I know you re joking but FYI the vomit exercise was originally developed by Gary Karr not as a left hand exercise but as a bowing exercise to work on bow speed/distribution in shifts. Lots of teachers then somehow turned it into a shifting exercise. The name comes from when he first introduced this exercise to a group of students, and the cacophony in the room made someone say that it sounded like vomit. Gary insists that the point of the vomit has little to do with the left hand and everything to do with bowing.
Beautiful playing! Have just started playing again after a 30 year break, and your performances and tutorials are very inspiring. will certainly link in to your lessons in the future. Al
One of the most useful exercises for accurate shifting I have ever used. Thank you for a very clear exposition, and your mention of pitfalls: Getting back to the starting note accurately, (In my head, I still can her my teacher saying that.) and ,when an interval isn't right, fix it then do it over several times.
I absolutely love this. I am a fretless player and have practiced a form of this for years everytime I pick up my fretless. You are awesome. This exercise, though the goal is obviously intonation of notes played, pounds the point in your head so much it trains your ear without one realizing. You rock!!!!
I play piano and violin but I orchestrate and my natural curiosity incites me to learn everything i can about other instruments ESPECIALLY those that don't have a lot of literature written for them ! Thanks so much Lauren ! I will write a double bass exercise/etude /study especially for you after some mre study of the double bass' abilities and extended techniques ! Jacob Druckman Valentine and Berio Sequenza (have to find out which one is for double bass since he wrote so many for every instrument for which e found it useful ) Thanks so much for giving all of us that are interested a new look into the world of the double bass !
Helpful, thanks. Our section leader suggested the "vomit exercise" a while back with a 20 second explanation, so it is good to see it explained in detail.
I'm just beginning to learn. I can not find a string Bass Teacher anyehere in this Mero DC area. Your exercise will be my intro to the Upright Bass. Furthermore, as a hail hail to your original lesson title, while I study, I'll have a cold one with you in mind. I have to say it's an attention getter. I'm glad my curiosity led me here.
Hi .... thanks for posting this ...... I don't have a double bass but I do use an unlined fretless electric, same things apply, please ignore the sarcastic comments .... well done
Hey Lauren! Really well presented as usual. When Gary Karr showed us this exercise, he added a wrinkle- bow speed goes slow fast fast slow. This way the high note gets more speed, while the shift and low note take less. Anyhow, thanks for another great lesson which I have already shared with my students and friends. Bass regards, Laurence
That's a great note for this exercise and I do this as well! I have a lesson this topic if anyone is interested: ruclips.net/video/InLxKV-5yJY/видео.html
i talked to mister Gary Karr the last november and i asked him about this excercised and he said that this was made specifically for the right hand and the goal is to produce the same sound between the low and the high note, using the same speed of the bow. but it seems like it works also for left hand. 😊
Well, you can work on your position shifting with this (obviously the slurs, intonation and bowing are not so applicable). Back when I was learning electric bass, this really helped me to switch positions without needing to look at the neck. I play guitar now, and it's still handy to be able to switch positions with facility.
It makes us guitar players realize just how easy we have it. Even a fretless electric bass usually has fret markers painted on that make aiming for a particular pitch by sight easier. On all the viol family of instruments, it's all up to your ears.
Hi I suggest putting the drone on the 5th of the scale, in the case of A major the drone should be on E, that's much better for intonation. Also the bow speed is very important. I learned the exercise from Gary Carr. He played it very slowly! He emphasized that it is mainly an exercise in bow speed. The speed of the bow should gradually increase as you go up.
I don't even play double bass or cello. I'm a drummer. That still was very interesting! Mainly cause if she didn't tell me, I'd have never noticed she was slightly off. That sounds spot on for an outsider.
Thank you for the exercise. I might have missed it. Did you recommend a starting tempo for the exercise (for a beginner arco player)? Would it be beneficial as our intonation becomes more accurate to speed up the exercise?
