Simply Scales and Arpeggios for Double Bass: Double Bass Book

This book respects what double bass students actually need: systematic progression from one-octave to three-octave scales without unnecessary complexity. The inclusion of blank staves transforms it into a collaborative tool between teacher and student, making it as useful for lesson planning as it is for daily practice.

Straightforward and focused. The progression feels gradual and achievable, building confidence through manageable steps. The inclusion of blues scales adds a touch of musical variety to what could otherwise feel like pure technical drill work.

Double bass students preparing for auditions, chair placement, or technical assessments, from beginner through intermediate levels. Teachers also benefit from the clear structure and the flexibility to customize fingerings and bowings for their own teaching approach.

• Use the blank staves to notate your preferred bowings and fingerings before assigning scales to students, ensuring consistency across your studio or section.
• Work through the theory and construction lesson in the introduction before diving into the scales themselves; understanding why scales are built this way accelerates student mastery.
• Assign scales progressively by key signature rather than all major scales first, then all minor scales; this mirrors how students encounter them in actual repertoire.

Assign as core practice material supporting whatever orchestral or chamber repertoire students are working on. The blues scales make it particularly useful for programs exploring cross-genre literacy or audition preparation that extends beyond classical idiom.

• Reading scales in major and minor (natural, harmonic, and melodic forms) across one, two, and three octaves
• Understanding scale construction and interval relationships through integrated music theory
• Intonation and consistency across extended range
• Blues scale reading and performance
• Foundational technique for audition preparation