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Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

1008: Pete Lampe on building his own double basses

Pete Lampe is the owner of Pete’s Upright Bass Shop in Portland, Oregon, and he has been an active bassist in Portland since 1986.  He won a Silver Medal for Tone at the 2023 International Society of Bassists Convention, and he is currently focused on building his own double basses.  We dig into Pete’s background, setup, strings, the “Golden Age” of bass building happening now, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Pete and his great work on his website and on Instagram!

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

Connect with us:

  • all things double bass
  • double bass merch
  • double bass sheet music

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!

  • theme music by Eric Hochberg
https://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/Pete_Lampe_mixdown.mp3

997: Arnold Schnitzer on The Handy Double Bassist

Renowned double bass luthier Arnold Schnitzer recently released a book titled The Handy Double Bassist; Maintenance, Adjustments and Repairs for the Non-Luthier.  This book is available in print edition through the ISB Store as well as through the DBHQ digital store.

We dig into the inspiration for this book, what bassists can and can’t do on their own, strange tales from years of maintaining basses, and much more.  Enjoy, and check out our conversation from 2016 to learn more about Arnold’s cool path into the bass building world.

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

Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 100+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.

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

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 sponsors!

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!

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.

  • theme music by Eric Hochberg
https://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/Arnold_Schnitzer_mixdown.mp3

982: Zachary Martin and Scott Pingel on double bass restoration

 In this episode, we go behind the scenes of double bass restoration with Zachary Martin and Scott Pingel.  Zachary is internationally renowned for his repair, restoration and maintenance services, and Scott had him come to the San Francisco Conservatory of Music for a residency covering basic emergency setup and repair.

Enjoy, and be sure to give Zachary a follow on Instagram and check out his website for a video covering the work that he does.

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

Connect with us:

  • all things double bass
  • double bass merch
  • double bass sheet music

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

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

  • theme music by Eric Hochberg
https://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/Zacvhary_Martin_and_Scott_Pingel_mixdown.mp3

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!

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

Connect with us:

  • all things double bass
  • double bass merch
  • double bass sheet music

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

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.

  • theme music by Eric Hochberg
https://traffic.libsyn.com/contrabassconversations/Gael_McKeon_mixdown.mp3

715: Sam Morel on bass making

Today we’re featuring Sam Morel, a French double bass luthier who has recently taken a job at David Gage String Instruments.  Sam won a Silver Medal for Tone at the 2019 International Society of Bassists Convention and a Certificate of Merit at the 2018 Violin Society of America Competition.

We talk about the various basses he has built, how life has been for him during the pandemic, working with Patrick Charton, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to follow Sam on Facebook and Instagram!

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

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, archival and cataloging
  • theme music by Eric Hochberg

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

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/contrabassconversations/715_-_Sam_Morel.mp3
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