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Playing Bass Standing Up


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Not sure if this should be in "Ergonomics" or here, and will be of interest to a limited number of people I guess.

I've just had my huge double action contra bass modified with fittings for a neck strap.

The idea is to enable me to play it standing up.

Dave Elliott has put two small lugs (inset into the instrument body) round the two uppermost end screws on each side.

Very solid job, works very well and enables me to play with bands who are standing up or moving about.

An interesting side effect is that I bounce around when playing it - not my usual style!

Picture shows rings through the lugs for attaching straps.

As usual, very nice work from Dave.

post-7610-0-69384100-1513269313_thumb.jpg

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For curiosity, is the contra bass another octave below a standard bass?

 

I've seen such listed in some old Wheatstone price lists, but I've never seen one or even heard of one in existence.

 

Adrian's looks very much like my own, which some call a "G-bass". An ordinary "bass" sounds two octaves below a treble (for the same fingering), but bottoms out at C two octaves below middle C ("cello C"). The "G-bass" continues downward to the G below that, i.e., to the G two octaves below the low G ("violin G") of the treble English.

 

For what it's worth, I used to refer to my own G-bass as a "contrabass" before I learned the "G-bass" term. And my G-bass (also double-action) has only 35-buttons, so its top note is middle C.

 

Do a Google Advanced Search (the "Search" facility here seems worthless for this search) for the combination of "Wheatstone" and "G-bass", with the search limited to the domain "concertina.net", and you'll find a few previous threads with much more information about the various kinds of basses.

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Thanks Jim. I have a 48-button G-bass, 2 octaves below a treble, or one octave below a baritone. That matches your description. I had wondered if there were rare animals (which I have never seen) which were another full octave below that. But I expect these would be known about if they did exist.

 

Regards

 

John.

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I've just had my huge double action contra bass modified with fittings for a neck strap.

The idea is to enable me to play it standing up.

Dave Elliott has put two small lugs (inset into the instrument body) round the two uppermost end screws on each side.

Very solid job, works very well and enables me to play with bands who are standing up or moving about.

An interesting side effect is that I bounce around when playing it - not my usual style!

Picture shows rings through the lugs for attaching straps.

 

For comparison, here's my G-bass and the neck-strap loops that it had when I bought it... almost certainly added by an owner who used it in a marching band.

 

G-bass_d13.jpg G-bass_straploops_d13.jpg

 

But for what it's worth, I've never used a strap. I would be more concerned about stress to my neck than to my arms. Here's a photo of my playing that instrument my way. And yes, I've been known to do that for extended periods and even while walking. :)

 

Jim+G-bass_d2.JPG

 

P.S. Alas, the little label on the one end doesn't identify the band that I assume it was played in, but says:

All Things Musical

HEYWOOD (est'd 1866)

20 Rock St., Bury

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