In Ex. 1, Armstrong breaks down lefthand upright fingering on a C major scale. “This fingering can be used all over the lowest octave of the bass; practice it slowly at first and work your way through all keys. There are two important components: First, always have your thumb directly in line behind your 2nd finger, no matter where you’re playing on the fingerboard, and keep it about halfway up the back of the neck. This is your vice-like pivot point; I can pick up my bass just with my thumb and 2nd finger. Second, use your 3rd finger to help your 4th finger—place it right alongside and behind your pinkie so that both are holding down the string, with the pinkie creating the pitch. The two act like one large finger, which helps considerably with vibrato, slides, and glisses.”
Ex. 2 is Ralphe’s “saxophone-like” exercise, incorporating 4ths plus an approach note from a whole-step above to outline a diminished 7 chord up the fingerboard (Ab- B-D-F). “This is a good workout for practicing position shifts. Note the use of the 3rd finger in place of the 4th [on the high Bb] when you get above the 12th fret; that’s standard upright fingering, where the 3rd finger comes into play because the notes are closer together on that part of the neck. Practice this slowly, ascending and descending, in all keys.”
Finally, in Ex. 3, Armstrong applies upright fingering to this 4ths-laden passage in the style of the great jazz saxophonist/composer Eddie Harris—especially typical of tunes like “Freedom Jazz Dance” and “Ambidextrous” [the latter of which Ralph recorded with Harris on Eddie Who?, Timeless, 1986]. “This is a good example of using logical alternate fingerings as the line moves down the neck towards 1st position, beginning in the second half of bar 3. Remember to make it funky and musical.”
Armstrong, who has been recording and touring with saxophonist James Carter of late, concludes, “To dig deeper into upright fingerings, I recommend Practical Tutor for the Double Bass: Prof. Josef Hrabe’s Method, by Adolf Lotter [Hawkes & Son, out of print], or similar books with Hrabe’s method. He was a Czech professor at the University of Prague in the late 19th Century, who devised the 12 positions for double bass. Simandl studied with Hrabe, and modern masters like Ron Carter, Miroslav Vitous, and Stanley Clarke continue those principles.”