Contrabass Conversations

iPhone app Android app This short episode features Allegra Hale describing the features of the 2017 ISB Convention app.  Download it and find us on the app to connect with us during the convention! Check out more ISB-related podcasts at contrabassconversations.com/isb Thanks to our sponsors! This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings ! Check out their Kaplan strings , which have versatili...

Joey Naeger recently wrote an article for Bass World titled Fingerboard Geometry .  Optimal fingerboard set-up is a major topic of interest for all bass players, and I reached out to Joey to chat for the podcast.   We dig into: scoop why fingerboard buzzes occur what bass makers can do to help ...and much more! Look for Joey at ISB 2017 , and check out his article for diagrams and further reading...

The 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention  starts a week from today! We begin our ramp-up to this 50th anniversary event with perspectives from past guests. Today's episode features highlights from the following past guests: Nicholas Walker Madeleine Crouch Douglas Mapp Gary Karr François Rabbath Paul Ellison David Allen Moore Check out more ISB-related podcasts at contrabassconversati...

Heather Miller Lardin  leads a diverse career performing and teaching on historical and modern double basses and viola da gamba.  Heather is also the editor of Bass World's column 'Rumblings' and directs the Temple University Early Music Ensemble. We dig into all kinds of topics: becoming Suzuki certified teaching bass using the George Vance Progressive Repertoire books teaching gamba to young stu...

Today's episode is a "best of" feature from audition content released since Winning the Audition came out.   You'll hear highlights from interviews with: David Allen Moore - LA Phil and 2x past podcast guest Caleb Quillen - Kansas City Symphony Rob Knopper - MET Orchestra and auditionhacker Kevin Brown - Detroit Symphony Jon Beder - creator of Composed - a documentary on performance anxiety Ted Bo...

Andrew Pedersen recently won a position with the Houston Symphony.  He was a student of Tim Pitts at Rice and a student of Rob Kassinger's at DePaul. I actually had the chance to work with Andrew at Northwestern University's now-defunct High School Music Institute back in 2011, and it was great watching him continue to grow as a player and musician during his years at DePaul. We dig into the nuts...

Tim Dilenschneider is the latest addition to the Baltimore Symphony double bass section.  Tim is a former student of Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer at Curtis, and he studied with Ranaan Meyer while in high school. We dig into: how everything outside of the audition can seem to go wrong and you still win the audition preparation for one audition carries through to the next one ...and much more! Follo...

Jon McCullough-Benner serves as principal bass of the Milwaukee Symphony, assistant principal bass of the Grant Park Symphony, and is on faculty at Roosevelt University .  Jon joins the Milwaukee Symphony after serving as principal bass with the Oregon Symphony. We dig into: studying with Owen Lee, Albert Laszlo, and Bruce Bransby the dangers of getting too tied up in rhythm and pitch fundamentals...

This episode features highlights from past jazz bassist guests discussing the business of music.  Follow along with all of our jazz content at contrabassconversations.com/jazz . Find the complete interviews: Rufus Reid Interview Jon Burr Interview Miles Mosley Interview Ben Allison Interview Reuben Rogers Interview Ron Carter Interview Todd Coolman Interview Chuck Israels Interview Carlos Henrique...

David Arend  is active as a classical, jazz, hip hop, singer/songwriter and electroacoustic musician.  We cover: what David has done to stand out from the crowd how his studies at Oberlin propelled him into unexpected musical paths his compositional process how he elicits creativity Follow along with all of our jazz content at contrabassconversations.com/jazz ! Links to check out: David's website...

Matt Ulery is a jazz bassist, bandleader, and composer based in Chicago, Illinois.  He recently released his seventh album and has started his own record label. We dig into: the Chicago jazz scene how Matt integrates various projects to make a living as a creative artist, social media and its challenges ...and much more! Follow along with all of our jazz content at contrabassconversations.com/jazz...

Normand Guilbeault has been active on the Montreal jazz scene since the mid-80's and works in an incredibly wide variety of genres.   We dig into a ton of topics, like: Normand's aboriginal music roots, French-Canadian plus aboriginal roots Jack Kerouac and the beat generation spirit how gravitating toward poets and writers changes your musical outlook creativity and how it manifests itself Follow...

