Delving into German bows with Robert Oppelt


National Symphony Orchestra principal bassist Robert Oppelt put together a great page of information about the wide variety of grips used by professionals on the German bow.  As a French bow player, I always find myself struggling when offering advice to students on how exactly to approach the subtleties of German bow technique, and this page is a wonderful survey of the methods used by professionals.

Robert has a great synopsis of the various German bow grips commonly used, along with a photo for each one.  Here’s a brief synopsis–you’ll definitely want to check out his site for descriptions of the following grips (plus the accompanying photos):

  1. Two fingers on top, free thumb
  2. Like the previous, but only the first finger applies the weight
  3. Two fingers on top, assisted by the thumb on the stick
  4. One finger on top and thumb on top
  5. Fingers on top, thumb buried under first finger
  6. Side of the thumb on top along stick, fingers on side (or tip of first finger on top)
  7. Similar to (6), but the thumb is less on its side, more on its tip
  8. Thumb on top along stick, frog deep in hand
  9. Thumb along stick, frog very deep in hand, wrist very bent
  10. Straight thumb, bow further out in fingers and thumb
  11. Thumb wraps over stick at about 45 degree angle, stick not completely deep in the hand

This is a fantastic resource for bassists everywhere, and I know that I’ll be referring to it frequently in my own teaching.

December 7, 2007 · Filed Under bass, student resources, technique

Comments

Leave a Reply





  • The American String Project Amazon link for Road Warrior

  • DoubleBassBlog.org – An Inside the Arts Blog

    Inside The Arts Your cultural blogging exchange
    Adaptistration Drew McManus on orchestra management
    Brian Dickie Life as General Director of Chicago Opera Theater
    Butts In The Seats Musings on Practical Solutions For Arts Management (Joe Patti)
    Double Bass Blog Jason Heath on all things bass and culture from the ground up
    Neo Classical Holly Mulcahy on the future of classical music
    non divisi Frank Almond writes a column instead of practicing
    Scanning The Dial Marty Ronish and Jack Allen on classical music in broadcasting
    Sticks and Drones Two conductors, on the beat with Bill Eddins and Ron Spigelman
    There's Always Room For Cello The adventures of Rosin Hood; he stays on the pitch and gives you the score (Lynn Harrell)

  • Categories

  • Sponsors

  • Free online Musicians Friend coupon from dealtaker.com