Contemporary literature for the double bass includes a large body of new techniques of double bass playing. Though these techniques are not included on any didactic materials for the double bass, they are frequently found in contemporary compositions. The only work which enumerates these new techniques is Bertram Turetsky's book, The Contemporary Contrabass.This dissertation is intended to close the gap between composer and double bass performer by presenting ten etudes which systematically cover the most important of these techniques as outlined in Turetsky's work. The categories in which these new techniques have arisen are those of arco performance, pizzicato performance, harmonics, percussion sounds, and vocal and speech sounds. In addition to these categories, two which pose performance difficulties unique to contemporary music, but not unique to double bass performance, have been considered in this dissertation. These are changing meters and new notation systems. These seven categories of double bass performance techniques, then, form the essential content of the ten etudes, which are composed so that they present these techniques in their typical musical context.The first four etudes are concerned with changing meters, one of the most basic performance problems in contemporary music. The first etude is in quintuple meters only, but the metrical complexity of the first four etudes gradually increases to encompass rapidly changing meters and metric modulations. Etudes V and VI continue to use changing meters, but they are primarily concerned with contemporary pizzicato techniques. Etudes VII through X are concerned with new notational systems, including proportional notation, frame notation, and graphic notation. These latter etudes also present other contemporary techniques in conjunction with the study of notation. Etude VII introduces proportional notation, as well as the various types of harmonics common in contemporary literature. Etude VIII continues the study of proportional notation, but introduces percussion sounds. Etude IX continues the study of percussion sounds, but places them in the context of frame notation, thereby also introducing classical improvisation. Etude X uses percussive and speech sounds in the framework of a simple graphic notational system. Each of these ten etudes is preceded by a text which fully explains the new techniques used.Each etude has been written to approximate the musical styles in which these contemporary techniques are used. These etudes can be performed in concert, as well as in lessons and in practice sessions. It is hoped that these etudes will further enlighten double bass players in the use of new contemporary techniques and contribute to the increased performance of the contemporary works in which they are found.

This dissertation is intended to fulfill a need for intermediate study material for the double bass. Studies that have been written, using twentieth century compositional techniques, are for the most part out of reach of the intermediate student. The extant contemporary studies extend the range of the instrument beyond the usual orchestral gamut and, combined with rapidly changing meters, rhythmic complexities, and new notation systems, tend to be studies for the more mature student of the double bass.The goals for the studies as instructional aids were (1) to select, arrange and create contemporary studies and pieces for the intermediate double bass player; and (2) to limit these studies to the lower gamut of the instrument and prepare the intermediate student for the technical and musical complexities that are a part of the extant studies for the more advanced student of double bass.Musical styles used are: jazz rhythms and harmonies, folk songs and dances, liturgical melody, classical suite and serial set.As an aid to understanding these studies and pieces, a tape recording of each study is an integral part of the dissertation. Included are two keyboard accompaniments and suggestions for the use of other instrumental combinations. It is hoped that some studies may be found appropriate for concert or recital performance.Study One is concerned with the performance problems of unbarred recitative and color usage. Ponticello, glissando, pizzicato, ricochet, tremolo and col legno are added to achieve color contrast in this study.Study Two consists of four traditional Greek songs. They are written in uneven meters of five and seven and combinations of two and three. Indication for rubato style, Bartok or "snap" pizzicato, portamento,and slurred pizzicato add to the performance problems of this study.Study Three is based on the entire melodic material of "Dies Irae". It is arranged in three settings: (1) improvised, (2) in tempo with guitar accompaniment,and (3) improvised with the use of natural harmonics. Other techniques employed are micro-tones and double stops.Study Four focuses on the problem of spiccato bowing. It is written in the tenor clef to advance reading ability. The piece may be played unaccompanied or with keyboard accompaniment.Study Five is a study in phrasing. It is an atonal work with piano accompaniment. and is based on a four-note set. The solo line, by transposition, eventually employs all of the tones of the chromatic scale.Study Six is designed as a study in pizzicato,. Pizzicato techniques are: slurred, drummed, left-hand, thumb, Bartok, arpeggiando and L. H. pizzicato semmre. The pitches are a combination of pressed tones and natural harmonics.Preceding each piece is a description or discussion of the technical problems peculiar to that study.

Diverse practicing methods are evidence of the importance of applying creativity in our practice regimes. Regardless of a player's technique - traditional or modern - it must be regularly practiced and then applied. One of the most common ways to do that is through practicing technical exercises, which generally means the practice of scales, arpeggios and etudes. These exercises generally function as a warm-up regime for all musicians, but this regime doesn't necessarily provide enough reference for the player in the learning process of a new piece. Adapting exercises to address technical difficulties in a newly learned piece can provide the player with a wide range of practice methods to use, to be creative, to be more aware while practicing, and to build a solid technical foundation for the newly learned piece. Two well-known pedagogues who applied this approach are German bassist Ludwig Streicher and Czech violinist Otakar Ševčik. By implementing analytical studies and composing exercises based on the standard repertoire, Ševčik and Streicher became highly influential teachers in the 20th century. Their work serves as a model in achieving the purposes of this dissertation: the assessment of technical difficulties and compilation of a technique booklet based on six unaccompanied contemporary solo pieces written as required works for the solo competition of the International Society of Bassists' biennial convention since 2007.

One of the essential difficulties encountered while preparing a piece for a pre-professional player is defining the piece's technical challenges and doing exercises or etude studies accordingly. Based on this fact, in my thesis, I described the technical challenges of Edouard Nanny's Dragonetti A Major concerto under the headings and suggested technical studies suitable for these difficulties. The titles represented are string crossing, bow strokes, thumb position and vertical-horizontal approaches, harmonic arpeggios and horizontal playing in harmonics, intonation and shifting, and double stops. In the last step of each heading, I associate these technical studies with an excerpt from a more advanced piece than this concerto in the double bass repertoire. Accordingly, the thesis aims to define a working path for Nanny's Dragonetti A Major Double Bass Concerto and, at the same time, to be a preliminary preparation for the more technically challenging works of the repertoire.