Ask any bassist what separates a good orchestral musician from a great one, and you’ll hear the same answer: attention to excerpts.
They’re the pages that audition panels obsess over, the test pieces that reveal how deeply you understand your instrument, not just technically, but musically. The best excerpt players don’t simply play the notes. They embody the orchestra.
That’s the philosophy behind Dr. Cody Williams’s and Jeff Bradetich’s Popular Orchestral Excerpt Etudes for Double Bass, a book that’s quickly becoming a staple for serious bassists. Beyond isolating challenges, Williams builds etudes that guide you through them — teaching you to think like an orchestral musician, not a technician.
Below, we explore nine of the most essential double bass excerpts, with insight into what makes them so challenging, and how to approach them with clarity, confidence, and artistry.
Beethoven – Symphony No. 5, Scherzo
The opening of this Scherzo is one of the most recognizable bass moments in the orchestral canon. After the tense drama of the first two movements, the basses introduce a furtive, stalking theme that sets up Beethoven’s explosive finale. It’s sly, rhythmic, and full of energy, but every note must be deliberate.
What makes it hard:
This passage looks simple but reveals everything about your internal pulse. The leaps across strings require even bow weight, and the off-beat accents often tempt players to rush or lag behind the orchestra.
Practice like this:
- Build runs one note at a time using the add-a-note method, focusing on relaxed but consistent bow distribution.
- Use alternate bowings to explore the technical and musical demands of the excerpt.
- Contrast strong and soft dynamics to make changes more impactful.
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Beethoven – Symphony No. 5, Trio
After the Scherzo’s suspense, the Trio arrives like a wide grin. It’s playful and buoyant with the bass section moving in unison, creating an exposed and exhilarating moment. The Trio might sound carefree, but for the bassist, every eighth note must dance with perfect lift and unity.
What makes it hard:
The lines are deceptively simple: long scales and repeated patterns that can easily become heavy or uneven. Keeping the sound light while projecting under full orchestration is the true test.
Practice like this:
- Play the eighth notes in rhythms to build bow control and play each note evenly.
- Tap or hum through rests to internalize pulse between entries.
- Use different combinations of bow speed, weight, and placement to achieve dynamic contrast and deliberate articulation.
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Brahms – Symphony No. 2, Finale
Brahms writes for the bass section like a chamber ensemble within the orchestra: lyrical, rich, and deeply human. The finale’s momentum is joyous but weighty, and the basses must sustain that propulsion without losing the warmth of tone that defines Brahms’s sound world.
What makes it hard:
This excerpt demands absolute control of slurs and shifts. The sound must be broad yet transparent, connecting each phrase like a singer rather than a percussive accompanist.
Practice like this:
- Overlap 2 notes at a time when playing string crossings, creating a smooth non-jerking motion.
- Isolate shifts and practice them slowly as expressive motions rather than mechanical hops.
- Alternate bow contact points to learn how sound changes color between bridge and fingerboard.
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Mahler – Symphony No. 2, Mov. I
Mahler writes as though the orchestra is a living being, and the basses are its heartbeat. The opening movement is massive in scale, filled with long lines and sweeping crescendos that test your endurance and emotional range.
What makes it hard:
This is about stamina and sound. Sustaining power through huge crescendos, then retreating into hushed transparency, requires total control of bow weight and pacing, all while demanding strict rhythmic attention.
Practice like this:
- Hold a single note, crescendoing from pp to ff and back in one bow stroke.
- Fill rests by playing similar 8th or 16th notes to internalize the smallest subdivisions.
- Practice bow control with the softest sound you can.
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Schubert – Symphony No. 9, Scherzo
This Scherzo dances on air. The rhythm drives like clockwork, but Schubert infuses it with grace and humor. The bass line must feel agile and buoyant, never ponderous, Think ballet, not march.
What makes it hard:
Fast articulation combined with crisp string crossings. It’s easy to sound stiff or late, especially in lighter orchestral textures where every note counts.
