Rx: Improve accuracy and confidence in intonation, so you are not guessing at where notes are on the upright bass.
Geoff uses the idea of “Tuning Anchors” to get a handful of notes and positions in tune without being lost on the neck.
The tuning anchors Geoff covers are:
- Open strings
- Harmonics (the ones below the octave, D and C)
- Neck heel
- Quick dip at half-position
I really like the importance of listening to all sorts of intervals to keep pitch clean and right. Also, he sprinkles a couple little tips for quickly and discretely finding a pitch if you are perhaps starting a tune pretty exposed.
This video is from Geoff Chalmers’ DiscoverDoubleBass website. While he is focused on jazz playing, there are several lessons on his site that are easily useful to anyone playing bass whether they are into New Music or any other kind of bass playing.
The Tom Gale method book covers a similar thing in depth as well and would make a great extension on this approach for the more bow-in-hand minded.