Hi,
I have found this 'old' (2002) article on the double bass where it is described as the most horrendous instrument to learn! I am a little upset but I guess we are all entitled to our opionions?
here's a link to it:
http://comment.independent.co.uk/columnist...ticle174731.ece

Just wanted to share my 'anger' with you all, thanksss I feel better now

Jo

Hey I learned double bass as a teenager and it was great!!! It had real novelty value... "You play the double bass? WOW....". It was my second instrument but I didn't find it hard.... I progressed much quicker on the Double bass than the clarinet. It was a shortage instrument... so I ended up in the county orchestra playing on the double bass.... not the clarinet!!!! I got to Gr 5 in a couple of years!!! It was difficult to cart around though. My one bug bear was that as soon as people realised I played double bass, they wanted me to play that in orchestras and wind bands... whereas I wanted to play clarinet sometimes!!!! Sometimes I rebelled and refused.... but sitting by the tubas and trombones at the back of wind orchestras was more fun than the clarinet section sometimes (or maybe you could just get away with more as you are much further away from the conductor than ist clarinets!!!!!!).
It wasn't unsexy at all. In fact, as a 15 yr old girl, there were always plenty of boys around who just had to help me with music stands, opening doors etc.
The double bass section in comty orchestra was good too... there were 10 of us.... and a fair few boys.
Playing double bass is not that bad!!!!

I learnt double bass too and got to grade 5. It was great - except for not being terribly portable! Orchestra was fun - the music was generally easier than the violin/viola parts .

I wanted to learn double bass. I ended up with violin instead

its never too late to learn double bass... I play violin as a primary instrument and double bass as a second

its a fab instrument.... but i still think violin is more versatile

I love the double bass. I pester my parents if I can play one, but they won't let me

Oh well, violin isn't too bad is it?

Violin isn't THAT bad. I'm just not very well suited to it, and have played for years but never got beyond about grade 3/4.

I might take up double bass sometime, I'm already trying to juggle 6 instruments though, and it's not at the top of my 'to learn next' list.

I daresay size isn't the only thing that makes bass prohibitive - look at how much they cost!

I know elizabeth! My son will start double bass in september, needless to say he will have a 'cheapie' to start with (and that will already be at least £500!!!) but am no looking forward to when he will be good at it and I have to part with thousands of pounds!!!

Yea, other than being absolutely huge and difficult to cart around (I don't even know if it can fit into the boot of a car! ), it's also expensive!

Double basses fit into many cars!!!! Estates with the seats down...It went into a fiesta if my memory was correct.... you just tilted the passenger seat back as far as possible ......It wouldn't fit into some cars that seem big cars if I remember correctly - it was to do with how far back the passenger seat would go!!!!

I had a 3/4 size opne in the back on my Clio just I wedged it behind the passanger seat so the person in the front was sat on to of the dash virtually

AHAHAHAHAH, I would have loved to see that! images of Mr Bean are coming into my head!

That made me laugh more than anything has all day.

I was returning it to the Music Service after somone's son got fed up with it. That'll teach me to kepp my mouth sut won't it!!

Some people up the road from us had a son and a daughter. Daughter played the cello and son the double bass. When they both got into the local youth orchestra and so had to be at the same rehearsals at the same time the parents had to buy a bigger car