Edgar Meyer is a giant. One of the very rare bass soloists who has a real character to his sound and way of playing. You hear one note and you know it's him. For me he is up there, in this respect, with Karr, Streicher, and Pošta. To my ears he is also one of the very few bass players (if not the only one) who can make Bach's cello suites come alive and "speak", and who transcends the technical aspect. And his own music has the same quality of telling a story with the utmost conviction.
I didn't know Edgar until found the astounding Goat Rodeo sessions this year (2021). His solo on Helping Hand won me over at first hearing and I am now definitely a fan of this bassist. I do wish Edgar had gone into a little more detail about his tuning and how his bass extension works, and I wish the internet hadn't asked such dumb questions.
Eh that's just how the internet is He uses Solo strings (A,E,B) with an Orchestral low string (C) As for the extension, it's supposed to extend the fingerboard lower to make the lowest string capable of reaching C instead of E like a Cello can. The extension itself has 4 capos that allow you to play all the notes between E and C.
That’s not quite right for solo tuning on the double bass. Typical solo tuning is a whole step higher than standard tuning. (Low to high: F#, B, E, A). Edgar has a standard gauge low string with a C extension, so his bass ends up being tuned: C/E, B, E, A.
Tell me some of the things you think about when you're playing the bass, some of the images. Because of course when you're playing I thought about things like sheep and things like that, little candies, fresh little candies and things like that. Do you think of those things too?
Pity most of the questions were from people not particularly 'into' music. Or so it would seem. If this was my slot, I'd throw out most of the questions, and only answer the ones I felt like responding too. Snobbish? maybe - but then all those other attention-span-knats can go back to their playstations..
Really? Were these "most-searched" questions asked by Primary School students as an assignment when the music teacher had a headache!? How Bass-ic! This is like asking Albert Einstein what he had for breakfast! I'd ask Mr. Meyer something like if he has a preference of a diatonic scale, depending on the genre he's performing, and why? Anything to have him share the insights of his unbelievable genius and mastery of his instrument!
Just because a question is "basic" doesn't make it less valuable. All levels of education are important. I'd also rather think that arbitrary questions on theory are best answered in a interview or masterclass, not short video. This is a great resource for introducing folks to the bass by a player they may recognize.
