James Schulz: Double Bass: Exercises, Scales, and Reference

About the Book

This book is a collection of things that I wished for as a teacher and as a player. These are warmups I love to play. These are exercises I would time and time again scribble out in terrible handwriting for students or give photocopied photocopies of old pages. These are references for straightforward scale fingerings and theory concepts that I think are most important and practical for bass players. This is not a comprehensive method book; it is supplemental material to the likes of Simandl, Rabbath, Portnoi, Petracchi, etc.

Exercises include:

Half/First Position modal scales
Scale Fragments, exercises, variations, and application
Bow Distribution
Bow Recovery
Selection of Bow Strokes
Left Handshape Exercises
Vomits
Double Stops
Arpeggios
Thumb position
Vibrato
Orchestra Excerpts (studying Legato, Bow distribution/recovery, and Spiccato)
Major Scale Fingerings (1, 2, and 3 octaves)
Natural Minor Fingerings (1 and 2 octaves)
Music Theory reference (basic scales, modes, chords, chord function)
...and more

About the Author

James Schulz is a freelance bass player and educator throughout the greater San Francisco Bay Area. He routinely plays with One Found Sound in San Francisco, has section bass positions in the Santa Cruz Symphony and Rogue Valley Symphony, and plays with a variety of regional professional orchestras and ensembles.

James has over a decade of music teaching experience with organizations such as La Honda Music Camp, Golden State Youth Orchestra, Las Positas College, JAMS Music in Dublin, various public schools, and many more. James currently teaches online privately, and in Pleasanton at the New World Music Academy. If you’re interested in lessons, see the teaching page for more information!

James studied with Pat Klobas at CSU East Bay (BA 2010), and Steve Tramontozzi at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music (MM 2013).

Visit James' website for more!