Contrabass Conversations

Contrabass Conversations

double bass podcast

860: Composing new music for double bass

My Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course with Discover Double Bass featured compositions from seven of the most exciting composers writing for double bass.

In this episode, we talk with the composers about writing for double bass and the stories behind the pieces they wrote for this course.  Enjoy, and be sure to check out these seven great composers through these links:

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

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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.

Thank you to our sponsors!

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.

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.

Ear Trumpet Labs – They make hand-built mics out of Portland, OR and they have an excellent mic for upright bass called Nadine. The Nadine is a condenser mic with a clear natural sound and incredible feedback rejection. This mic is a completely new design — the head mounts in between the strings above the tailpiece with a rubber grommet, and the body securely straps to the tailpiece with velcro elastic. A 14-inch Mogami cable connects the two parts making it easy to place on any bass. It’s durable and holds up to the demanding needs of the instrument while offering excellent sound quality. Ear Trumpet Labs is offering a free t-shirt just for Contrabass listeners with the purchase of a mic, just visit EarTrumpetLabs.com/contrabass to claim yours and check out the Nadine!

Contrabass Conversations production team:

683: Valentina Ciardelli on arranging

It was great to have Valentina Ciardelli back on the podcast to talk about all the new developments in her career.  In this episode, recorded on February 20, we dig into her new arrangements, including Zappa, Stravinsky, and her new arrangement of ‘Nei Cieli Bigi’ from La Bohème for cello and bass.  We also talk about Music Academy International and other topics.

Valentina is currently offering Skype lessons for bassists worldwide, so be sure to reach out to her if you’d like to study with this inspiring artist!  Also, she is now selling the following two arrangements online:

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I’d also like to thank the sponsors who have supported us over the months and years. If you’d like to help the bass community recover as quickly as possible, consider visiting their site and making a purchase: 

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658: Jack Unzicker and Martha Walvoord new duo album

Jack Unzicker and Martha Walvoord have recently released an album of duos for violin and bass.  Titled The Diaries of Adam and Eve, it features new works for violin and bass by composers Michael Daugherty, Dan Cavanagh, Andrea Clearfield, Tom Knific, and George Chave.

Check out this new album through the following links:

Also, be sure to check out these past two conversations with Jack from 2017 for more on his career and background.

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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.

Steve Swan String Bass

Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada.  Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor.

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.

The Bass Violin Shop

The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome!

Modacity

Modacity is a practicing app that helps musicians be more effective at practice.  They help you get the results you want, while keeping you encouraged and motivated to stick with it and reach those goals – however big, or small, they may be.  

Kolstein Music

The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production.

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.

nkoda

nkoda is a sheet music app for iOS, Android, and many platforms. It includes music from over 100 of the major music publishers like Boosey & Hawkes and Barenreiter. Practice, play and perform your sheet music, and mark up your parts as needed.  This subscription service has received praise from Sir Simon Rattle and Joyce DiDonato.  Start your free trial at nkoda.com.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

657: Diego Zecharies on launching new projects

Diego Zecharies is one of the most inspiring musicians I know. In addition to serving as principal bass of the Galicia Symphony, director of the Contrabajo de Montevideo festival, and director for the Orquesta Juvenil Sodre, he is in the process of releasing his latest album featuring a new concerto by Simón García, Diego’s arrangement for bass and strings of Le grand Tango by Astor Piazzolla, and 3 Tangos for string orchestra from Andrés Martín.

We talk about the inspiration for this new project, the power of taking charge and not waiting for permission, the beauty of bringing new works into the world, and much more.  Enjoy, and check out this episode with Diego from 2017 for more about his remarkable background and career.

A big shout-out to Remic Microphones and Opus Magnum by DMSD for sponsoring this new project from Diego!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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.

Steve Swan String Bass

Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada.  Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor.

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.

The Bass Violin Shop

The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome!

Modacity

Modacity is a practicing app that helps musicians be more effective at practice.  They help you get the results you want, while keeping you encouraged and motivated to stick with it and reach those goals – however big, or small, they may be.  

Kolstein Music

The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production.

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.

nkoda

nkoda is a sheet music app for iOS, Android, and many platforms. It includes music from over 100 of the major music publishers like Boosey & Hawkes and Barenreiter. Practice, play and perform your sheet music, and mark up your parts as needed.  This subscription service has received praise from Sir Simon Rattle and Joyce DiDonato.  Start your free trial at nkoda.com.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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

648: Jory Herman on narration and bass

Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist Jory Herman is releasing a new album of pieces that combine narration and bass.  This album, which is an outgrowth of his community engagement work, features a mix of pieces geared toward children with other works like Frank Proto’s Mingus – Live in the Underworld and Jon Deak’s BB Wolf.  Many of the tracks feature actress and narrator Cloie Wyatt Taylor.

Jory was a guest on the podcast back in 2016 when he was still a member of the San Diego Symphony.  In this chat, we talked about his solo Bach album and his Life album, work-life balance, and many other topics.

In addition to covering the album, I couldn’t resist asking him a few questions about what it was like preparing for and winning an audition for the LA Phil while also holding down a full-time job, being a dad, and working on all of his musical side projects.  Enjoy!

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

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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.

Steve Swan String Bass

Steve Swan String Bass features the West Coast’s largest selection of double basses between Los Angeles and Canada.  Located in Burlingame, just south of San Francisco, their large retail showroom holds about 70 basses on display. Their new basses all feature professional setups and come with a cover at no additional cost. Used and consignment instruments receive any needed repairs and upgrades before getting a display position on the sales floor.

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.

The Bass Violin Shop

The Bass Violin Shop offers the Southeast’s largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome!

Modacity

Modacity is a practicing app that helps musicians be more effective at practice.  They help you get the results you want, while keeping you encouraged and motivated to stick with it and reach those goals – however big, or small, they may be.  

Kolstein Music

The Samuel Kolstein Violin Shop was founded by Samuel Kolstein in 1943 as a Violin and Bow making establishment in Brooklyn, New York. Now on Long Island, over 60 years later, Kolstein’s has built a proud reputation for quality, craftsmanship and expertise in both the manufacture and repair of a whole range of stringed instruments, and has expanded to a staff of twelve experts in restoration, marketing and production.

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.

nkoda

nkoda is a sheet music app for iOS, Android, and many platforms. It includes music from over 100 of the major music publishers like Boosey & Hawkes and Barenreiter. Practice, play and perform your sheet music, and mark up your parts as needed.  This subscription service has received praise from Sir Simon Rattle and Joyce DiDonato.  Start your free trial at nkoda.com.

Contrabass Conversations production team:

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