Bob Nieske teaches at Brandeis University and the New England Conservatory . He has worked with George Russell, Stephane Grappelli, and many other jazz luminaries. As bassist, composer, and bandleader, his projects include a suite for his jazz trio, and the Lydian String Quartet, documented on his critically acclaimed CD Simplicity. We dig into many topics, including: why we shouldn't be watching...

Dr. Don Greene is a sports psychologist and performance coach who has who has taught at The Juilliard School, New World Symphony, and The Colburn School. In 2016, Dr. Greene's students won positions with the San Francisco Opera, Montreal Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony, National Symphony, Cincinnati Symphony, Virginia Symphony, Pacific Northwest Ballet, and the Dance Theatre of Harlem. At the 2016 O...

Today we catch up with International Society of Bassists  convention chair and president-elect Nicholas Walker and talk through all sorts of offerings for the upcoming convention.  I'll be at this event, and I hope to see you there as well! Convention Dates: June 5-10, 2017 Location: Ithaca College Registration link Links to check out: ISBconnect.org (contains great information about all aspects o...

Dr. Randy Kertz is the primary physician at Health Care Specialists, Ltd in suburban Chicago. He is also a bass player and has presented several times at the International Society of Bassists conventions. Randy is the author of The Bassist's Guide to Injury Management, Prevention, and Better Health, and creates videos for the ISB's Body and Bass series. We dig into injury prevention, keeping in go...

Clair Condit is the founder of The Marketed Musician , which is a service for musicians who are ready to up their impact and their income. Clair has worked in marketing for the National Repertory Orchestra and Houston Symphony, and she now works in the corporate world. Clair also hosts the Marketed Musician podcast.  Learn more about what she's up to in the links below, and enjoy this engaging con...

Today's episode is a deep dive into the concept of abstract technique—what we work on each and every day on the instrument, both to stay in shape technically and keep moving forward in terms of skill. Resources covered: The Talent Code Max Dimoff's technique exercises (scroll down to the 'Technique' section) Galamian Technique book with bowing and rhythmic variations that Max references Michael Kl...

Paul Cannon has been a member of the Frankfurt-based group Ensemble Modern since 2014. A graduate of Rice University, Paul spends his days performing contemporary music of all genres. A couple months ago, I got two messages that led me to contact Paul for an interview. The first was a message from my wife with a YouTube video that had gone viral on Reddit. I also got a message that same day from R...

Ranaan Meyer is the bassist for the dynamic trio Time for Three .  I h ad Ranaan on the podcast back in the early days of the show, almost ten years ago. Time for Three was performing with the Modesto Symphony here in the San Francisco Bay Area, and Ranaan had a chance to sit down for an in-person "round two" for the podcast. We dig into all kinds of things: why Ranaan doesn't carry his own bass o...

Nick Villalobos is the bassist for Simply Three , a classical crossover trio that has which has garnered millions of YouTube views and praise from publications like Rolling Stone , the Huffington Post , and RyanSeacrest.com . Nick spends his time during with the group, recording new covers, and shooting videos, and the group is now branching into original compositions with their first all-original...

Steve Metcalf is the new principal bassist for the Colorado Symphony .  I first became acquainted with Steve several years ago when he was an undergrad student at Indiana University creating cool cover videos of pop songs for his YouTube Channel . Steve went on to study with Peter Lloyd at the Colburn School in Los Angeles and moved into a temporary contract with the Colorado Symphony before winni...

Artem Chirkov is the principal bassist of the St. Petersburg Philharmonic and was the winner of the 2010 Bradetich International Double Bass Competition . I got a chance to hear Artem play a wonderful recital while he was in San Francisco this March. Here's a great shot of Artem and San Francisco Opera principal bassist Joe Lescher  as they performed Passione Amorosa together. I headed over to San...

Stories covered: 3 Sigma Audio  - Upright Bass Impulses Jon McColough-Benner joins Roosevelt University faculty Curtis features Mary Javian Vivo el Bajo May 19-21 - South Texas Double Bass Festival organized by George Amorim Lloyd Goldstein will be a clinician Thanks to our sponsors! This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings ! Check out their Helicore strings , which are are designed, en...

Michael Valerio is one of the most in-demand bassists in the Los Angeles studio scene. In fact, you've probably listened to Mike play bass more than just about any bass player. If you've ever heard a soundtrack from John Williams, Hans Zimmer, or Danny Elfman in the past couple of decades, you've probably heard Mike playing bass on it. I've been meaning to interview Mike for years. We actually met...