Volume 10, May 2019
Intonation in the Performance of the Double Bass: The Role of Vision and Tact in Undershoot and Overshoot Patterns

by Fausto Borém and Guilherme Menezes Lage

Volume 10 of the OJBR presents Intonation in the Performance of the Double Bass: The Role of Vision and Tact in Undershoot and Overshoot Patterns by Fausto Borém and Guilherme Menezes Lage.

Abstract: The research question of this paper was partially motivated by the need for better control of the double bass performance and partly motivated by the friction of opinions in the international double bass community about using or not using marks on the double bass fingerboard. Obtaining an accurate intonation is a universal problem in the performance of non-tempered stringed instruments (with no frets) such as the members of the violin family. Musicians commonly land their fingers too short (undershoot) or too long (overshoot) for aimed locations (target notes), resulting in poor intonation. This study aims at understanding how the sensorial guidance of vision and tact could interfere in the erroneous movement patterns of undershoot and overshoot. As an interdisciplinary study (music performance and motor behavior), it analyzed the performance of professional musicians in two movement conditions: with and without sensorial guidance. The results showed that sensorial cues conditions compared against no-guidance conditions create: (1) an overshoot pattern instead of an undershoot pattern and (2) a more accurate intonation on the double bass, which were discussed based on the role of visual and tactile information on motor control of the left limb. Summarizing this research, the results show that visual and tactile strategies can improve the performance of double bassists.

1. Introduction

2. Review of the Literature

3. Method

4. Results

5. Discussion and Conclusions

References

About the Authors

Keywords: accuracy in double bass performance; undershoot and overshoot double bass patterns; control of non-tempered intonation; left hand movements in music performance.