Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

1064: Exploring Intonation – A Double Bass Journey with Lauren Pierce

In this episode, double bass performer and educator Lauren Pierce delves into the inspiration and development of her new book on intonation titled ‘Please Play in Tune.’

She shares her personal journey and challenges in tackling the daunting topic! We explore the concepts of ear, technique, and response as key elements in mastering intonation.

Lauren discusses the importance of making intonation a fun and rewarding process while addressing common misconceptions, such as the belief that intonation is an innate ability. Through detailed exercises, etudes, and repertoire examples, she provides a structured method for musicians to improve their playing technique. Her approach aims to demystify the process and make it accessible, even for individuals learning without a teacher.

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Upton Bass – From Grammy Award winners and Philharmonic players like ME Max Zeugner of the New York Philharmonic, each Upton Bass is crafted with precision in Connecticut, USA, and built to last for generations.  Discover your perfect bass with Upton Bass today!

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio is a valued part of an innovative fine arts community in a top research university. Students receive weekly private lessons and solo classes with Micah Howard, and Peter Guild teaches weekly Orchestral Literature and Repertoire. They encourage students to seek lessons and guidance from local bassists. Members of the Symphony, the Opera, and the Ballet provide annual classes and individual attention. Visit Micah’s website to sign up for a free online trial lesson here.

1031: Lauren Pierce on Basstudes

Lauren Pierce recently released Basstudes, a series of 16 etudes organized around bowing, left-hand technique, and right and left-hand coordination.

We dig into the inspiration behind this project, her accompanying audio guides, and much more.  Enjoy, and be sure to check out more titles from Lauren on DBHQ and also give her a follow on Instagram.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Dorico – This podcast episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg, that’s packed with smart, time-saving features to help you spend less time in front of your computer and more time doing what you love: making music.

The latest version of Dorico 5, includes Iconica Sketch, a new orchestral sound library, bringing more expressive playback, and making it easy to produce more life-like performances with a dynamic stereo soundstage. Try Dorico Now For 60 Days For Free: visit dorico.com

1005: Lauren Pierce on Scales

Lauren Pierce has written a new book titled Scales, Scales, Scales: A Progressive Technical Journey for the Double Bass.  We dig into the inspiration for this book and catch up with Lauren and her current projects in this wide-ranging conversation.

Check out her new book here, and be sure to give Lauren a follow on Instagram and YouTube!

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Thank you to our sponsors!

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!

986: Lauren Pierce on how to learn a piece

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 sure to give Lauren a follow on Instagram and YouTube.  You can also check out prior podcasts with Lauren here.

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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.

501: How to Practice with Lauren Pierce

Lauren Pierce has just released a new course called Practiceology.  As the name implies, this is a deep-dive into the hows and whys of practicing.

We dig into all kinds of topics with Lauren, like:

I hope you enjoy this discussion with Lauren on a very important topic!

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Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

Robertson & Sons Violins

For more than four decades, Robertson & Sons has specialized in providing the highest quality stringed instruments and bows to collectors, professional musicians, music educators, and students of all ages. Their modern facility is equipped with three instrument showrooms as well as a beautiful Recital Hall available to our clients to in their search for the perfect instrument and/or bow.

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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