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The books from Basso Profóndo Publications are devoted solely to double bass technique. The current titles are:
These books were written in response to a frustrating lack of such materials, but were not borne of the attitude that technique is the alpha and omega of musical life. Any performing artist's ideal should be to reach audiences emotionally, intellectually, and spiritually. Technique is only a means to more effectively reach that end. I had intended to include in Double Bass Technique: Concepts and Ideas scale and arpeggio fingerings, but because the treatise was turning into a monster, it was obvious that scales and arpeggios should be separate volumes. Miraculous Scale Fingerings, and Miraculous Arpeggio Fingerings were written because it was impossible to find a scale or arpeggio book that proposed a few practical fingerings for simple ascending and descending scales or arpeggios. François Rabbath presents in his Nouvelle Technique a daunting 133 fingerings for C major alone, while other scales systems suggest one fingering that is very often impractical and/or uses open strings, regardless of the musical situation. Many of these scale systems are overburdened with patterns, bowings and fingerings. I wanted to invent a scale and arpeggio system that was flexible, covered a wide range of playing ability, and was as complete and concise as possible. I have found that when a student embraces a routine of regular practice on especially the Miraculous Scales and Arpeggios, with a healthy dose of Torturous Exercises, their playing really takes off. Anthony Stoops, a former student and co-first prize winner of the 1995 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, (a prize he won at age 21 and shared with the now principal bass of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra,) replied to a query regarding which method book he used, he replied, "Method book? I didn't use a method. I just used Dr. Morton's Miraculous Scale Fingerings!" Since the first sale in February of 1992, there have been almost one thousand books sold worldwide to professionals, teachers, students, public schools, public libraries, university libraries, mail-order distributors, and retailers - even a prison!
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American School of Double Bass, 734 Oak Street, Columbus, Ohio 43205 USA
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