I learned "vomits" from Gary Karr in the early 1990s. Brings back memories! I think we did them in 2 octaves tho, which really made it like you were heaving/vomiting forward!
For variety you can turn this drill upside down as well making the top octave the anchor pitch. I used to run it as a combo working up 2 octaves as presented and then turning it upside down after reaching the top instead of backing down. This adds 15 more interval combinations.
Is it important for the elbow to precede the hand as you move up the neck? Your vid shows it very clearly on all the intervals. An example is around 10:30 when playing A to D on the G string. Before your hand up in pitch moves your elbow moves down.
FYI, the Vomit Exercise is a BOW EXERCISE. Gary Karr explained his exercise as a BOW SPEED exercise, not left hand shifting per se. The whole point is to not hear the shift; moving the bow at the speed of the slowest note involved. No doubt you might also improve your intonation, or shifting, or vibrato, or phrasing while working this exercise, but the Whole Point is actually BOW SPEED.
Hi Lauren. Thanks for another great practice technique. I play mostly walking bass in swing and jazz. My arco skills are terrible, but this exercise is really useful. I'm beginning to be able to hear all the intervals even with pizz. I've also been playing along with a drone on charts in which I have intonation trouble. It's amazing how it helps. Thanks again for the video. How are things in Oz? Ken
xyloeye That's great Ken - this is a great exercise to get you in shape, no matter where you are in your bass journey. I'm actually back in the US and living in Dallas! All the best :)
So I've removed the grub screws from the back of the neck of the bass (which were used to help guide me to notes in 1st and 3rd positions (they served their purpose), and I'm now relying on my ears to help me play in tune. Slowly getting there.
so, this exercise is actually not about intonation or shifting at all. it was actually referred to first as "bow stretching." this is usually done on A flat major, so you can reach as far as you can go to feel your back. its about slow bow speed on the bottom and a faster one on top. and feeling your back. if you do it correctly, you will see why it's about the back. if anyone else has studied with Gary, feel free to shed some light on the way we were taught this. cheers.
You have really great hands, probably you could play almost any instrument if you wanted. I call my hands dumb hands because they are a bit wide and a little short. Still I try to play a variety of instruments. Thanks for this clip!
Fantastic tutorial , thank you . As a newbie, dumb question do you(can you) also perform this exercise on any of the other strings ?? I am aware you can do the vomit exercise in the mid fingerboard region and upper positions .
If you did this exercise with a string crossing (i.e. E on the D string to B on the G string, back to E on the D string, up to C# on the G string, etc) where would you place the string crossing? Would you cross the string almost immediately after beginning the shift, roughly in the middle or save it as late a possible? cheers
Thanks Lauren! That was great. My questions have to do with where and how far to take the exercise after doing the A Major one you demonstrated. Do you recommend doing it in all keys? ...in all possible finger positions? How high on each string? Do you suggest crossing over into thumb positions on each string as part of the exercise? Thanks very much for your help.
I had the same question. I assume to maximize the most fingerboard with all keys you would do Ab,A and Bb on the G string then Eb,E and F on the D string and so on with the A and E strings . That would give you all 12 keys
I hear that drone all the time! I have tinitus, and although at a higher pitch, it's pretty much the same. Hmmm....I wonder if I can make a guitar excercise using my tinitus as the drone...?
Hi Lauren, I've been doing this exercise standing up, as per Geoff's instructions on the standing position. I know you sit down to play. I have no problem with going upwards, say A to D, but when I return to the tonic the weight of my left hand doing the glissando is making the bass rotate anti-clockwise, making me lose good contact with the fingerboard. Any ideas how to avoid that? Thank you.
Hey, question about intonation vs equal temperament...when playing with others we adjust. But playing with drone wouldn’t you most naturally here the “natural’ harmonics more strongly in tune?
I came here thinking this would be some Heavy Metal song played on that instrument.!!! hahahaha Hey I learned something from this video tho. Thumbs up.
