Contrabass Conversations

Today's solo show covers techniques to help align all the various projects you are involved in, and how one project and inspire and help another. Link mentioned: Gretchen Rubin's "four personalities" quiz Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: The Bass Violin Shop The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast's large...

We're digging into daily routines today on this solo episode of the podcast and how to position yourself for consistent and creative work on a daily basis. Links mentioned: Unemployment Never Sounded so Sweet (blog post from 2016) Moving to San Francisco (podcast from 2016) Tim Ferriss The "four quadrants" from The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People Pomodoro Technique Listen to Contrabass Con...

Rencontres de la Contrebasse will be taking place for the second year August 19-24, 2019.   Learn more about this cool event in today's conversation with Eleanor Martindale, and visit their website and Facebook page for more info.   Also, check out this cool video with faculty members Giuseppe Ettorre and Lorraine Campet ! Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and...

I had a wonderful time chatting with Andrew Arceci for the podcast!   Andrew studied double bass, viola da gamba, and art history at Peabody and went on to study early music at Juilliard School and at Magdalen College in Oxford.   He currently teaches bass at Concord Academy, directs the Collegium Musicum at Wellesley College, and is quite active as a performer in all different kinds of musical st...

Kenneth Knudsen has just released his 4th album called TÉTÉ .   The album's recorded by 5 musicians from 5 different countries, and is currently being presented in many European venues. Jason and Kenneth talk about his musical background, studying with Marco Panascia in New York City, staying in shape not he road, creativity, balancing career and family, and much more in this wide-ranging conversa...

We're chatting about the International Society of Bassists today with past podcast guest and Houston-area double bass teacher Grace Lewis .   Learn more about the ISB and join today by following this link . Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: Steve Swan String Bass Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coas...

We're chatting about the International Society of Bassists today with ISB member and Virginia-based double bass teacher Lindsay Lam .   Learn more about the ISB and join today by following this link . Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: Steve Swan String Bass Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast's la...

We're chatting about the International Society of Bassists today with ISB Membership Chair Patricia Weitzel .   Learn more about the ISB and join today by following this link . Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle! Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by: Steve Swan String Bass Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast's largest selection of doubl...

It's great to get a chance to sit down again with Danny Ziemann , one of my favorite podcast guests.   Danny recently put out a book titled Topics in Jazz Bass Vol. 1 - Harmony .   We dig into harmonic considerations for bassists, the dangers of trying to make lines unnecessarily hip without really understanding the harmony, practicing, and much more! Follow along with Danny's adventures on Facebo...

Rex Surany is the new Principal bass of the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. He is also working as an assistant teacher in cooperation with Harold Robinson, the Principal Bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra, at the Juilliard School.   His musical education began with piano lessons when he was 7 years old. After two years of piano, he switched exclusively to double bass with Robert Peterson of T...

I had a great time chatting with Gareth Montanarello , who recently released a cool new service at orchestralrentals.com .   Orchestral Rentals is a community that makes it easy for musicians to rent high-quality, professional-level instruments anywhere in the world. You can create an account for free and can look for an instrument or list your own instruments for rental.   All payments are handle...

Today's episode is a rebroadcast of a conversation with Megan McDevitt  about bass, gender, and women in the bass world, plus a live recording of her Bass and Gender talk from ISB 2017. Megan McDevitt  has been covering a topic that is of critical importance:  The Bass and Gender .   She presented a session on it at the  2017 International Society of Bassists Convention , and she had a session sch...

This episode is a rebroadcast of one of those astoundingly complex projects that I love digging into!  We're featuring questions from double bass student Baylee Brown (still a high school student at the time of this recording and now a student at Boston University), which are answered by 27 noted double bass faculty members.   This idea was suggested by University of Texas at Arlington bass facult...

I recently had the opportunity to attend a mock audition for the San Francisco Academy Orchestra .  This program, led by conductor and bassist Andrei Gorbatenko, offers a one-year artist diploma and features an academy orchestra, weekly lessons, monthly auditions, and more.   In addition to chatting with audition coordinator Joy Fellows about audition techniques, we chat with Andrei Gorbatenko, cu...

