BEGINNING BASS POSTURE INFO

BASS POSTURE
Bowhold on a pencil:
Right Hand holds the pencil!
Monkey Hang
Thumb TIP touches pencil.
Thumb is curved.
Flop all fingers over the pencil.
Middle finger folds over the pencil. This finger will hang all the way over the bow and touch the ferrule.
Check for space between fingers.
Ring finger folds over pencil. Hug the FROG!
Index finger flops over with one finger-width space between index and middle finger.
Pinky flops over pencil and rests on the first joint of pinky.
All joints should be rounded, flexible, relaxed. In case of double joints, the joints should be eased into the right position with the help of the other hand. The more you practice un-sticking the joints, the sooner they will stop locking up.

Exercises:
Bunny munches the pencil
Bunny ears wiggle
Tap the pencil with different fingers (TAP TAP taptap Tap; T-A-P T-A-P; Pinky pinky pinky tap; Circle circle; Pet The Frog)
Elevator
Rocket ship
Place pencil on head, shoulders, forehead, nose (any place would be great to add taps).
Windshield wipers, fast and slow
Wrist waves Hello, Side to side, Circles
Rhythm exercises with pencil in hand and focusing on opening and closing the elbow
What time is it?
Hills and Valleys
Mississippi Hot Dog (Pepperoni Pizza)
Down kitty Up kitty
Peanut Butter Jelly Sandwich
Red Light (STOP!) Go
Also do rhythm exercises without bow with right hand moving along the
left arm. Start each rhythm by going in the “DOWN’ direction.

Bass Posture
1. Stand with feet a hip width apart. Left foot is slightly back. Knees are not locked.
2. Endpin height - adjust endpin so that first knuckle row meets the bridge
3. Leaning tower of Pisa - bass edge should lean into dent between hip and belly
4. Hug the bass to get used to all that wood in your personal space.
5. Left hand pre-setup: 1 Left thumb in ear; 2 Index on eyebrow; 3 Middle finger on nose; 4 Pinky on mouth
6. Pop can hand - space between hand and bass neck
7. Floating arms as if you are playing in a hot tub
8. Straight wrist
9. Thumb is behind 2nd finger
10. Finger tips touch the string and fingerboard. Fingers are curved.
11. Fingers have "K" spacing. 1 & 2 are far apart. 2, 3, 4 are close together
12. Hold bass neck where it meets the body of the bass between fingers 1 & 2 in rest position
13. Finger taps - target practice!

Beginning Songs
Ant Song
E E E- A A A- D D D- G G G-
(Each each each, each and every
Ant, ant ant, digging in the
Dirt, dirt, dirt, underneath the
Ground, ground, ground)

DAD Song
D A D -
D A D -
D D A A
D A D -

Hot Cross Buns on D string
F# E D -
F# E D -
DDDD EEEE
F# E D -

Boil Them Cabbages on D string
F#F#F#F# G-G-
F#F#F#F# E-E-
F#F#F#F# GGGG
F#F#EE
D- D-