My instrument is a bit smaller than that... Much smaller, actually. But seriously, the exercise is quite similar to some I've been doing on the violin. Also, it's crossed my mind to use a drone, but somehow, I haven't tried it yet. How come I've never seen anyone recommend a drone for practicing intonation on the violin or viola yet?
Can some cello or double-bass player please explain, why is this a good exercise??? I play piano primarily, but i also do voice, is this something to make you familiar with the pitch and position (much like for a pianist, you more or less can know which know is locate where spatially)??? Oh, i felt so mysterious about this.
Piano players don't have to worry about where to put their fingers to produce the note they want. Bass players (cello, viola, violin also) don't even have frets the way guitars do. So many exercises are needed to help train muscle memory and ear to get to the exact spot where the note is.
![Hunxho - Ball Forever [Official Video]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/nki9ZTF9Uls/mqdefault.jpg)
You didn't even vomit once. This exercise isn't very effective.
that's what I thought
Awkward..
I clearly misunderstood you. I had a diatribe all composed, then I saw what you are saying :) :) :)
Wha? I vomited twice...
I know you re joking but FYI the vomit exercise was originally developed by Gary Karr not as a left hand exercise but as a bowing exercise to work on bow speed/distribution in shifts. Lots of teachers then somehow turned it into a shifting exercise. The name comes from when he first introduced this exercise to a group of students, and the cacophony in the room made someone say that it sounded like vomit. Gary insists that the point of the vomit has little to do with the left hand and everything to do with bowing.
Beautiful playing! Have just started playing again after a 30 year break, and your performances and tutorials are very inspiring. will certainly link in to your lessons in the future.
Al
I like to picture her as a very tiny person playing a regular size violin
I lub you
😂😂😂
One of the most useful exercises for accurate shifting I have ever used. Thank you for a very clear exposition, and your mention of pitfalls: Getting back to the starting note accurately, (In my head, I still can her my teacher saying that.) and ,when an interval isn't right, fix it then do it over several times.
I absolutely love this. I am a fretless player and have practiced a form of this for years everytime I pick up my fretless. You are awesome. This exercise, though the goal is obviously intonation of notes played, pounds the point in your head so much it trains your ear without one realizing. You rock!!!!
I’m a cellist, but I find your videos incredibly informative and your Bach CMaj Bouree I+II performance phenomenal in tone and intonation.
I'll try this on fretless bass guitar. I didn't know vomiting was exercise. I used to vomit when I played in club bands in the 1970s.
I play piano and violin but I orchestrate and my natural curiosity incites me to learn everything i can about other instruments ESPECIALLY those that don't have a lot of literature written for them ! Thanks so much Lauren ! I will write a double bass exercise/etude /study especially for you after some mre study of the double bass' abilities and extended techniques ! Jacob Druckman Valentine and Berio Sequenza (have to find out which one is for double bass since he wrote so many for every instrument for which e found it useful ) Thanks so much for giving all of us that are interested a new look into the world of the double bass !
Why am I watching this? I play double ba- oh wait
I applied this great practice technique to a new fretless bass guitar. Thanks!
I dont know why im watching this i play flute
Isaac Navarro I play both. It just has an intriguing name and the the bass is awesome ☺
I also do not know why i am watching this, i play the piano,.
I don't know I'm watching this I play guitar / produce pop 😂😂
I couldn't play any instrument to save my life but I'm watching this for a second time.
I play percussions and I'm watching this too haha
Helpful, thanks. Our section leader suggested the "vomit exercise" a while back with a 20 second explanation, so it is good to see it explained in detail.
Love your impeccable intonation!
I've been doing this with my voice, to learn relative pitch! Fantastic excersise :) ... I'm loving it.
Great way to practice singing intervals! :-)
The technique applies to theremin, as well. Great tutorial!
Just really helpful Lauren. Your lessons are by far the best I've ever encountered. Thank you.
