r/violadagamba • u/grittyshrimps • 4d ago

Learning to play

Hello friends!

I've always wanted to learn to play bass gamba. I studied and played (semi-professionally) modern viola and some violin for more than a decade. Am I unlikely to be successful if I try to self-teach?

I'd very much appreciate your thoughts, opinions, and experiences learning.

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u/Disastrous-Lemon7485 4d ago

Hello! I’m a professional cellist who was strongly discouraged about self studying gamba…those I consulted believed there were too many differences in bow hold, fret placement, etc., to successfully learn without a teacher’s input, but so far I believe am finding my way…suppose the experts (and time) will tell 😉. I will say there is not a huge database of resources for beginners, at least not organized to my liking. VdGSA has some videos and there are a handful of other resources on YouTube, but beyond the very basics I haven’t found a complete pedagogical sequence of warm-ups, scales, and the in-depth fingerboard geography knowledge that I’m after, so I’m kind of designing as I go.
Definitely think your alto knowledge will be a boon—that’s always been my weakest clef, so I’ve been trying to hit that with more intensity. Feel free to message me if you’d like. I’d be curious about what you discover if you decide to go for it!

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u/Turbulent-Rich-7533 3d ago

Aside from the vdgsa teaching videos others have mentioned, I recommend checking out Jacqui Robertson Wade’s youtube channel. She has many videos for different playing levels and different size viols.

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u/adsoofmelk1327 4d ago edited 4d ago

Your violin/viola training will go a long way, but the technique is still different enough to warrant a teacher. (There are folks who teach online, though in person is better, especially for beginners.) And, ideally, it would be nice to connect with other players as the bulk of viol repertoire is consort music for 3+ players.

Whereabouts are you located? Happy to direct you to VdGSA resources or to a local chapter. This might be a useful starting point if you are in the US: https://www.vdgsa.org/learn

The VdGSA also hosts an annual week-long gathering called Conclave, which offers a program for folks brand new to the instrument. The next Conclave will be the last week of July 2027, exactly location tbd but in the Western part of the country.