A Scale in Time, Double Bass: Double Bass Method Book

Organized and purposeful. You move through material that builds logically, with enough variety that daily practice stays fresh and the bass section understands why each exercise matters for ensemble performance.

This book serves bassists in public school orchestras and intermediate-level youth ensembles who need systematic scale and intonation work. It's equally useful for private lesson teachers looking for a comprehensive, organized curriculum that keeps advancing students engaged beyond unison exercises.

• Start with the chorale section as a warm-up before tackling more technical material. These unaccompanied passages clarify intonation problems that faster passages might obscure.
• Use the etudes to identify which left-hand positions your section needs extra work on, then cycle back to relevant scales for focused practice.
• The alternative styles section works best when approached with the same attention to articulation and tone quality you'd apply to standard repertoire, not as a lighter option.

Assign scales and chorales as prerequisite work before tackling orchestral repertoire that requires specific technical demands. The etudes can serve as solo material for chair auditions or solo competitions, while the alternative styles section enriches your program's cultural scope without derailing your classical foundation.

• Major and minor scale fluency across the fingerboard
• Intonation consistency in passages combining vibrato and non-vibrato playing
• Rhythmic accuracy in syncopated and dotted-note patterns
• Articulation clarity across different bow speeds and pressure levels
• Sight-reading confidence in varied time signatures and key signatures
• Style-specific tone production (classical legato, swing articulation, etc.)