Thank you. I will try it. It makes sense for intonation practice.
can i do this on drums ?
Simon - if your drum has a pedal that changes the tension
@@corpsie666 like the hi-hat? Lol
Only if you can incorporate circular breathing.
Michael Persico oh I do this all the time with timpani, but not for practice
Keith Moon beat you to it.
Also very good for electric fretlessbassplayer ! Thank you !!!
same here
I'm guessing you could also adapt it for Trombone (going down instead of up), but I'm not sure.
I'm just beginning to learn. I can not find a string Bass Teacher anyehere in this Mero DC area. Your exercise will be my intro to the Upright Bass. Furthermore, as a hail hail to your original lesson title, while I study, I'll have a cold one with you in mind. I have to say it's an attention getter. I'm glad my curiosity led me here.
Could also work for those of us who play electric bass, great coordination workout! Thanks for posting it :)
Hi .... thanks for posting this ...... I don't have a double bass but I do use an unlined fretless electric, same things apply, please ignore the sarcastic comments .... well done
Hey Lauren! Really well presented as usual. When Gary Karr showed us this exercise, he added a wrinkle- bow speed goes slow fast fast slow. This way the high note gets more speed, while the shift and low note take less. Anyhow, thanks for another great lesson which I have already shared with my students and friends. Bass regards, Laurence
That's a great note for this exercise and I do this as well! I have a lesson this topic if anyone is interested: ruclips.net/video/InLxKV-5yJY/видео.html
I have "vomited" for more than 25 years...it is so helpful!!!
Thanks so much Lauren. Very much appreciated.
i talked to mister Gary Karr the last november and i asked him about this excercised and he said that this was made specifically for the right hand and the goal is to produce the same sound between the low and the high note, using the same speed of the bow. but it seems like it works also for left hand. 😊
Absolutely, it's an exercise that can be used for the left or right hands. Both are highly effective!
correct this is a BOWWW exercise ;) and BACKKKK exercise
Why am i watching this? I play guitar
Well, you can work on your position shifting with this (obviously the slurs, intonation and bowing are not so applicable). Back when I was learning electric bass, this really helped me to switch positions without needing to look at the neck. I play guitar now, and it's still handy to be able to switch positions with facility.
It makes us guitar players realize just how easy we have it. Even a fretless electric bass usually has fret markers painted on that make aiming for a particular pitch by sight easier. On all the viol family of instruments, it's all up to your ears.
Yeah, Paul, i couldn't agree more
She’s cute that’s why
Caíque Marlon me too and I even put the 69th like to your comment
Your so perfectly in tune!
Hi
I suggest putting the drone on the 5th of the scale, in the case of A major the drone should be on E, that's much better for intonation.
Also the bow speed is very important.
I learned the exercise from Gary Carr. He played it very slowly! He emphasized that it is mainly an exercise in bow speed. The speed of the bow should gradually increase as you go up.
I used to put the drone on the 5th as well! I loved hearing the harmonies.
Thanks for the video! Also, that bass really has a nice voice!
Root note drone is brilliant. Great stuff, thanks! Cheers, Chris.
Just fantastic (lesson) Lauren! Thanks!
Really great. I have always wanted a double bass. But it is out of my price range. I recently got a fret less neck. Such an odd ball thing!
Hi,Lauren!!! i really thank you for the class, i'm going to start just like that, then an octave higher,a shout out from Lima Perú!!!
I don't even play double bass or cello. I'm a drummer.
That still was very interesting! Mainly cause if she didn't tell me, I'd have never noticed she was slightly off. That sounds spot on for an outsider.
Why am I watching this? I play the slide whistle.
lol, welcome :-)
very good explained to get it right! Thanks!
Brilliant exercise!
Thank you for the exercise. I might have missed it. Did you recommend a starting tempo for the exercise (for a beginner arco player)? Would it be beneficial as our intonation becomes more accurate to speed up the exercise?
Theo RixLux thank you.
Great exercise thanks!
