It’s always interesting for me to learn about some of the reasons why players adopt tuning in fifths on the double bass. The following comment just came in on one of my classic (i.e. old) blog posts about reaching the low notes:
I also use the fifths tuning. Joel Quarrington’s website persuaded me to try it, and my experience has borne out everything he says (from the other end of the food chain – I’m an amateur orchestral player.)
Not only do you get the low notes without the problems of either 5 strings or extensions, but the bass resonates and sounds far better.
Joel and I chatted about his use of tuning in fifths on our Contrabass Conversations interview, and he has a great document up on his website more fully detailing fifths tuning as well.
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I’m a recent convert to fifths, for a lot of the reasons Joel mentions.Here are my random observations so far.
In Paul Brun’s “A New History of the Double Bass”, he says that fifths was quite common in France in centuries past, in solidarity with the other strings. However, the poor quality of strings, along with high, stiff action, made it very difficult to play in fifths. Thus, fourths evolved.
Today, with modern strings and set-up, fifths are practical. Granted, there is more shifting involved, but since I use pivots, all four fingers, and a lot of thumb, I’m slowly starting to get comfortable. I should also mention that I play French bow and sit cello fashion, on a low stool.
I still have a way to go, but I love playing in fifths so far. BTW, kudos to Dennis Masuzzo for his great C G D A technique book!
As a new (less than a year) player with a cheap hybrid bass, I was loooking into alternatives to both extensions or a new bass. An extension was out since it would have cost more than the bass itself. A new bass….we know how much *those* can cost. I decided to spend the $200+ on a set of Pirastro Obligatos for fifths tuning to see if that would help my tone, low notes, and all of the above.
I put them on today and WOW!!!!! I can’t believe that more people aren’t at least trying this! I guess pros can already get a good sound, and they’ve been playing tuned in fourths forever, so maybe the need to experiment isn’t as great. But for me, I sucked at the fourths hand positions and fingerings anyway and was not attached to them at all, so I was willing to give it a shot….even with a concert coming up in 4 weeks!
Playing through some of my music, it’s really not that different. The D string is the same. Some pieces/passages are easier, some are the same easy or not. I wouldn’t say any are more difficult – the difficult ones were difficult to begin with. I’m playing Mozart, Bach, Elgar, Grieg….that type of stuff.
And the way my bass rings….I don’t understand it all the math behind it, but it works and it’s noticeable. I am really eager to see how rehearsal goes, because I already double a lot of cello parts.
So to anyone thinking about it, you don’t know what you don’t know….try it, and if it sucks for you I’m sure you can find someone else eager to try fifths to buy your strings!