Contrabass Conversations

This year's San Francisco Winter Bass Bash recital guest was Szymon Marciniak , a fabulous bass soloist and educator who appeared on the podcast in 2016 . Szymon performed an inspiring program with his longtime collaborator and pianist Evan Mitchell .   In this interview we discuss how Szymon and Evan have approached collaborating over the past decade.   Enjoy, and check out more footage from this...

Nicole Melrose is an orchestral string clinician for D'Addario and the founder of StringRise , which we covered with Nicole in a 2021 interview . Today, we dig into the world of double bass strings, how they are made, what makes double bass strings unique, and the various strings offered by D'Addario. D'Addario is a past sponsor of the podcast, and if you join their Players Circle with the code DC...

Alexander Verster is a composer and double bassist located in London.   He was born in South Africa, but soon ended up in New Zealand prior to his move to London.   We talk about his deep dive into the double bass, how composing fits into his life, and much more.   Enjoy and be sure to check out Alexander's scores and recordings and also give his YouTube Channel a follow!   Subscribe to the podcas...

Kaelan Decman joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic as Associate Principal Bass in spring 2022.   Prior to his appointment, he was a member of the San Diego Symphony Orchestra bass section.   He is a graduate of the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music and the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music. We talk about his audition journey and much more in this wide-ranging conver...

Jonathan Colbert recently joined the faculty of the University of Memphis , bringing a wealth of experience gathered from playing with ensembles like the Atlanta Symphony, Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, and Philadelphia Orchestra.   He spent six years serving as co-principal bass of the Royal Danish Orchestra, and he is in high demand as a performer and private teacher. We talk about his path thro...

Lauren Pierce is a double bassist and educator who has put together a cool guide titled 6 Steps to Learning A New Piece .   In this episode, we dive into each of these steps and why it's important in the preparatory process of learning a new piece.   We also catch up on a variety of topics in this fun conversation with a longtime friend and colleague.   Pick up a copy of the guide here, and be sur...

Sebastiano Dessanay recently released his 377: double CD .   This remarkable project, which we discussed in early 2020 , featured Sebastiano visiting the 377 municipalities of Sardinia traveling exclusively by bicycle: one a day for 14 months.   We talk how this album evolved out of his epic journey, his book covering the journey, and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out Sebastiano and his...

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Dan McCain is a bassist, composer/arranger, and band leader who has recently released his debut album, Moments in Time.   We dig into Dan's background, the Philly jazz scene, the story behind this album, and more.   A big shout-out to Katie Thiroux for connecting us, and be sure to check out Dan's new album on bandcamp or Spotify and also give him a follow on Insta...

Nataly Linares is a bassist and educator originally from Bogotá, Colombia.   Since December 2020, she has been working with young students and teachers through the Festival Internacional de Contrabajo Infantil with teachers from Mexico, Spain, United States and Germany. She also works with the International Society of Bassists helping the Young Bassists Program .   We talk about the inspiration be...

In this episode, we go behind the scenes of double bass restoration with Zachary Martin and Scott Pingel .   Zachary is internationally renowned for his repair, restoration and maintenance services, and Scott had him come to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a residency covering basic emergency setup and repair.   Enjoy, and be sure to give Zachary a f ollow on Instagram and check out hi...

Allan Jay Santos recently launched his podcast Touching Greatness , and it was a pleasure to be his guest for episode 6!   This "turn the tables" episode features Allan interviewing me, and the conversation goes into all kinds of interesting territory.   Enjoy, and if you dig this episode, give Allan's podcast a follow on Apple Podcasts or Spotify !   Subscribe to the podcast to get these intervie...

This solo show explores my decision-making process about what kind of content warrants a podcast versus a video.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my Beginner's C...

Andy Moritz is a double bassist and educator in the Houston area, and he has recently released Scale Skills ,   groundbreaking new work covering how Andy approaches major scales with his students.   This book is available in our sheet music store , and in this episode, we talk about the concept behind the book and what it covers.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivere...

This solo show explores the pros and cons of double bass bridge adjusters and is an accompaniment to a recent YouTube video .   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out my...

Gael McKeon is a double bass luthier who recently moved back to the United States after moving his shop to Toulouse, France.   He was based in the San Francisco Bay Area from 2011 to 2018, and we r ecorded a podcast back in 2018 right before he relocated.   We talk about Gael's past few years and his shift into bass building.   He is currently focused on building instruments of his own design, ins...

This solo show explores six apps that I use for daily double bass practice and is an accompaniment to this week's YouTube video .   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check ou...

Roberto Cassani has recently released a duo album on Sunnyside Records . Titled poet / shuts / clock , it is a collaboration with saxophonist Fraser A. Campbell and is filled with a rich array of textures and sonic explorations.   Enjoy this new release from Roberto and Fraser , and check out our past conversations with Roberto here .   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to...

This episode features a guest lecture with  Jacob M. Dakon , the Associate Professor and Area Coordinator of Music Education at the University of Kansas, Division of Music Education and Music Therapy, detailing the life, history, and impact of esteemed string pedagogue Dr. George Bornoff .   Enjoy, and check out the accompanying YouTube video and my extended interview with   FASE Executive Directo...

Nisse Palm is getting close to a launch of Chain of Sounds , his MusicTech portal for Double Bass.   His advisory board is made up of prominent bassists in a variety of styles as well as bass luthier Arnold Schnitzer , and he has a video presentation about the project and two survey questions .   We talk about the idea behind Chain of Sounds and much more.   Enjoy, and be sure to check out the vid...

Kyle Motl recently released a book titled Bells Plucked from the Air - a guide to (mostly) pizzicato harmonic techniques for the double bass .   I put out a YouTube review of the book and demonstrated the techniques, and this podcast dig deeper into the cool world of harmonics on the bass.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us...

Daniel Carson is the most recent addition to the Chicago Symphony bass section .   Dan and I chatted in 2018 about his journey thus far, and today we dig into his audition process, lessons learned during his studies with David Allen Moore, and much more.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass...

Winter can be a slow time of year, with treacherous weather making double bass travel tough. Fortunately, there are several vibrant double bass events that make this season a time of learning and community. Here are four upcoming events that are great for students, professionals, amateurs, and anyone interested in the bass. You can check out even more events like this on our  double bass events ma...

Chuck Israels recently picked up a new Jonathan Li bass from Eastman Strings , the company for whom I work.   I got together with Chuck in Portland over the holidays to talk to him about what he likes about it and to do some play tests.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass...

Today's episode digs into a new version of the Simandl Method by Cole Davis that is re-fingered with the jazz bassist in mind.   Enjoy!   Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Check out m...

Today's episode is a musing on the value and/or frustration posed by the Simandl Method. Find Cole Davis's adaptation, The New Simandl .  Enjoy! Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!   Connect with us: all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music   Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle . Chec...