Merci pour ces idées d'exercices éclairants.
thank you very much for this explanation very helfull it's a brilliant fantastic exercice
I learned "vomits" from Gary Karr in the early 1990s. Brings back memories! I think we did them in 2 octaves tho, which really made it like you were heaving/vomiting forward!
Fantastic! Looking forward to working on this!!
Amazing exercise, very good video! Thank you so much!
You're so welcome!
Very helpful and clear demonstration, thanks!
Glad it was helpful!
I think the same exercise would be useful for singers. I'm going to try it.
Thank you for the lesson. All my best wishes to you.
This is also a singing excercise!
No
BASS
Fantastic tutorial thank you.
For variety you can turn this drill upside down as well making the top octave the anchor pitch. I used to run it as a combo working up 2 octaves as presented and then turning it upside down after reaching the top instead of backing down. This adds 15 more interval combinations.
That's a killer exercise! Great suggestion.
I play guitar and sing. Was watching some Corelli (A.K.A. Master) and this came up. RUclips?? I watched it though. You are good!
Gosh I love the grittiness of that instrument's tone. Same goes for cello!
Is it important for the elbow to precede the hand as you move up the neck? Your vid shows it very clearly on all the intervals. An example is around 10:30 when playing A to D on the G string. Before your hand up in pitch moves your elbow moves down.
Great lesson. Thanks Lauren.
Great lesson !
FYI, the Vomit Exercise is a BOW EXERCISE. Gary Karr explained his exercise as a BOW SPEED exercise, not left hand shifting per se. The whole point is to not hear the shift; moving the bow at the speed of the slowest note involved. No doubt you might also improve your intonation, or shifting, or vibrato, or phrasing while working this exercise, but the Whole Point is actually BOW SPEED.
Bow Speed, Yes! Bow Control, right. Developing a Consistent Quality Style, yeah.
There is a Pixies's Music called 'I Bleed' which uses this, with the bass guitar.
This exercise works great. Thanks.
Need to see it completed all the way to second octave A :) . E string is the hardest specially with a German bow standing. I think I got up to B.
2:37 the good stuff
.
thanks for the video!
can I also do that on my bongos?
😂😂😂😂
Hi Lauren. Thanks for another great practice technique. I play mostly walking bass in swing and jazz. My arco skills are terrible, but this exercise is really useful. I'm beginning to be able to hear all the intervals even with pizz. I've also been playing along with a drone on charts in which I have intonation trouble. It's amazing how it helps. Thanks again for the video. How are things in Oz?
Ken
xyloeye That's great Ken - this is a great exercise to get you in shape, no matter where you are in your bass journey. I'm actually back in the US and living in Dallas! All the best :)
Hi Ken
I',m the same as you but I don't even own a bow (yet) This seems like at would be a good beginning bowing exercise also.
Hi. Cool exercice. Just a question. On what notes do you put your spots and why ? Thank You.
Thank tou for this helpful lesson.
So I've removed the grub screws from the back of the neck of the bass (which were used to help guide me to notes in 1st and 3rd positions (they served their purpose), and I'm now relying on my ears to help me play in tune. Slowly getting there.
I loved this exercise! Would you recommend doing the exercise two octaves? Also, would it be helpful starting high and going low?
what a great practice tool ,
so, this exercise is actually not about intonation or shifting at all. it was actually referred to first as "bow stretching." this is usually done on A flat major, so you can reach as far as you can go to feel your back. its about slow bow speed on the bottom and a faster one on top. and feeling your back. if you do it correctly, you will see why it's about the back. if anyone else has studied with Gary, feel free to shed some light on the way we were taught this. cheers.
also, let your fingers glide down the string but not pressed down.
Simply brilliant. Is it just as effective to do this exercise with pizzicato instead? Or is bow necessary for maximum benefit?
It’s a great shifting exercise and would work pizz. It can also be used to work on bow control.
