Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

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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1041: Peter Doubrovsky and Brandino on 5-string double basses

Peter Doubrovsky and Brandino are both renowned musicians and fans of the 5-string double bass.

Peter Doubrovsky, aside from his work with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS orchestra, is a highly sought-after recording musician. His illustrious career spans over twenty years, during which he has recorded for countless feature film soundtracks. Some notable works include Coco (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Trek (2009), and Conspiracy Theory (1997).

Brandino’s success is marked by his collaborations with many of the world’s top recording artists and entertainers. His extensive involvement encompasses the music, entertainment, television, multimedia, web designing, and film industries.

In 2007, his musicianship was recognized with double Grammys for his participation in the 2007 Grammy Nominated “Album of the Year” and “Best Pop Vocal Album” Justin Timberlake’s “FutureSex/LoveSounds,” Mary J Blige’s “Breakthrough” which won 2006 Best R&B Album of the Year, Beyonce and Stevie Wonder’s “So Amazing” single in 2005, and “OUTKAST” which bagged the 2004 Grammy Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album.

Thanks to both Peter and Brandino for their insightful conversation on this episode. For further inquiries or to connect with Peter, he can be reached directly at pdoubrosky@hotmail.com.

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