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Hi.
It's Geoff Chalmers from discoverdoublebass.com.
Thanks for checking out another one of my video lessons.
And just before the lesson starts I wanted to let you know a little bit about this one
as it's a free preview of my beginning double bass course . So if you're a beginner looking
for a step by step method or if you want to review the foundations of your playing and
check that you're pizzicato, your left hand technique, your bowing, that you're able to
choose the right fingering, whole range of topics related to beginning double bass are
covered in this course.
So check out the free video first and if you want to learn more, you can follow the link
to discoverdoublebass.com.
Well, in this video I'm going to show you my discover double bass survival guide that
I filmed a little bit earlier.
It's really a short video just explaining the best way to move around with your instrument
without damaging it.
So the safest way to put it in a corner when you're resting it, how to put it down and
pick it up safely, how to get it in and out of it's case which actually is a lot harder
than you may first think.
Lastly, we're going to be looking at moving up and downstairs, and then after you've seen
this short video, I'm going to be back and I'm going to give you the main things that
you should be looking out for that may damage your instrument.
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Now I'm going to share with you the hazards that you should be looking out for as you're
going about your gigs and rehearsals.
The main thing to look out for is the door which is the sworn enemy of the double bassist.
As you move through them, particularly fire doors which close automatically it's really
easy to damage your instruments especially taking a chip out of the scroll.
If the bass is out of the case that is a real issue.
I've taken loads of chunks out of this one.
Another thing is that you should always put yourself between the door and the instrument.
So don't walk into a door and sort of push it open because it'll close again onto your
double bass, and again, I've personally damaged my instrument this way and I know many other
people who have.
So try and navigate through the door by putting yourself between the double bass and the door.
Okay, the next thing is radiators and hot water pipes.
It's really easy to get to a gig, lean your double bass against something, go and set
up for what have you and not realize that someone at this point has turned the radiator
on or the hot water pipe has come on, and heat can really damage string instruments.
You don't want any extreme changes of heat.
So keep out of direct sunlight or very strong direct sunlight anyway, and away from radiators
and you'll do well.
Finally, the biggest hazard that's out there that's looking to damage your instrument is
other people.
Now, when you finish your gig you've got to make sure that you get the instrument in its
case as quickly as possible.
People will immediately start milling around the stage, they'll be packing down, they'll
be talking to people.
People in the audience might come up and try and speak to you and what have you.
The general public or the musicians are not used to being around double basses.
They don't know how expensive they are, and how potentially easy it is to damage them.
The first thing I would say is make sure you retract the endpin because as you lay the
double bass on the floor the endpin is still sticking out.
It's really easy for people to walk past it, not see that, and it can flip the whole instrument.
I've seen it countless times especially in orchestras where there's a lot of people moving
around.
It's really, really frustrating.
So get that endpin in and try and get it in its case as soon as you can.
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