Now Is See Why You Need The Drone. I Watched This Video A Few Times.
You have really great hands, probably you could play almost any instrument if you wanted. I call my hands dumb hands because they are a bit wide and a little short. Still I try to play a variety of instruments. Thanks for this clip!
Great for playing woodwinds
So it's like the soundtrack to seasickness. That's kind of what I'm getting from the name.
Thank you very much
Fantastic tutorial , thank you .
As a newbie, dumb question do you(can you) also perform this exercise on any of the other strings ??
I am aware you can do the vomit exercise in the mid fingerboard region and upper positions .
Yes, it’s advisable to play on all strings.
If you did this exercise with a string crossing (i.e. E on the D string to B on the G string, back to E on the D string, up to C# on the G string, etc) where would you place the string crossing? Would you cross the string almost immediately after beginning the shift, roughly in the middle or save it as late a possible?
cheers
Can we do this on drums?
Dig the tone, really nice.....
One of my core daily drills.
Thanks Lauren! That was great. My questions have to do with where and how far to take the exercise after doing the A Major one you demonstrated. Do you recommend doing it in all keys? ...in all possible finger positions? How high on each string? Do you suggest crossing over into thumb positions on each string as part of the exercise? Thanks very much for your help.
I had the same question. I assume to maximize the most fingerboard with all keys you would do Ab,A and Bb on the G string then Eb,E and F on the D string and so on with the A and E strings . That would give you all 12 keys
Does this exercise work for the pukulele?
Frets are a great invention !
I hear that drone all the time! I have tinitus, and although at a higher pitch, it's pretty much the same. Hmmm....I wonder if I can make a guitar excercise using my tinitus as the drone...?
Do you consider 3rd finger octave G and the A above thumb position?
What's a good substitute for thumb pisition because im missing a thumb please tell me teacher.
Hi Lauren, I've been doing this exercise standing up, as per Geoff's instructions on the standing position. I know you sit down to play. I have no problem with going upwards, say A to D, but when I return to the tonic the weight of my left hand doing the glissando is making the bass rotate anti-clockwise, making me lose good contact with the fingerboard. Any ideas how to avoid that? Thank you.
Hey, question about intonation vs equal temperament...when playing with others we adjust. But playing with drone wouldn’t you most naturally here the “natural’ harmonics more strongly in tune?
I came here thinking this would be some Heavy Metal song played on that instrument.!!! hahahaha Hey I learned something from this video tho. Thumbs up.
Where's the puking part?
Lauren, can you walk, too, like Paul Chambers or Eddie Gomez?
My instrument is a bit smaller than that... Much smaller, actually. But seriously, the exercise is quite similar to some I've been doing on the violin. Also, it's crossed my mind to use a drone, but somehow, I haven't tried it yet. How come I've never seen anyone recommend a drone for practicing intonation on the violin or viola yet?
Hey Lauren. Do you vomit only on the high string or on the others as well? It gets a little gruelling on the low E string!
It's great to practice this on all strings if possible.
Great exercise for fretless electric players, as well.
Why am I watching this I play the didgeridoo
Ok, I've listened to the end, and didn't feel any vomit coming ; Perhaps need to improve my bass loudspeakers?
What is the intro song?
Your bass sounds AMAZING! Also, would this exercise work for cello at all?
Should work on any frettless instrument.
I'm a guitar player and when I play cello or violin I have fret markers, because I'm dumb and that's how I roll but it works.
Can some cello or double-bass player please explain, why is this a good exercise??? I play piano primarily, but i also do voice, is this something to make you familiar with the pitch and position (much like for a pianist, you more or less can know which know is locate where spatially)???
Oh, i felt so mysterious about this.
Piano players don't have to worry about where to put their fingers to produce the note they want. Bass players (cello, viola, violin also) don't even have frets the way guitars do. So many exercises are needed to help train muscle memory and ear to get to the exact spot where the note is.
What notes or positions does the white dots on the fret board refer to!