german bow Archives - PATTERNROOT

How to play loud and soft, bow technique

Rx: Play with a wide difference between quiet and loud.

Klaus Stoll (in translation) presents on bowing, using orchestral examples and the German bow.

Demonstrated: Bow technique

extreme dynamic contrasts: for pianissimo, use the middle of the bow. For the forte sections play near the frog.
Play quiet spicatto by rotating the bow and using the edge of the hair.
Rotating towards the edge for arpeggios/string crossing figures
Playing quickly in the center of the bow

Rx: You want to start using the German bow in your bass playing.

Here is a video by Seth Gamba (great last name for a bassist, right!) on how to get started with the German bow.

Notice in particular how much he focuses on curves, keeping your body shapes … →

Rx: You want to use the German bow but haven’t tried before.

Here is a D’Addario-sponsored video on how to hold the German bow. It’s by Paul Sharpe is presented in a very straightforward way.

Watch this and you’ll be on the right track.

Rx: Learning to hold both the German and French bow

From Michael Klinghoffer’s “How to Drive a Double Bass” series based on techniques he learned from Gary Karr.

Emphasis on how, in reality, we don’t hold the bow and that the entire thing is about balance.