[78-L] Use of double bass in dance bands

[Don Cox]

Hello DAVID

On 25/10/2012, DAVID BURNHAM wrote:
> In my experience with live dance bands, I've always found an
> un-amplified double bass provides a very rich foundation for the
> group. It is difficult today to find a jazz or dance band with a bass
> with no amplifier and I feel the sound suffers. The reason for this
> may well be that inspite of the fact that a 16 piece band can put out
> a lot of sound power, they insist now on having mikes for every
> instrument, and the mikes are turned up loud enough to over-power the
> acoustic sound, making the whole business sound like a bad recording.
> A few years ago I was recording a Glenn Miller style band in Parry
> Sound. They had sent a tech list requesting mikes for every stand. I
> asked the crew to hide all of their mikes and tell the band that Parry
> Sound is a small town and they didn't have elaborate sound systems. So
> the band played the concert acoustically, (except for the vocalists),
> and afterwards they were thrilled with the sound and said they wished
> they had the courage to play that way more often, (the beginning of
> the concert was pretty wimpy because the players were used to just
> playing into a mike rather than projecting into the hall but once they
> overcame that, the sound was very exciting).
> 
A plucked bass is more audible and recordable than a bowed bass.

I think part of the changeover from brass to string bass came from
development of the jazz plucked-bass technique, including slapping.

Regards
-- 
Don Cox
doncox at enterprise.net