We were thrilled to have Dr. Don Greene back as our guest on the podcast.   Don first appeared on the show in 2017 –his first podcast appearance ever!  Don is a performance coach with an amazing track record in music music, sports, and other specialties.   Over 1000 musicians won auditions after working with Don, and he continues to expand into new projects. On today's episode, longtime co-host Jo...

Today, we're featuring San Francisco Symphony bassist Brian Marcus , who has been a member of the orchestra for 38 seasons.   Brian overcame a serious playing injury several years ago through the Feldenkrais Method , and his discovery of this method transformed his approach to bass, music, and other aspects of his life. We dig into the hows and whys of Feldenkrais, how it changed Brian's approach...

Today, we're featuring Ralph Alcala , who has recently moved into building basses full-time.   Ralph is a super-talented luthier.   Check out past podcast guest Aaron Olguin playing Ralph's fourth double bass to hear these beautiful bass cannons that Ralph's building. Ralph has actually been on the podcast before as a part of our Luthier Roundtable at this summer's Oberlin Bass Workshop for the Vi...

Aaron Olguin is truly one of the rising stars in the double bass world.   As the winner of the 2017 I nternational Society of Bassists Solo Competition, Aaron will be playing the opening recital for the 2019 ISB Convention.   He is also the new principal bassist for the Trondheim Symfoniorkester. I had a wonderful time hanging out with Aaron at the 2018 Latin American Bass Festival .   He is a tru...

Today's episode features the following past podcast guests on the topic of recital preparation: Sam Suggs - James Madison University Diego Zecharies - Galicia Symphony Orchestra principal solo bass David Grossman - New York Philharmonic Marek Romanowski - Polish soloist and teacher Jack Unzicker - University of Texas at Arlington   Listen to more "best of" episodes at contrabassconversations.com/h...

Today's episode features the following past podcast guests on life in the bass section and how to play well in it: Susan Wulff - San Diego Symphony Todd Coolman - Indiana University Michael Hovnanian - Chicago Symphony Brent Edmondson - substitute bassist for Philadelphia Orchestra Tom Zera - Utah Symphony   Listen to more "best of" episodes at contrabassconversations.com/highlights . Listen to Co...

Today's episode features the following past podcast guests on the role of musicality and technique: Mark Dresser - University of San Diego David Murray - Butler University Michael Klinghoffer - Conservatory Orchestra at JAMD Todd Coolman - Indiana University Miles Mosley - jazz artist   Listen to more "best of" episodes at contrabassconversations.com/highlights . Listen to Contrabass Conversations...

Today's episode features the following past podcast guests on the role of the principal bassist in an orchestra: Alex Hanna - Chicago Symphony Orchestra Ju-Fang Liu - Indianapolis Symphony Chris Hanulik - LA Phil Colin Corner - Oregon Symphony and Grant Park Symphony Orchestra Orin O'Brien - New York Philharmonic   Listen to more "best of" episodes at contrabassconversations.com/highlights .   Lis...

I had the chance to chat recently with Denis Chang, who has produced a new four-part double bass course featuring Gary Karr !   This course rocks.   I've been using it for my own playing and with my students with great results.   Here are links and details: In The Style Of Gary Karr, Vol.1 Lessons Warm-up Exercise 1 Warm-up Exercise 2 Warm-up Exercise 3 Warm-up Exercise 4 Holding The Bass Purpose...

I also had the opportunity to spend some time with Cleveland Orchestra bassist and Cleveland Institute of Music Strings Chair Scott Dixon during this recent trip.   Scott has been on my "to interview" list for nearly a decade, and we finally made it happen!   We cover what it was like growing up in Idaho, driving to Spokane for lessons, "ah ha" moments, rebuilding his entire way of playing bass wh...

A funny thing happened to me in Cleveland this November during the Violin Society of America Convention.   I had been chatting with bass luthier legend Arnold Schnitzer about the presentation that he was going to be doing on new double bass developments.   Arnold mentioned that he was going to be meeting Bradley Lovelace , who was in Cleveland that week playing Les Miserables. As I was leaving the...