Contrabass Conversations

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...

Today's episode digs into some of my current double bass repertoire and was inspired by this recent blog post .   Enjoy, and you can find the individual pieces I talked about in this episode below: Chorale by Nicholas Walker Charles at His Leisure by Michael Kurth Californian Duett by Simon Garcia Ensorceler by Donovan Stokes and Decade's End by Craig Butterfield   Subscribe to the podcast to get...

Hagai Bilitzky recently released a new album titled New Sound of the Middle East .   Hagai specializes in the Middle Eastern double bass and is an active performer and teacher based in Jerusalem.   We spoke live for the podcast at the 2018 European Bass Congress in Lucca . Today, we talk about the story behind this new album, what Hagai has been up to the past few years, double bass in Middle East...

This episode covers the 10 most annoying stand partner habits.   Enjoy, and you can check out the video version of this here .   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 Beginne...

Nina Bernat is the first prize winner at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Solo Competition and first and grand prize winner of the 2022 Minnesota Orchestra Young Artist Competition.     At the age of 19, she performed as guest principal of the Israel Philharmonic under Adrás Schiff and Osmo Vänskä and the New York Philharmonic under Gustavo Dudamel. As a recipient of the 2019 Keston MAX...

In this episode, Jason shares plans for 2023 and more.   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 Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classica...

Nick Scholefield joined the double bass section of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra in 2022. Prior to joining the ASO, Scholefield was a member of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra since 2019. He studied with Jeffrey Turner and Bruce Bransby and is a Georgia native. We talk about Nick's audition process, lessons learned along the way, his preparation process and how it evolved, and much more. Enjoy, an...

This episode covers the benefits and challenges of transcribing music for the double bass.   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 Classical Bass course...

Lynn Hannings founded her bowmaking studio in 1970 and is regarded as one of the world's finest double bass bow makers.   In addition to her bowmaking, she is an advocate for the conservation of tropical hardwoods used in musical instruments.   Lynn recently retired from the Portland (ME) Symphony Orchestra after 50 years as a bassist in this ensemble.   We talk about her journey into bowmaking, h...

This episode digs into the ever-complex topic of choosing bass strings.   Enjoy, and you can check out videos on bass strings here .   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 B...

It was such a pleasure to sit down with Rufus Reid and catch up on his recent activities!   Rufus was in San Francisco doing a residency at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music , and we got a chance to carve out some time to talk shop.   We dig into the origins of his revolutionary book The Evolving Bassist , his time at Northwestern, lessons learned on the gig, and much more.   Enjoy, and chec...

This episode elaborates on a blog post devoted to common practicing mistakes and their solutions .   Enjoy, and you can check out the video version on the topic here .   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, A...

Christian Hales joined the Charleston Symphony in 2022 as Principal Bass.   I met him in person here in the San Francisco Bay Area before he departed for this exciting new chapter in his life.   We talk about how he got into music, his initial career goals and how they shifted toward orchestral performance, his audition process and lessons learned along the way, and much more.   Enjoy!   Subscribe...