For Parents
Kid's Basses
As you may already be discovering, finding a reliable guideline for measurements and helpful hints about the bass can be very confusing. Even among experts, there is disagreement; most accomplished bass players will readily admit that ours is the most "unorthodox" member of the string family.
For example, one who calls our instrument a "Bass Violin," [a commonly heard moniker] is actually in error – the correct label is "Bass Viol." You see, when the other stringed instruments evolved from Viola da Bracchia ("of the arm" – violins and violas) and Viola da Gamba ("of the leg" – cellos), the doublebass remained in the "Neanderthal" stage. You can tell by the fact that it is tuned in fourths instead of fifths; that the upper bouts slope where they meet the neck, instead of forming a uniform curve to meet the neck at a right angle, and by the wide array of styles in which basses are made – carved (swelled) back or flatback, Gamba, Violin, or Busetto corners, etc.
It's also particularly vexing that an adult size bass is called a 3/4's! But the fun doesn't stop there... What your child's Orchestra Director at school may refer to as a 1/2 size is more likely a 1/4 size; many of them don't know of the existence of half-sized basses. I once tried to broker a dispute between a luthier colleague, who just insisted that we adhere to the measurements in the book, even though this was all the more confusing for teachers – I suggested the use of the term "Junior Bass," following the lead of the old "Kay" plywood basses, and their modern-day successors, Engelhardt.
Basses are available in fractional sizes, so even a three or four year old who shows interest in playing may do so. Please refer to the chart that I have prepared to help you with preliminary sizing. Although some experts suggest that how long the student's arms are, or how broad-shouldered the student is, will have a major bearing on the size of the instrument they must play, I reject that.
Locate the size of the player on the left side of the chart and follow the dotted lines to see what sizes of bass are appropriate.
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I love to field questions about my favorite instrument, so please don't hesitate to contact me!
College Scholarships
For most families, the scary thought of affording a College Education for your children can be daunting indeed! The Doublebass (along with the viola, oboe, and bassoon), can be one of the easiest tickets out there to earn a full-ride college scholarship!
It would be disingenuous for us to suggest that, after buying or renting a bass from our shop, Voila! Your child has earned an automatic scholarship... But there are numerous advantages to serious musical study. Did you know:
The highest rate of acceptance of applicants, grouped by undergraduate major, into Medical School are those from a Music School?
That many studies show a definite high correlation between improved test scores in all academic subjects and regular musical studies?
If you wish to hear specific testimonies about students who have prospered in their college pursuits via their bass playing, feel free to contact me.
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