Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

1001: Gael McKeon interviews Jason

Gael McKeon interviews Jason about the origins of the podcast, the experience of putting out 1000 episodes, and plans for the podcast’s future.  Enjoy!

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Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – The School of Music at CMU highly values each and every individual who wants to be a part of an innovative fine arts community immersed in a top research university. 

Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

Dorico – Unlock Dorico for iPad – For Life! Want to enjoy all of Dorico for iPad’s subscription-only features – including support for unlimited players, freehand annotations in Read mode with Apple Pencil, support for third-party Audio Unit plug-ins, and much more – but don’t want to pay a monthly or annual fee? Dorico for iPad now provides a lifetime unlock option, so you can access all current and future subscription-only features for a single, one-off in-app purchase. Visit the App Store today and unlock Dorico for iPad for life!

977: Gael McKeon on building double basses

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 recorded 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, inspired by classic and modern forms and ideas.  His first completed bass is currently in the Finlay+Gage showroom in New York City.

Enjoy, and be sure to check out Gael’s first completed double bass and also follow him on Instagram!

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Check out my Beginner’s Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

Thank you to our sponsor!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio – CMU is dedicated to helping each student achieve their goals as a musician. Every week each student receives private lessons and participates in a solo class with Micah Howard. Peter Guild, another member of the PSO, teaches Orchestral Literature and Repertoire weekly. They encourage students to reach out to the great bassists in their area for lessons and direction. Many of the bassists from all of the city’s ensembles are more than willing to lend a hand. Every year members of the Symphony, the Opera and the Ballet give classes and offer our students individual attention. Click here to visit Micah’s website and to sign up for a free online trial lesson.

483: Gael McKeon on his luthier journey

Gael McKeon saved my bacon in 2017 on the way to a gig.  I was headed out the door to rehearsal when I heard a worrisome wooden banging sound from my bass—never a good sign!

Opening up the case, I discovered to my horror that my tailpiece had cracked apart.  My soundpost was rolling around the bottom of my bass, and my bridge and strings were splayed all over the place.

In a panic (I only have one bass!), I called Gael, and he had me in his shop and all set up with a new tailpiece in under an hour.  I made it to the gig with plenty of time to spare, and my bass sounded better than ever!

Gael is leaving the San Francisco Bay Area (which makes me sad!) for new adventures in France.  We talk about how he got into the luthier trade, his time spent working at David Gage’s Shop and the Bass Violin Shop, how he ended up as a luthier in the Bay Area, thoughts on set-up, and much more!

I know you’ll enjoy this conversation and be sure to follow Gael on Instagram to stay current with his new adventures!

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle!

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.

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