-
Step 1
Obtain a method book for double bass. Method books illustrate the basics of the instrument, such as holding your bass correctly, bowing techniques, music theory and other elements that will help you learn your instrument. Method books also contain a fingering chart and pages of scales.
-
Step 2
Tune your instrument. Use a tuner or any other concert pitch instrument that is already in tune (like a piano, bells or marimba).
-
Step 3
Flip to the scales section of your method book and pick one to play. Many musicians feel that D Major (D, E, F#, G, A, B, C#, D) or A Major (A, B, C#, D, E, F#, G#, A) are the easiest to play on the double bass because of the way the fingerings work in relation to the open strings.
-
Step 4
Pluck through the scale, using your finger chart when necessary to look up the fingering for any note that you do not know. Continue to practice the scale with plucking until you are comfortable with all the notes, and can finger or pluck through the scale accurately (both up and down) and in tempo.
-
Step 5
Bow through the scale. Practice until you can smoothly bow through the entire scale, up and down.
-
Step 6
Add in the arpeggio and thirds. Put the bow aside. Similar to when you were learning the up and down part of the scale, practice plucking the arpeggio and third on your double bass before you move on to doing it with the bow.
-
Step 7
Practice the scale at least a few times a week after you've mastered it to keep fresh.
-
Step 8
Learn another scale, repeating the steps above. Keep doing this until you have learned all of the scales (including up and down, arpeggio and thirds) in the back of your double bass method book.
