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View Full Version : The Audition Takers String Choices.


Calvin Marks
04-23-2009, 07:37 PM
It continually bewilders me to see an orchestral audition list for a SECTION position where a major concerto is asked in addition to the standard orchestral excerpts. This in turn makes us bassists slave away practicing the Bottesini or Vanhal concerto on heavy gauge orchestral strings. It makes me wonder...when am I going to ever play a concerto as a soloist with said orchestra? The answer is never.

Often during the first round of auditions the concerto is asked and the committee wants to see your style and sense of musicality...Why can't they hear something in the mid. register that's musical?? After all we're bass players and 95 percent of the literature is below the first G harmonic on the G string...Instead, us audition takers are forced to to make a sacrifice...

1) Thinner gauge, lower tension Orchestral strings: Helps greatly with the concerto but the actual sonority of the double bass is lost resulting in a thin, cello like sound.

2) Heavy gauge, thick orchestra strings: Works excellent for the excerpts but chokes the sound for the Concerto and makes it impossible to solo on.

String Trends...


1) Thinner gauge, lower tension Orchestral strings: D'addario Orchestra Lights - Works beautifully for the concerto aspect of the audition but not enough power for the excerpts. I've had similar results with: Pirastro Flat-Chromesteel, VELVET Compass 180 Suit and Regular.

2) Heavy gauge, thick orchestra strings: Evah Pirazzi has a wonderfully accented low frequency spectrum which contributes to a real "bassy" tone...Unfortunately once you get into the beginning of thumb position the sound is choked and muffled and due to the very wide gauge it makes them a chore to play with. I've had similar results with: **Pirastro Original Flexocores, Original Flat-Chromes.

**The Original Flexocore G is actually quite thin in gauge so it makes as a reasonable compromise for orchestral/solo playing.


I'd also like to mention that in Europe some orchestra's are now asking for the double bass to be in solo tuning...This to me is even more of a step in the wrong direction. Concerto's are fantastic but unless you're auditioning for a solo position in an opera orchestra or a major Principal Position you're not going to need to play up there...Nor does a music director want to actually HEAR it. Apparently 40 years ago the required "solo" would have been Verdi's Otello or Rigoletto or Ginastera Variacones...I don't know what's more musical than these excerpts and it uses the full range of the instrument showing the true tone of the double bass.

It seems that nowadays the modern bassist needs a few sets of strings/set-ups...

1) Audition strings...Slightly brighter, more penetrating and thinner strings to ensure you can play ALL the repertoire with the utmost clarity even in the highest register. Funny enough once you get the job you're going to be asked by your Principal to use dark heavy gauge strings to belt out the lows...I still don't see the logic of the concerto for the audition??

2) Heavy gauge strings or wrapped gut for when you GET the job. (I prefer wrapped gut solely for orchestra)

I'd like to hear from some of you, perhaps other people on the audition circuit about your choice of strings and experiences in projecting through the screen. If it were up to me the audition would be just excerpts and the ideal sound would be one that depicts the true character of the double bass.

Joel Larsson
04-24-2009, 02:36 AM
Tried Bel Canto? They do not have the ringing sonority of a good solo set up in thumb position, but they don't get muffled and respond very well all over. Actually, I think they'll be my string of choice for some upcoming audition; I'll tell you within a month whether they worked out or not. ;)
They make my bass sound bassy in a good way, even in TP. I hope that this is what the orchestras are looking for; nothing equilibristic, just rock steady. I actually skipped a recent audition because it was asked by the orchestra that you'd play in solo tuning. I am against that too... but the solo pieces I think are no big deal. The solo part is easy, just prove that you can manage a variety of styles and make a good interpretation, and that you have mastered the whole range of the instrument; the difficult part is the excerpts, where for some reason I can't prove my worth any more. :o
The concertos are actually a bliss to us young players, if you ask me. Takes a lot of experience to play an excerpt; the concertos is our chance to shine and at least get us onto the stand-in rooster where, in the end, we might have acquired enough orchestral experience to deliver what the orchestra wants to hear. Because, you can't learn on your own how to sound good in a section!
(At least I can't, but of course there are other people out there who won every audition they ever did from the year they were 19 and on.)

Edit: "The ideal sound would be one that depicts the true character of the double bass."
I think you summed it all nicely up there. Use the strings (and play in the way) that makes you sound like a good BASS player.

Nathan Parker
04-24-2009, 10:08 AM
This is an interesting read. I've been thinking about getting into some orchestral/classical playing, so I will take note of this stuff. Not that I'll be auditioning for a professional orchestra any time soon.

I wonder if the myriad of string choices we have today is a contributer to this problem. Granted, I did not grow up when the only option was gut, but I would imagine that things would have been simpler back then. Even between different brands of strings, the sonic differences would be pretty indistinguishable, I reckon. Of course, nowadays, you have basses that can be set up in such a way so they pretty much sound like cellos. I don't know if that's good or bad, I just know that's how it is. I wonder how much knowledge of our instrument the people that are devising these auditions have. Perhaps they are ignorant of these facts you've presented, Calvin.

Either way, I'm sorry I don't have an answer for you. I have read that Pirastro is making Evah Weichs. Maybe that's the ticket.