what "schools" of bass playing are there?

[Joel Larsson]

Thank you for your opinions.

I will not conduct a thorough ****ysis of each and every school, but rather compile a list of them, along with some general notes on what characteristics there are. Look at it as a guide for the confused student. Believe me, I will NOT spend too much time on this... but I thought the idea was interesting, as I, myself, has often wondered where I want to go with my playing.

I'd be really interested if there's anyone with first-hand personal experience of a school or two, who could provide some useful information on method etc. If I can't get in contact with someone who can describe what his experience with this or that school is like, I will probably leave that school out of the survey. I am not interested in guessing and thus imposing the arbitrary opinions of an outsider.

So far, I have the following schools:
National/Traditional:
German
Viennese
English
American
French
Italian
Russian
the Prague school I will have to investigate a bit more... after all, it has spawned as fabulous a musician as Bozo Paradzik... who, on the other hand, seems to have a lot in common with McTier when it comes to teaching and performing paradigms, maybe more than he has in common with the typically German way of playing..?

Modern/Schools based by around an individual teacher who somehow won't fit into the framework of a traditional school:
Rabbath/Nouvelle Technique
Duncan McTier
New Dutch School (Silvio Dalla Torre)

Myself, I have studied with teachers who, in turn, have been educated in Berlin (with Klaus Stoll), Vienna (Ludvig Streicher), New York (Eugene Levinson), and Duncan McTier. I have noticed enormous differences between them. Hence my interest in the subject. I will of course also ask professors directly, and see if they are willing to answer a few general questions. I just have to figure out which questions...
Thank you for your time.

[Thomas Erickson]

You can contact me about the Viennese method, as well as what would probably be called the modern American method. I'm also somewhat familiar with the Rabbath method. I'm obviously not an expert in any of these, but I do have some knowledge of them.

As far as the "confused student" is concerned - if you want to play the double bass, you need to seek out a teacher. He probably won't be close to where you live - this isn't a common pursuit. Most any (classical) method you find will work - it isn't an exact science! These are weird instruments with players to match. Keep in mind that technique is more important (when it comes to instruction) than music - there are lots of great musicians out there who teach, but probably shouldn't. Learn technique from your teacher, learn music from your institution!

[Joel Larsson]

Thanks — PM sent. Maybe I will have to split the American school in two, huh?

As for the teacher-seeking bit, I kind of agree with you... in a small country like Sweden, there are basically only three cities you can go, so it kind of solves itself... problem might arise when you are about to complete your bachelor's degree and start to think about somewhere to do your master's. The general consensus among teachers and players here would be that you have to get out of the country for at least a year — as all of the teachers at our universities themselves have — and by this time you really ought to have been thinking about what it is that you need to get you a job. The huge variety of playing styles out there makes this an interesting position to be in!

I have been thinking about what you, as a student, will ask, publicly or privately, before you decide where to go. I thought it would be interesting to have ex-students (or even professors — I just want to make sure that they don't start to throw s**t at any other school than their own!! ) answer those questions. So far, the questions I have come up with are:

1. What will make me special if I study there?
2. What method or etudes are used?
3. Any special circumstances that will (positively, negatively, or, in any other way) affect my - playing and practising? (Such as: Limited access to practice rooms? Long time spans between lessons? Big/small class?)
4. What are the (typical) teacher’s ‘pet peeves’, and what are his favourite ‘mantras’; what's his thing?
5. Solo or orchestra oriented?
6. Simandl or Rabbath style left hand?
7. Bow arm/sound characteristics? French or German bow?
8. What sets players of this tradition apart from those of another/List of characteristics

I was just thinking, that maybe it would be quite interesting to find questions where opposites are easy to find. Simandl versus the Nouvelle Technique, high bow pressure with lots of focus versus high bow speed and a freer sound, etc... but most good teachers will of course teach you the whole span of expression, so maybe posing questions like that would be useless?

I will answer these questions myself later on, once from each of the four perspectives that I feel that I might have ample experience with. But now — movie time!!