(photo courtesy of Upton Bass)

When Moulin Rogue bandleader and bassist Bernard Gallone reached out to me about doing an episode on the unique challenges of being a left-handed bassist, I was intrigued.  I am also a left-handed bassist, though like many other left-handed people, I was taught to play in the traditional, “right-handed” way.

Bernard plays the bass left-handed, with his right hand doing the fingering and his left hand plucking the strings.  He keeps the string order the same, so his G string is on the same side as the standard bass set-up.

We dig into issues that left-handed people (and bassists in particular) face, the impact that learning an instrument with the non-dominant hand might have early on, and much more surrounding that topic.

We also dig into Bernard’s career, the time he spent studying at Berklee in Boston, what it’s like leading the band at Moulin Rogue, and how the aging process affects performers.  Enjoy!

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Upton Bass String Instrument Company

Upton’s Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long “Karr neck” has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

D’Addario Strings

This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

A440 Violin Shop

An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440‘s commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion