answer, we will advance in a second part some teaching principles suitable to structure the pupil in his search.

We will thus have two chapters, devoted one to the goals, the other studying the means,which will organize and direct at the same time the teacher and student,since it is intended for the two parts.

1°CHAPTER: GOALS TO REACH.               

We will explain to the pupil (once in age to understand), that to play the written music, five stages must follow one another in the head, and none can be missed. Here is a good awakening which lead to a coherent play, and especially a good method to locate from which come the possible problems. Among the five stages, there are three "readings" sorts, one "action", consequence of the first three stages, and a last one wich is an auditive control during the action.

The three first and the fifth depend on reflexes which are also acquired in collaboration with the classes of musical formation, musical analyzes, harmony, etc, and fourth is acquired in technical class of instrument(action).

1 STAGE: the reading reflex of the notes(vocabulary).

_ Let's have the reflex to read the notes, to hear them with the inner ear, to seize the rate/rhythm, the nuances, their mode of attack, and, of course, the whole overall as soon as possible.

2ETAPE: reading , cultural interpretation, style.

_ total Reading of the sentence (grammar).

_ To seize the direction of the musical sentence (as soon as possible).

_ To have the concepts of harmony, analysis, history of the music, to have a cultural memory of musical tradition, by knowledge of many musical pieces, and thus establishing associations immediately.

3 STAGE: interpretation with a personal sensitivity

_ To form the sensitivity, imagination, the poetic and mystical direction of the pupil,according to his caracter.

_ psycho-emotional Creativity

_ Mood of the moment, inspiration.

_ Musical quality to be developed.

4°STAGE: playing in itself;

Our body carries out what our thought decided.

The action to play our instrument is based on technical reflexes acquired jointly with the reading, sufficiently conditioned to be able to exploit the double bass without problems as well as possible, and to be able to release our spirit. The training of a good technique is long and meticulous, is built stone by stone. It constitutes well on the greatest task of the professor.

5STAGE: Auditive control during the play.

_ Control of the accuracy

_ Control of the tempo(le tempo is kept thanks to the interior pulsation of a short value).

_ Listening the total music, which makes it possible to direct its interpretation, while taking care of the coherence of ensemble(music overall).

CONCLUSION.

Those five stages, which recall to it (re)conception, the execution, and listens to it result, must especially lead to a very significant thing: self-confidence, satisfaction and the pleasure for oneself and the others.

Preparing separately those five stages one by one, structure the pupil to study, and when all is ready, ensure a good execution quickly. Satisfaction is complete, because the pupil is conscious of all the facets of his art. The training of a piece will never be any more an acquisition of a mega-reflex based on harping. It is rather the application of small reflexes, coordinated by our taste, our culture, our feelings and our intelligence, layout renewed differently with each piece.

2nd PART: FOUR GREAT EDUCATIONAL PRINCIPLES FOR THE STUDY OF THE INSTRUMENTAL TECHNIQUE                     .

To meet all the conditions favourable with the acquisition of a good technique, we can plan the things under four essential aspects:

A/:with psychic balance.

B /:an always waked up sensory perception.

C /:a good driving freedom.

D /:a good cerebral organization.

By developing each point, we will thus be able to evoke many technical aspects:

A/:WITH PSYCHIC BALANCE.

_ the nervous state of the player is to be considered closely, because it can inhibit all receiving, sensitive, and driving functions. An anti-stimulus (humour, serene climate, a good mood in oneself) is sometimes necessary to found a comfort of work, a favourable exchange, a reciprocal confidence. Methods of breathings associated with the open strings (expiration=down or up bow, inspiration in the interval of preparation), can slacken the nervous system .

_To open up the student, let us frequently evoke capacities of exteriorization, pleasure, sharing, self-control, generosity.

_Willingness is stimulated if what we want to obtain brings real satisfactions.

_Insisting on innate chinks is awkward (hand-up),let's prefer to valorise the positive existing things, because talent can rise with the time.

B/:AN ALWAYS WAKED UP SENSORY PERCEPTION.

Human body is like a receptionist who send to us a lot of sensations (pleasure, pain, tired muscles, desequilibre of the body, the bow, the arm, stability, extensions, squeezing... ). The behaviour of the brain to catch them, interpret and memorize, to find an answer or solutions in new attitudes, reflexes, all that is important to progress. Let us distinguish four elements in the sensory system :

a\ listening. b\ touch c\ sight d\ internal perception of muscles and articulations.

a\ listening.

