Bachelor
Double Bass
As a student in this four-year Bachelor’s programme, you will get the opportunity to listen, play and learn in the inspiring environment of our Bass department:
You will have regular one-to-one lessons with the main subject Bass teachers, subsidiary subject lessons in Electric Bass (for Double Bass students) and Double Bass (for Electric Bass students), monthly group lessons focusing on bass history, practice techniques and current music, bass methodology classes, studio recordings, plenty of band rehearsals (coached by our faculty) focusing on repertoire (year 1 and 2) and specific musical styles (year 3), as well as having the opportunity to bring in your own musical ideas and compositions.
The individual bass lessons will provide you with improvisation techniques, harmonic knowledge, technical skills and grooves/rhythm concepts for various musical situations and styles (jazz/fusion, funk/soul, Latin/salsa, pop/rock, world music). Naturally, the programme can be tailored to your personal level and needs.
To complete the programme, we offer Bass workshops and masterclasses (taught by artists like Richard Bona, Scott Colley, John Clayton, Ben Street, Alain Caron, Linley Marthe, Lincoln Goines, Hein van de Geyn, Michel Hatzigeorgiou, Jimmy Haslip etc.). Double Bass students have the chance to meet guest lecturer John Goldsby (WDR Big Band) every month during the academic year.
Meet our team
Meet your lecturers
Curriculum
Curriculum
|
Major Double Bass |
More info |
Year 1 |
Year 2 |
Year 3 |
Year 4 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Main Subject and Components related to the Main Subject |
25 |
17 |
38 |
42 |
|
Main Subject Double Bass |
23 |
15 |
36 |
42 |
|
Side Subject Bass Guitar |
2 |
2 |
2 |
||
Band Performing |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
Band |
10 |
10 |
10 |
10 |
|
Composing & Arranging |
6 |
||||
Arranging Jazz |
6 |
||||
Recording & Producing |
2 |
2 |
1 |
||
Studio Recording |
1 |
||||
Capturing and Shaping Sound |
2 |
2 |
|||
Tools in Creation |
18 |
18 |
|||
Aural Skills Jazz |
6 |
6 |
|||
Applied Theory Combo |
1 |
1 |
|||
Choir Jazz (general) |
1 |
||||
Theoretical Analysis Jazz |
6 |
6 |
|||
Applied Piano Jazz |
3 |
3 |
|||
Rhythmic Solfège Jazz |
1 |
||||
Percussion & Pulse |
2 |
||||
Research & Development Skills |
3 |
3 |
|||
Critical Listening |
|||||
A. Jazz Music Histroy |
2 |
2 |
|||
B. Listening in context |
1 |
1 |
|||
Health & Well-being |
1 |
1 |
|||
Health & Well-being |
1 |
1 |
|||
International Career Center |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Your Art as a Business |
1 |
1 |
2 |
2 |
|
Teaching & Outreach Programme |
2 |
||||
Basic Teaching Skills Lectures |
1 |
||||
Basic Teaching Skills Instrument Specific Methodology |
1 |
||||
Minor |
9 |
6 |
|||
Elective Modules |
9 |
6 |
Before you apply
Admission
requirements
Video Requirements
Share your un-edited video recording links in the portfolio. Videos should be uploaded to your YouTube channel ( if you don’t have one, make one). Set your videos to ‘unlisted’ so only you and we can see them. IMPORTANT: DO NOT send the actual video(s): ONLY LINKS to the video(s)
- Videos should have good audio quality, where we can hear your playing very well. You can make separate short videos or one longer one.
- The candidate presents him/herself in English at the start of the video
- The video is maximum 10 minutes long
Video content
- Blues: Play 1 chorus bebop blues head/melody, 4 choruses walking bass, 2 choruses solo, final chorus blues melody/head.
- Ballad or slow standard melody: Play the melody to a ballad (one chorus), or a standard in ballad tempo (arco or pizzicato). Tempo suggestion: ca. 60 bpm.
- Fast walking: Play 4 choruses of only a quarter-note walking line on a standard chord progression at ca. tempo 200 bpm (or faster). Tune suggestions: “There Will Never Be Another You,” “What Is This Thing Called Love,” “Autumn Leaves,” “My Shining Hour,” etc.
- Arco: Play 1 classical etude of your choice, e.g. Simandl, Bille, Kreutzer, Streicher
Please note
Do not use any backing tracks, drones, drum beats or metronomes on your video. Everything should be recorded with bass only. Please record each assignment (1, 2, 3, 4 ) in one take (no cuts or edits — everything played straight through).
In case that your material is selected you will get an invitation for an online theory test and if necessary, an online meeting with the main subject teachers.