Incredibly Useful Exercises for Double Bass, Vol. 4, Lower Octave Fingerboard Mastery Part 1

About this Volume

Lower Octave Fingerboard Mastery leads you through workouts that take place only in the lower octaves of the fingerboard, ignoring thumb positions. This focus allows you to condition techniques demanded of you in the majority of orchestral and casual playing scenarios. The workout builds habits that will add comfort and familiarity to all other lower-octave exercises in your arsenal and will carry over naturally to all public and critical performances. Number 4 in a 17-part series of focused workouts.

About Incredibly Useful Exercises

Incredibly Useful Exercises for Double Bass is a focused cover-to-cover workout that is tailor-made to condition-specific aspects of Double Bass performance. Each exercise takes about an hour and contains a warm-up, exercise, and cool-down, with detailed instructions and focus points for each exercise. 

Watch videos of Dennis performing the exercises.

About the Author

Dennis Whittaker (Double Bass) graduated with a Bachelor of Music Education from Baylor University and a Master of Music from Northwestern University. His teachers include Paul Ellison, Jeff Bradetich, Eugene Levinson, Mark Whitney, and Michael Cameron. In 1987, Mr. Whittaker won the Gary Karr Foundation National Double Bass competition and was the recipient of a fine Lamay bass donated by the Karr Foundation. He has been the principal Double Bassist of the Houston Grand Opera since 1996 and appears on twelve world premiere recordings with that organization. He has performed in Japan, China, Italy, Amsterdam, Germany, Switzerland, Mexico, as principal bass with the Festival die Due Mondi in Spoleto, and throughout the US.

He is the orchestra director at Westbrook Intermediate School in Clear Creek ISD (home of NASA), in his tenth year teaching orchestra in the public schools. Before that, he spent 25 years as the bass professor and string coordinator at the University of Houston Moores School of Music. He maintains an active career of recitals, master classes and clinics in school districts and community events throughout the Southwest.

He is a substitute bassist with the Houston Symphony since 1996, appearing on three recordings with them on the Telarc and Koch labels, and joined them on tours to Japan and Europe. He has also substituted with the Houston Ballet Orchestra, the Houston Sinfonietta, San Antonio Symphony and the River Oaks Chamber orchestra. His students are proud teachers across the US, and play in the major orchestras in Los Angeles, Washington DC, Atlanta, Colorado, San Antonio, Dallas and others.