Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

1046: Sam Suggs on his double bass journey

Sam Suggs is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and was recently recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition.

We dig into his unique path from a strong piano background in Buffalo, through Northwestern University, where he studied both performance and theory, to his time at Yale, focusing on contemporary music. We also explore Sam’s philosophy on concert programming and the importance of engaging the audience. 

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it’s the best bass rosin available. It’s appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

1045: Stephanie Patterson on the value of community orchestras

Stephanie Patterson specializes in teaching adult learners and has been playing in community orchestras for decades.  We talk about the joys and community benefits of participating in community orchestras, Stephanie’s role in the Abington Festival Strings, and highlight various community orchestra activities and events, including rehearsals, concerts, and the engagement of various age groups. 

Enjoy, and check out Stephanie’s past podcast appearances here.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it’s the best bass rosin available. It’s appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

1044: Robin Kesselman on Bow Speed Geography

Photo courtesy of the Houston Symphony

Robin Kesselman is the author of Bow Speed Geography, which elegantly explores concepts of bow speed geography  in string playing, focusing on the importance of evenness in bow speed, control, and the application of bow speed.

We dig into life for Robin in the eight years since our past interview, the inspiration behind the book, and all kinds of topics surrounding bow speed, technique, and expressivity.  Enjoy, and you can pick up a copy of this great new resource at the ISB Store and Robertson and Sons.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it’s the best bass rosin available. It’s appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

1043: Paul Thompson on the evolution of pdbass

Paul Thompson is a bassist and educator in the Pittsburgh metro area.  He also runs a successful YouTube Channel under the name pdbass.

This interview discusses content creation challenges, audience management, social media usage, balancing creative goals with audience expectations, and YouTube’s influence on careers. It emphasizes music passion, content segmentation, understanding platform success/failure, and navigating YouTube analytics. It also covers the emotional impact of views/comments, feedback from renowned musicians, live streaming plans, and exploring creative content ideas.

Check out the video version of this conversation on YouTube, and check out Paul’s past appearances on the podcast and YouTube Channel to learn more about this cool artist!

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Connect with us:

Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it’s the best bass rosin available. It’s appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

1042: Carlos Pino and Dana Saba on Between the Bass

In this episode, we delve into a fascinating conversation with Dana Saba David from Israel and Carlos Pino from Colombia, the duo behind the bass duet Between the Bass.

They share their unique approach to the double bass and electric bass, blending tradition with innovation in a way that redefines the possibilities of these instruments.

Thank you to our Sponsor, Upton Bass. 

Upton’s double bass rosin is a new formulation developed and tested by Upton Bass to provide the best feel, response, and tone of any double bass bow rosin. Developed and bespoke by Gary Upton and made in Upton’s Mystic, Connecticut workshop.

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