Extended techniques of the contrabass.
Michael T. Bullock · The Journal of the Acoustical Society of America · 2010
Contrabass improvisers, composers, and performers of contemporary contrabass repertoire rely on a broad vocabulary of extended contrabass techniques. This vocabulary is continuously developed primarily through a kinesthetic engagement with the acoustics of the contrabass, and many new discoveries are made in the act of playing. This presentation will include live performance, by the presenter, of a series of extended techniques on the contrabass. Spectrograms and video clips will be used to illustrate how these techniques are related to the unique acoustic properties of that instrument. Principles demonstrated will include the following: (1) Overtone bowing and fingering: The low fundamental register of the contrabass means that each string has a many upper overtones within the audible range. Using various bowing and fingering techniques that exploit these upper partials, the timbre and pitch of a string can be radically altered and continuously transformed while playing. (2) Activating the contrabass body: Striking the contrabass body with hands and soft objects, rubbing the instrument’s back with the fingers, and manipulating feedback through amplification are ways to activate the complex resonances of the contrabass. [Thanks to Professor Jonas Braasch of the RPI School of Architecture.]