Thank you for this instruction. There is obviously a lot more to this than I had suspected. I have had the privileged of building up a Bass Violdagamba and now learning to play it.
Thank you for making these videos with such clear explanations. I'm playing politiki lyra, not gamba- but so much still applies, even with a slightly different underhand bowhold. : )
Hello Sam, thank you so much for this detailed and clear tutorials. i'm total beginner, coming from the doublebass (german bow) - and that's why to me, the space between thw bow and the hair feels quite narrow with my standard bow (what they sell as "baroque cello-bow, bass viola da gamba"). At the frog (right word in English?) the distance is about 2cm, less than an inch, while in the video your bow seems to have a bigger frog. What would be the proper name for a bow like that to search for?
Hi, yeah there are some bow designs that are very narrow at the frog. They’re quite commonly used in bows that one buys online at low cost. I’ve tried them and personally I find them too narrow to use. I’m quite a big chap though. You could try looking for a French long bow design. Honestly though, you’d be better off looking up a proper bow maker and trying out some different bows. Choosing a bow is quite a complicated and personal process - try as many as you can before buying anything.
@@samstadlen2960 , Hey Sam, thanks for your quick and helpful answer. Yes I totally understand the point, it's just with the situation at the moment, it is not possible to drive around visiting bow-makers and other players to try out and find "your thing" - so, as I really want to start learning now, I guess I have to go on for some time with my cheap Online model and find the "real one" later, when it's possible again (and hopefully then I have practiced enough to at least know a bit better, what I need). Thanks again, I really appreciate, that you share your knowlegde and experience! All the best.
Just another thought - the Early Music Shop in the UK sells consort bass bows made by Gerhardt Landwehr. He's an excellent maker and the bows are relatively inexpensive. They're best for consort and lyra music, though, rather than later baroque solo repertoire. You could give one of those a try...
Amazing content! Can your lessons be applied on medieval fiddle ? Some of the strings are much lighter some aren't. I still have scratchy bow changes anyway... Thanks !
@@samstadlen2960 I just found out, I wasn't at 405 either :D rather at ca. 410, (it's raining in Eastern Germany...) By the way, is it possible that the pitch goes up for atmospheric reasons instead of going down? I think this is what happened to me a few times!
@@lsLoiSimone (sorry to jump in)...yes the pitch can rise due to weather conditions. When ithe air is "wet", the wood absorbs moisture and expands, pulling the strings tighter, raising the pitch. When the air is "dry", the opposite happens. This is true for viols, strings, guitars, pianos....etc.
@@bchill69 Thank you very much for jumping in! Yes, this is what one can notice, so it might have sounded like a silly question, but it was intended for a follow question, whether in cases of raised pitch it is sufficient to pull the string (as my teacher did), or if this would cause unstable pitch, talking about the unwound gut strings, of course (I don't know if you are a violist).
@@lsLoiSimone ...sorry, I forgot to think of gut strings. I'm not a "gambist", but I play some violin. Gut (and gut core) strings also have the reputation for reacting to heat and humidity. They lose tension in heat and humid weather, if I recall correctly. From what I've heard from historic players, you just have to keep re-tuning when the weather affects the strings (and/or wood body of the instrument). Annoying fact of life, but no danger. Also, gut strings just don't last as long and steel/synth core strings.
Thank you for this instruction. There is obviously a lot more to this than I had suspected. I have had the privileged of building up a Bass Violdagamba and now learning to play it.
Thank you so much for the lessons it's helping me infinitely!
You're very welcome! I'm really glad they're helping!
Really good instructions for the basics!
Thanks! Glad you think it's helpful!
You are the honest person.
Thank you for making these videos with such clear explanations. I'm playing politiki lyra, not gamba- but so much still applies, even with a slightly different underhand bowhold. : )
Glad it was helpful!
Like the voice of an ambassador 😂😂😂
Thank you so much! Grazie infinite 🌹
Perfect lesson
Thanks so much Jacopo!
Hello Sam, thank you so much for this detailed and clear tutorials. i'm total beginner, coming from the doublebass (german bow) - and that's why to me, the space between thw bow and the hair feels quite narrow with my standard bow (what they sell as "baroque cello-bow, bass viola da gamba"). At the frog (right word in English?) the distance is about 2cm, less than an inch, while in the video your bow seems to have a bigger frog. What would be the proper name for a bow like that to search for?
Hi, yeah there are some bow designs that are very narrow at the frog. They’re quite commonly used in bows that one buys online at low cost. I’ve tried them and personally I find them too narrow to use. I’m quite a big chap though. You could try looking for a French long bow design. Honestly though, you’d be better off looking up a proper bow maker and trying out some different bows. Choosing a bow is quite a complicated and personal process - try as many as you can before buying anything.
@@samstadlen2960 , Hey Sam, thanks for your quick and helpful answer. Yes I totally understand the point, it's just with the situation at the moment, it is not possible to drive around visiting bow-makers and other players to try out and find "your thing" - so, as I really want to start learning now, I guess I have to go on for some time with my cheap Online model and find the "real one" later, when it's possible again (and hopefully then I have practiced enough to at least know a bit better, what I need). Thanks again, I really appreciate, that you share your knowlegde and experience! All the best.
Just another thought - the Early Music Shop in the UK sells consort bass bows made by Gerhardt Landwehr. He's an excellent maker and the bows are relatively inexpensive. They're best for consort and lyra music, though, rather than later baroque solo repertoire. You could give one of those a try...
@@samstadlen2960 Great advice, I check the website out immediatly and think it over. Thank you!
Amazing content! Can your lessons be applied on medieval fiddle ? Some of the strings are much lighter some aren't. I still have scratchy bow changes anyway... Thanks !
Hi there! I'm afraid I honestly couldn't say - I've only played medieval fiddle once and that was around 12 years ago at Uni! Sorry!
What is that book in the background on the music stand?
Do you have your pitch at 405? It resonates with my viol! :D
hi, no I was tuned to 415
@@samstadlen2960 I just found out, I wasn't at 405 either :D rather at ca. 410, (it's raining in Eastern Germany...) By the way, is it possible that the pitch goes up for atmospheric reasons instead of going down? I think this is what happened to me a few times!
@@lsLoiSimone (sorry to jump in)...yes the pitch can rise due to weather conditions. When ithe air is "wet", the wood absorbs moisture and expands, pulling the strings tighter, raising the pitch. When the air is "dry", the opposite happens. This is true for viols, strings, guitars, pianos....etc.
@@bchill69 Thank you very much for jumping in! Yes, this is what one can notice, so it might have sounded like a silly question, but it was intended for a follow question, whether in cases of raised pitch it is sufficient to pull the string (as my teacher did), or if this would cause unstable pitch, talking about the unwound gut strings, of course (I don't know if you are a violist).
@@lsLoiSimone ...sorry, I forgot to think of gut strings. I'm not a "gambist", but I play some violin. Gut (and gut core) strings also have the reputation for reacting to heat and humidity. They lose tension in heat and humid weather, if I recall correctly. From what I've heard from historic players, you just have to keep re-tuning when the weather affects the strings (and/or wood body of the instrument). Annoying fact of life, but no danger. Also, gut strings just don't last as long and steel/synth core strings.
That cute little mask lol
Traducción en español, por favor...🙏
Hi. Is that a bass viola da gamba?
Hi Elen, yes it is!
Meiner Meinung nach lernt man am besten durch Beobachten und Nachahmen und nicht durch lange Erklärungen.
Nachahmung hilft tatsächlich, vor allem, wenn man bereits eine gute Technik hat.
@@samstadlen2960 und natürlich braucht man einen guten Lehrer!