Switch from bass guitar to upright / double bass: available resources
First time poster here after years on the math board. Feel free to school me in etiquette if need be.
For most of my life, I have been a guitarist. About ten years ago, I picked up bass guitar and found I enjoyed it more and found it much more natural for my hands. I have always loved jazz and always wanted to learn upright bass, but never found an affordable one... until now. I found one. But I need to learn to play it properly.
I don't want to do my fingertips wrong, strain my wrists, etc. Although I am predominantly interested in jazz, I am looking for general resources for the beginning-est beginners on left and right hand placement, how to hold the bass against the body, etc. In other words, despite being able to proficiently read music, I want to pretend I'm starting over entirely... but on double bass. I want a resource that presupposes I know nothing, so that I don't make any assumptions that will hinder me or need to be corrected later.
I have found a few things online, but nothing really linear beyond a sporadic video here and there with no sense of where to go after that video is over. Any suggestions for books I should buy, or videos/series I should watch?
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I must honestly say, if you have been playing a conventional electric bass for awhile, you will have no problem adapting to an upright (double-bass) bass.
I have played both, and, even though the double bass is fretless, it's an easy and intuitive transition.
Just don't use a pick.
They will kick you off the stage for that particular indiscretion.
I would suggest you go into a music instrument store and find a beginner's book for double bass. Don't know if it's still around, but a standard one back in my day was 'A Tune A Day'. Such books will tell you (and show you with photos) about hand position and talk about sitting or standing, arco (using the bow) and pizzicato (plucking) etc.
Another suggestion is that you take a couple of lessons from a professional teacher, especially at the beginning stage, to make sure you get things right from the start. Double bass is much harder on the left hand than bass guitar so hand position is vital. Holding a bow will probably be new to you so you will likely need help with hand position there too.
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