Practice while doubling

[JCBone]

So I starter doubling on bass.recently and and for the most part, Iv'e been doing around half and half in terms of practice time and tell the truth, I have not been feeling very productive lately. I just don't have the time to.make proggress on each instrument, so I decided that for now, I will make tenor my primary and bass my secondary. Now my question is, how do you make a practice plan where you focus on one instrument but keep the other at a reasonably high level. How do you adjust when there is an upcoming performance?

[Burgerbob]

In the current climate (unemployed, 5 hours of practice a day), I try to play all my instruments equally.

In the before times, I'd try to keep a running schedule of instruments... some needed to be practiced in advance of an upcoming gig, some needed attention in case they were coming up soon.

Both now and then, I try to play the instrument with the least chop time as a priority.

I don't think this needs to be the "right" way to double, but I really like to at least appear proficient on anything I am called on, not as a doubler. I am a little jealous of the trombonists out there that can get away with only playing one trombone!

[JakeRoberts69]

I've recently been dividing my Fundamental and Etude work between instruments. Right now, I am a tenor player that doubles on bass. So I warm up and work on fundamentals on my tenor, and then when I work on bass, I am hitting Bordogni and Blazhevich. This has been working well for me, now I am not just warming up and doing very similar things on two seperate instruments, I am using my bass to be more engaged in the work I do in my etudes.

[hyperbolica]

I'm no expert, but I can tell you what has been working for me. I'm a tenor player. I play bass in a quartet. I also own a euphonium and a tuba. I play tenor 2 nights, euph 2 nights and tuba 1 or 2 nights a week. Recently I've had great comments on my bass playing. I don't even practice bass more than every other week. The tuba has improved my bass bone playing. That's the one thing that has changed. (Got the tuba in April.)

I practice low on the tenor and the euph, but the air and oral cavity from tuba have been the things that helped my sound and articulation on bass bone. The only other things left to learn are the second valve with alternates and tuning.

When you do practice the bass, play tenor melodies down an octave or otherwise transpose them. They don't really write many great melodies for bass bone, but melodies help you string all the notes together. Play them on tuba too.

The books I like for bass are the 2 Aharoni books, Brad Edwards, and Vinings Range Songs. I also just play a lot of stuff out of the Real Books.

[Doug Elliott]

I'm probably the wrong person to be giving advice on doubling practice since I really don't double and I also don't practice... but I would be tempted to spend each day playing just one horn, and rotate days and horns. Anybody tried that?

[Burgerbob]

I'm probably the wrong person to be giving advice on doubling practice since I really don't double and I also don't practice... but I would be tempted to spend each day playing just one horn, and rotate days and horns. Anybody tried that?

Yup, for a while this covid I would just play one horn a day, rotating through the whole list.

[harrisonreed]

If you use a 1.5G or 2G width rim for everything, it's easier.

[Burgerbob]

If you use a 1.5G or 2G width rim for everything, it's easier.

Might be easier, but you still have to play the instruments in question.

[AndrewMeronek]

It's not really applicable until our lovely pandemic ends, but I'll sometimes play in groups just to get a chance to work on doubles. And when I do get that chance, that informs my practicing. It's not just about practicing specific tunes (at least for me) but maintaining a reliable memory of what a particular double has to do in an ensemble, and making sure that some of my practicing revolves around that.

[SimmonsTrombone]

I tried practicing one horn a day, but realized back when I had gigs, on some of them I got to play both tuba and trombone. I changed my practice to include practicing both bass trombone and tuba.

There’s also Micah Everett’s “Low Brass Player’s Guide to Doubling” which goes into how to determine primary and secondary instruments for practice, how much time to spend on each for the total amount of practice time, and what to practice. There is also information on various combinations of instruments.

[Basbasun]

40 years ago I had the bass trombone on my left side, tenor on my right side and the tuba forther to the right. I cirkeld the practisiing and often played the same music, scales, arpeggios and whatever on all thre istruments. All the pedals on the tenor, doubble F on bas (well on the tuba too, but not that much).
Latter I included the contra.
I orchestra it happend that I played bass and contra in the same consert.
I band (not regular dancebands) I played bass and tuba in the same consert, sometimes in the same music. in some bands bass and tenor in the same consert.
It all depnds on your playing situation.

For me using the sam mpc rim is not a help. Well you can play all the tones on a 2G both on tenor and bass, but the adaption to the instrument is mor difficult for me. Playing tenor on 2G is wierd and I have to do some wierd things to make it work. Now again, it depends on the level.

Today, no contra, the bass is my first horn of the day, tuba second and some tenor. For me the tenor is what takes least practise time. That to is a question on the level.

[JCBone]

The thing is, adapting to the instrument and mp is not really a problem for me. The issue is making progress.

[Jimprindle]

I think you are overthinking. My doubling experience, learn each instrument. Trust your learning. When you pick up the tuba, the tenor trombone, the bass trombone, the clarinet, whatever, play that instrument not the one you "think" you are comfortable with.

[harrisonreed]

The thing is, adapting to the instrument and mp is not really a problem for me. The issue is making progress.

Do you mean technical progress, or idiomatic progress? For example the technique to play clean legato or a pedal Eb is the same on tenor or bass -- they are almost the same instrument. But getting a good bass sound or getting bite into your bass sound vs a piping clear voice on tenor are both completely different approaches.

I feel like you can make progress on technique and good musical mechanics on both instruments even if you only practice one -- they're almost the same instrument, both being Bb trombones with the exact same range (give or take a valve). But I know players who only exclusively play one or the other and do not get an idiomatic sound. Lots of players sounding like euphonium on tenor trombone... If anything, practicing both side by side should help you to isolate those tendencies and bring those out.

[JCBone]

The thing is, adapting to the instrument and mp is not really a problem for me. The issue is making progress.

Do you mean technical progress, or idiomatic progress? For example the technique to play clean legato or a pedal Eb is the same on tenor or bass -- they are almost the same instrument. But getting a good bass sound or getting bite into your bass sound vs a piping clear voice on tenor are both completely different approaches.

I feel like you can make progress on technique and good musical mechanics on both instruments even if you only practice one -- they're almost the same instrument, both being Bb trombones with the exact same range (give or take a valve). But I know players who only exclusively play one or the other and do not get an idiomatic sound. Lots of players sounding like euphonium on tenor trombone... If anything, practicing both side by side should help you to isolate those tendencies and bring those out.

I guess the reason why I don't have transitional issues is because I approach them both as the same instrument. I think what I mean by progress is more like making progress with pieces and such

[imsevimse]

This Corona I have started a projext to see if I'm to old to learn a couple of new instruments and still remember how to play the old ones.

Tenor has always been my first instrument since 1975.
The alto I bought in 1982 but started to play more seriously in 1984. I first tried a bass in 1983 in the Army music Corps bands where I played for a year . I was given a bass to play there but I didn't think I was ready for that instrument and struggled a lot with it. It ended up I played the bass part on my large tenor. Did another try in 1989 and then I bought my first bass.
For all these years I have doubled Alto, tenor and bass trombone and it took years to feel comfortable on all. I have played the Euphonium in a windorchestra just a few occasions. Tuba only at house

Now I have picked up a french horn, a trumpet and a Soprano Trombone too and have practiced also these a lot. I try to spend as much time as possible on each. Well see how it turns out. My trombone playing is still intact and that's what's most important. I think I spend one hour to 20 minutes on each instrument. The Tuba only some days when I have the strength and it is always the last instrument that day.

/Tom