Contrabass Conversations

Micah Howard has been on my “to interview” list for years.  As a member of the Pittsburgh Symphony and faculty at Carnegie Mellon University, Micah has had a huge influence on countless bass players (including my good friend Christian Dillingham!).  I actually just found a note from 2008 that said “interview Micah Howard” – that’s how long I’ve been hoping to do this!

A few weeks ago, I wrote him an email asking to schedule an interview, only to find that he had emailed me that exact same day to ask if I’d be up for being a clinician at the next Pittsburgh Bass Symposium.  We must have been on the same wavelength that day without realizing it!

Micah and I dig into a ton of topics:

• Micah’s journey through the music world
• What he learned through his four Pittsburgh Symphony auditions
• The experience of serving on the PSO core audition committee
• Mindset shifts between preliminary rounds and later rounds
• What non-bassists hear when they listen to bassists
• Negotiating committees, lockouts, and other things you don’t think about when you’re in music school
• Advice for Micah’s younger self

This is a great conversation with a person who gives so much to the bass community, and I know you’ll love it!

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.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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