Playing Technique : General Advice

General advice:

Congratulations on reading this paragraph! If you came to this section, it may mean that you are curious to find more about the Viennese playing technique, or perhaps that you are tempted to try it yourself? Should you wish to pursue this endeavor further, I would sincerely like to encourage you in your pursuit. The journey in to the Viennese system is a very rewarding experience that can bring plenty of personal satisfaction and even a level of recognition from the fellow bass players.

However it is also a journey that requires commitment, and can be a bit frustrating at the beginning! It should be said, that although the Viennese tuning may appear as just another tuning beside the solo and high solo setups, it indeed is a very different system. A Viennese set of strings on your own bass (the one that you already know so well), will this time present you with a requirement to relearn the fingerings and get adjusted to the new location of notes. Those will not be any longer where you expect them. The feel will be as if you are just beginning to learn bass in your first week of bass instruction.

Now to the good news. You still have your left hand technique, your right hand ability, and in that respect you are far from the beginner.

Here are few things that you should know before you attempt this journey:

1. This system requires practice exactly as the regular bass does. The Viennese bass does not play any easier than the regular bass. It does not play by itself either. The tuning convenience in classical concerti will become apparent only after you master the basics, and that will take some time.

2. If you are committed and interested to learn the Viennese tuning, you will need to set aside some time for this endeavor. It is preferable to have few weeks of free time on hand – and those weeks should be free from the regular bass performing duties (I will explain now why).

3. The process of learning the Viennese tuning will influence your regular bass technique. This is inevitable, as the Viennese tuning has two thirds incorporated within itself (4 string setup). Those thirds need to be absorbed in your technique. When that happens, and you go back to your bass in fourths, suddenly you will be pressing the string where you shouldn't. Unfortunate as this is, as the time progresses you will develop a skill where you could switch from one tuning to the other within the same day, and not feel any difference. It will take probably more than a year to reach this level. Try not to get discouraged by this – the fun and joy of performing in Viennese tuning is worth it.

4. The original notation for the Viennese tuning is different than the regular bass notation. Should you be interested only in the orchestra and easy chamber music on the Viennese tuning, this should not be much of a concern because this literature is written in the same bass clef that you already know. Should you be interested in the solo literature, you will need to relearn the tenor clef and also the treble clef. The treble clef is written an octave higher, and does not represent the continuation of the bass and tenor clefs. Finding your way in this system can get tricky, but it is achievable, and you will experience first hand yourself how Sperger used to write and perform his concertos. You will also be able to understand how Vanhal concerto should really sound and in what octave (all regular bass editions transpose many of the passages down an octave). You will know how to execute Dittersdorf harmonics exactly at the place they are meant to be played - all in one position right there where the neck meets the body. There is more.

5. To truly master the Viennese tuning for the advanced solo literature you will need to get ready for high positions and plenty of harmonics. There is no upper limit for Sperger! He has used the entire fingerboard in its present day length and used it much higher on the lower strings than we do this today in our solo literature. The octave harmonic – a place where we start our thumb position today - is a work ground on all four strings. Be prepared for the thumb position on the 4th string - this is the only way you can play Mozart's "Per Questa..." the way Pischelberger did it in 1791!

6. Lastly a word about a precondition for this journey. I assume that you already have some bass experience – preferably several years of instruction on the regular bass and you are out of the high school level. I assume and hope that you have already played at least one classical concerto, and know a bit of the classical Viennese literature. If you are at the collegiate level, you should get an approval of your teacher first, because it may get embarrassing if the Viennese technique start interfering with your regular technique and your teacher suddenly notes that.

7. If you are a working professional of any profile, bear in mind that a learning curve may not always go straight up. There will be good days and there will be very futile ones. One day it will simply click, and you will find yourself playing solo in the Dittersdorf's band. Good luck and welcome to the club!

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Posted:       April 5, 2009