Practice like this:
- Transition between playing 8th notes and 16th note rhythms away from the music to practice the right hand alone.
- In groups of similar notes, make the different notes stand out as they are important.
- Try more weight for up-bows and less weight for down-bows.
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Mozart – Symphony No. 40, Movement I
Mozart gives the bass a deceptively exposed role in this tragic, minor-key symphony. Every note matters. The lines weave under the violins and violas with elegance and restraint like phrasing that lives on the edge of silence.
What makes it hard:
Balancing softness and clarity is a lifelong skill. The slightest inconsistency in articulation or tone breaks the illusion of calm control.
Practice like this:
- No note is too small for attention, make sure to maintain consistent sound on all eighth notes.
- Practice an off-string spiccato that gradually gains more contact with the string to allow a full, but separate sound.
- Focus on right hand finger motion when crossing strings rather than using the rest of your larger, heavier arm.
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Bach – Orchestral Suite No. 2, Badinerie
Written for flute, the Badinerie tests the bassist’s agility and clarity. It’s playful but pristine. Every note sparkles with clarity, and there’s nowhere to hide.
What makes it hard:
The quick, articulated runs challenge synchronization between hands and clarity of stroke. The tempo is brisk and merciless; one uneven shift can unravel the line.
Practice like this:
- Assign each 8th note value based on harmonic function and melodic difference.
- Perform with other instrumental parts of the work or other bassists playing Excerpt Etudes to better understand musical context.
- Create the best tone possible with just quarter notes.
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Strauss – Ein Heldenleben (Rehearsal 9)
Few excerpts reveal musicianship like that of Strauss. The basses rise heroically from the orchestra, supporting soaring strings and brass. Every leap feels cinematic, both physically and emotionally demanding.
What makes it hard:
This passage spans wide intervals at fast tempos, requiring flawless shifting and bow control across registers. The dynamic range is extreme, and so is the expressive scope.
Practice like this:
- Play the string crossings without the left hand, isolating and focusing only on the right hand challenge.
- Try separate bows to hear even, consistent sounding triplets.
- Slide at the beginning of a shift to connect to the top note.
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Mendelssohn – Symphony No. 4, Finale
Mendelssohn’s Italian Symphony ends in a burst of light and motion. For the basses, it’s a marathon of rhythmic clarity and technical stamina. Every note fuels the propulsion of the orchestra.
What makes it hard:
Rapid détaché passages test consistency, endurance, and evenness of attack. The danger isn’t in missing notes but in losing energy halfway through.
Practice like this:
- Emphasize the larger beat and phrase rather than focusing on every repeated note.
- Practice moving between eighth notes, quarter notes, triplets, and sixteenth notes to establish controlled subdivision.
- Replace the rest with a played note to help internalize the run.
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The Art of Practicing Like an Artist
Each of these excerpts captures a different facet of orchestral bass playing: power, subtlety, endurance, balance, and finesse. They aren’t just tests. They’re invitations to refine your sound, your control, and your ear. That’s what Dr. Cody Williams and Jeff Bradetich’s Excerpt Etudes offers: a structured, musical way to study these excerpts that transforms the grind of practice into the craft of mastery. The etudes integrate ensemble parts, phrasing context, and progressive drills. If you’re serious about improving your excerpt preparation for an orchestra audition, your next university performance, or a growth-focused program like the Radda Rise International String Competition and Achievement Festival, this book belongs in your practice library.
Where to Start
📘 Get your physical or digital copies of Popular Orchestral Excerpt Etudes for Double Bass in both the Standard Packet and the Expanded Ensemble Packet for bass parts 3 and 4 at Lulu.com under “Popular Orchestral Excerpt Etudes For Double Bass.”
🎻 Apply your skills in the Radda Rise International String Competition or Achievement Festival, where Dr. Williams and other leading educators provide detailed, personalized feedback to help you continue improving long after the performance ends.