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The Thumb Position on octave harmonic offers the unique figuration and double stop possibilities that are characteristic of all advanced Viennese repertoire. The original notation for the thumb position register uses almost exclusively a treble clef, and it will also be used in this and the following lessons.
This lesson will also present the use of the "Ottava" (one octave higher) marking in the solo music. This notation feature is often encountered in the writing of Hoffmeister, Vanhal and Sperger, and thus in the opening two exercise you will find the same music material presented in the notation with and without Ottava markings. These exercises are designed to teach a bassist how to make a distinction and adapt to the quick interchange between Ottava and Non-Ottava passages, which is a an important prerequisite for reading the Viennese music in the proper register.
Moreover, you may notice that in this lesson there are no indicated position brackets. Since most of the material in this lesson is intended for thumb position on the octave harmonic anyway, there was no need to clutter the exercises further with additional signs. In essence, almost everything presented here is meant to be performed in a single position!
In that regard it should also be noted that the Viennese thumb technique utilizes all 4 (or 5) strings in the thumb position – a unique technical feature that is not associated with the modern bass technique. Pending on your bass setup, which will likely be a modern instrument set in Viennese tuning, some of the passages on the 3rd and 4th string may not appear as comfortable as if an alternative fingerings on the higher strings were used. This is due to the fact that period Viennese basses had a more evenly graduated fingerboard curve "Gamba" style, that enabled easy performance on all four strings. On our preset day basses however, there is usually a degree of "fall" on the fourth-string part of the fingerboard which makes a thumb performance there more difficult.
Considering however, that the goal of this method is to present the true period technique, it is assumed that the modern performer will attempt to accommodate the original fingering technique in spite of this difficulty. With a degree of persistence it is possible to "adopt" this region of our modern fingerboard too, and a reward is a true insight in to the simplicity of the original period writing.
Lastly, in this lesson we will also introduce the thumb fingering markings, for which you are advised to consult again the Notation Symbols Map. In essence the thumb is indicated the same way as in the modern practice, except that here we present the two thumb marking versions in order to make the study and performance easier:
1. Hollow marking – which indicates that you have a harmonic underneath the thumb, which you may or may not perform as such.
2. Filled marking - which indicates a pressed note with a thumb (no convenience of harmonic here)
As you will discover soon by a natural feel, the Viennese technique often does not make a clear distinction between the pressed note on the harmonic, and a pure harmonic. It is up to your taste and preference to identify harmonics in higher positions and use them when able.
Good welcome to the true solo Viennese technique!
| Lesson 7. Thumb Position pdf - Letter format |
| Lesson 7. Thumb Position pdf - A4 format |
Posted: September 28, 2009