_Internal ear is a memory formed by the audition of a lot of music. The bigger it is, the best is the musician, either for the timbre than sound, phases of sounds in different styles. Due to this memory, our imagination will be in an artistic stimulus permetting to unroll our own musical personnality.

_We must insure that the student is hearing like the teatcher, to avoid misunderstandings.

_Internal ear is driving the body and gestures in a precise manner, because it immagines the notes, their timbre, and the interpretation with the brai and the affective nevel. That's the fondamental tool of musician.

_If the internal ear is not excellent, or in developpement, one can try to supply it by other sensitives qualities (seeing, touching...).

b\ touch.

_Touching is also a memory, associated with the internal ear. Let'us developpe very early the tactile sensations conjointively with the ear (shift on the fingerboard...). The tactile memory is rapid, and can help the ear memory.

_The touch sensation is also important in the imagination of the interpretation (vibrato, shift, portando, glissando..).

_The good positionning of the left hand, to play in the right tune, is to be based on marks memorised by tactile sensations. For instance, touching at the top of the fingerboard before taking place on first position is a good reflex. Touching the "neck of the swan" with the edge of the hand before playing at the fifth degree,or with the index finger at the seventh, are other examples. In case of shift , changing to another string,the tactile sensation is the best ally to the ear.Moreover, we cannot even listen ourselves individualy most of time in the orchestra.

c\ The sight.

_The first fonction of the eyes is reading. Reading is also a memory associated with the touch and the internal ear.Those reflexes must be formed together at the same time during studies, for fear of being bad readers.

_The other fonctions of the eyes are: Looking the general position of the bass, keep the contact with the musicians, seeking a flash of inspiration by watching the convergent point of the sound in the room.

d\ The internal perception of muscles and articulations.

_When we move our body, we must know wich muscle, bony articulation, are working.

_That knowledge is conscious or unconscious, depending on individuals, because we can play either naturaly, (in imitation of the teacher, or with innate faculty), either not naturaly and of course by analyse and thought. What we must know is that body can memorise conditionned reflexes in a sensible short time, that is why the teatcher is very important: He must give consciousness and corect natural people,without bothering, an explain clearly good gestures to the others, so that everybody can play with a logical and solid technique.

Anyway,we have all our life to get new reflexes and decide wich ones we abandon.

_If the internal perception of articulations can be unconscious, the eventual pain or tireness of muscles is more evident. Studies concieved as physical training make us progres, because muscular power is important to,play the bass.

_Now, some examples of muscular or articular sensations:

The perfect form of the left hand is given bya constant little muscular effort consisting in separating the index finger higher from the middle finger.

Down-bow: The big dorsal muscle is towing the arm, then, at the pointe, the triceps of the arm is spreading the for-arm.

Up-bow: The biceps pulls rashly the for-arm, and then the big pectoral muscle brings back the whole.

_Always feel muscles as a pair (flechissor-extensor ; pronator-supinator). Don't interfere one with its contrary. Feel the most simple mouvement suites, with the most appropriated muscles according to the speed. After preparing the gesture, trust in its reflex realisation during it.

C/A GOOD DRIVING FREEDOM.

_Staying free with a bass and a bow, that , we must think about. It depends principaly on our posture, the use of our weight, and at least the size of our instrument itself,according to our physical size.

a\ Our body posture.

_All our back and head must be balenced on the pelvis, itself on the horizontal (maximum stability, free breathing, minimum tension of muscles). according to that princip, we must decide the height of our endpin, and our preferences on playing sit or stand.

b\ Use of our weight.

_Majority of mouvements must use gravity as an ally, not an ennemi.

_We use gravity by releasing the articulations.

_A muscle which is not working must be relaxed.

c\ Size of the instrument.

_Let us choose our bass according to what we want to play( orchestra, solo, jazz), and to our physical possibilties: big bass means jazz and orchestra (dark sound) , thin one means solo (clear sound and powerfull easy sound).

- We can adapt in any case the length of the vibrating part of the string to our left hand.

D /A GOOD CEREBRAL ORGANISATION.

_Let us always control the reason and the soundness of a gesture.

_Be patient and consciencious in the acquisition of basic reflexes.We can taste with maximum the positive impression occured by a good reflex fonctionnement, a beautiful gesture, a beautiful sound.

_Always place decision before execution.

FINAL CONCLUSION.

The most important is to make structure in every minds of students. We build a technique stone by stone.

Thierry Barbé.