Thomas B. Gale ~ Double Bass Music

Thomas B. Gale has created a series of ingenious Studies for the developing bassist. Each volume is organized with a progression in the level of difficulty that permits the Studies to be used serially or in a somewhat parallel fashion.

Practical Studies

Teachers are likely to find that many students coming out of school class lessons will benefit from the first volume in the series, Practical Studies, which serves as a review of all the elementary fundamentals through position V. Sufficient explanation is given so that it is possible to use the book for self study.

Melodic Studies

The second book in the series, Melodic Foundation Studies, is designed to aid in the important transition from intermediate to advanced intermediate playing. Here the emphasis is on developing musicianship with technique being only a means to a musical end. The goal is to have the student learn to play musically and in tune in the first five positions. The various key studies, ten in all, are practiced and then followed by "review etudes" which use the studied rhythms, fingerings, and bowings in melodic combination.

A cassette is available with the review etudes of the Melodic Foundation Studies played by Mark Alison Morton.

Melodic Duets includes fourteen double bass duets with levels ranging from post-elementary to intermediate advanced. This book is an adjunct to the whole series of Studies for Double Bass and are filled with fun and phrasing.

Technical Studies

The Technical Foundation Studies, in two volumes, give special emphasis to two very important aspects of double bass playing for the advancing bassist. Volume 1 is an introduction to the "4 finger" or open hand technique which is used primarily in positions IV and V to enhance articulation and minimize portamenti.

Similarly, Volume 2 emphasizes development of the thumb positions above the first octave and below. Ample practice is given for moving between the closed and open hand and thumb fingering systems. The studies and etudes also provide ample practice in the treble and tenor clefs.

Nine etudes of Volume 2 are available on cassette as performed by Mark Alison Morton.

Orchestral Tunings

A short, but helpful book, that promotes Three Alternative Orchestral Tunings for the Double Bass is available. The tunings explored by Gale are:

D - A - D - G
C - A - D - G
C - G - D - G

These tunings provide an alternative to using a clumsy extension mechanism or adding a fifth string to the double bass. Combined with the quick response of modern strings and the more common use of the 4 finger technique in the higher positions, these alternative tunings allow players to reach the low ranges necessary for good orchestral playing. The exercises place an emphasis on the intervalllic relationships to the other strings rather than on scale patterns. Suggested fingerings are notated in detail.

About Thomas B. Gale, Composer and Bassist

Thomas B. Gale holds a Master of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Bachelor of Science degree from West Chester University. He studied with Carl Torello of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Rudolph Fashbender of the Chicago Symphony. Mr. Gale is the former principal bassist and general manager of the Huntsville Chamber Orchestra. He also was principal bassist with the Huntsville Symphony Orchestra and double bass instructor at the University of Alabama in Huntsville. Before moving to Huntsville, he taught music in public schools and privately in Pennsylvania for 27 years where he also played in the Harrisburg and York Symphonies. Mr. Gale is a member of the faculty of the American School of Double Bass.

Thomas B. Gale ~ Double Bass Music, 503 Monte Sano Blvd. Huntsville, AL 35801-6128 USA, E-mail: gale@booknotes.com