Last month, the director of the string camp I coach at in Eastern Washington emailed me an unexpected question:
“You don’t happen to play double bass?”
As a matter of fact, I can.
The first time I got asked that question, I was in graduate school and about to teach beginning string methods to undergraduate music education majors. I’d never touched a bass at that point, and suddenly was getting a crash-course in the bass-ics, if you will.
I learned enough to get by demonstrating a D Major scale and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. But outside of coaching a few middle school orchestra bass sectionals this past year, I’d barely touched the instrument since that class.
So anyways, last week, I found myself making my string orchestra concert debut as a bass player.
It was a lot of fun! I enjoyed being the lowest voice in the orchestra, playing a 12-bar blues line, and holding down the rhythm with the cello students.
Unsurprisingly, it also was physically challenging. It took me a few days to figure out the best position to stand and hold the instrument. I developed hot spots on my fingers from the thick bass strings and had to rely on many Franklin Method exercises to relieve my sore shoulder and arm muscles. (It’s not easy to switch every day between two drastically different-sized instruments like bass and violin!)
But I’m glad I got to have another experience at being a beginning string player. When you’ve been playing and teaching for a while, it can be easy to forget how mentally and physically uncomfortable it is to learn a new instrument.
From a teacher’s perspective, here’s what I appreciated experiencing first-hand during my bass experiment:
Embrace making mistakes. Everyone feels uncoordinated, forgets their fingerings, and plays out of tune in the beginning. Be compassionate and curious! These are opportunities to increase body awareness, reinforce healthy technique and alignment, break down technical challenges, and build practicing and listening skills.
Focus on one element at a time. Learning complex skills is often overwhelming. It’s okay to narrow our field of awareness to one element at a time–I would spend a few measures in rehearsal embodying my hip joints to help my playing posture, and then switch my focus back and forth to my left arm position or bow hold as needed.
Build endurance gradually. It’s not a smart idea to play every pizzicato note as written in your first hour-long rehearsal on bass unless you want to play with blistered fingers. After the first day, I switched to bowing every note and slowly increased the number of notes I did pizzicato until the concert. I also took advantage of any moment I could do a quick shoulder release exercise in rehearsal without putting the bass down!
Anatomical cues are a powerful tool for teaching. I ran every pedagogical cue and instruction I remembered about playing bass through my mental Franklin Method filter. Understanding how the body works from the inside-out helped me find my alignment and use my arms more efficiently while playing.
While I don’t anticipate playing a lot of bass going forward, this past week was a wonderful reminder of the continued importance in learning new skills and hobbies. It’s not only good for our work-life balance–it’s an essential part of being an embodied teacher!
As we continue to work with new students or teach new techniques, let’s remember how it feels to be a beginner. How can we be more patient, empathetic, creative, or methodical in our teaching?
If this is the first time we’re meeting virtually, hello! My name is Erika, and I’m a violinist, teacher, and certified Franklin Method Educator. My mission is to rethink traditional teaching approaches to help musicians play with confidence and ease. If this resonates with you, here’s how you can connect with me:
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