A good friend of mine told me as I started my freelance career that musicians can only last ten years as freelancers. After ten years, the majority of people pack it up and look for other means of employment.

“Bah!” I said.

I was a tough cookie, able to put in six, seven, or eight hours in the practice room plus play gigs and do other activities. As long as the freelance doors kept opening, I could keep doing this indefinitely. Surely I’d end up with a job before ten years were up, and if not, I could keep up this lifestyle as long as I wanted to.

But here I find myself, just about ten years after having that conversation with my friend, trying like crazy to get out of this freelancing lifestyle.

What a wuss I am, right?

The frenetic pace of musical life

Playing music is not an easy way to make a living. I think that this is a fairly obvious fact. If you want to make some bucks and have a stable life, you are in the wrong profession. This is a given that I presented in the first part of this series, and it is an assumption that I hope people keep in the back of their mind while reading this series.

Given the fact that we musicians are not in it for the money and remain professional musicians despite the financial and lifestyle struggles, what are the trends in this business of which we need to be aware?

Well, the main trend that I am attempting to document in this series is that traditional performance employment opportunities in the world of classical music—primarily orchestral and academic positions, but other positions as well—are shrinking. Full-time orchestras continue to cut back, go bankrupt, and disappear, and they are (with the occasional extremely rare exception) never replaced.

Jobs are disappearing.

Competition is increasing.

Things are getting worse, not better.

I will cover these global realities of the music performance business in the tenth and final part of this series, but I’d just like to bring up this reality to illustrate that the issues facing freelancers will be faced by more and more musicians with each passing year.

Welcome to the club. Here’s a coupon for 10% off your next oil change. You’re gonna need it.

Diminishing gig circles

In the second part of this series I described the various gig circles that exist within most major metropolitan areas, and many times the gig circle you inhabit determines how long you can keep up the freelance lifestyle. People that regularly substitute in their area full-time orchestra, play touring shows, perform in the top area regional orchestra, and are the top call for the area contractors can very easily have the financial stability and artistic satisfaction of a member of a major full-time orchestra (albeit without the stability or benefits that this sort of position confers). They may teach a few students on the side who pay a premium for the expertise of such a player.

For each major metropolitan area, only a select few players on each instrument can inhabit this top gig circle. Everyone else must inhabit different gig circles from this rarified clique, and must deal with the extra driving, lower pay, and less artistically satisfying conditions that these other circles inevitably offer.

Even freelancers in the top gig circles are not immune to the frustrations, conflicts, and perils of all the aspects of freelancing, whether it be problems with balancing regional orchestras, duking it out with full-time orchestra musicians for extra work, massaging the egos of contractors, or squeezing in some private teaching. These are problems that all freelancers face, and as jobs grow ever scarcer and more high-quality performers graduate from music school with nary a job in sight competition for even these top-tier freelance spots will increase, altering the landscape for members of that gig circle. To understand why this competition increases, you can read about the balancing act that freelancers constantly face here.

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It’s all about the car

This, ultimately, is what destroys freelancers. That damnable time spent in the vehicle, driving home across state lines, with only truck drivers, deer, and inebriated drivers to keep the musician company. More often than not, the time spent in the car exceeds the time spent on stage rehearsing or performing. It’s like an office worker commuting four hours each way to work for 2 ½ hours.

Freelancers pass those driving hours in various ways. Many long-haul musicians are hardcore Audiobooks fans, (I went through a pretty serious Audiobooks phase myself), gobbling up a couple of unabridged novels each week playing gigs. Others talk on the phone to pass the time. I get many calls around midnight (or later) from colleagues on their way home from who knows what far-flung city, looking for a little company to help pass the hours.

Many people call this type of work “driving for dollars,” and that really is that it ends up becoming. I will see the same haggard faces in central Wisconsin as I did the week before in northern Indiana , and I know that I will be seeing the again the following week in central Illinois and two months later in southern Iowa. I will often find myself on gigs 90 miles from my home in Evanston, with over half of the musicians of the group also residing in Evanston. I joke to these musicians that we should have all saved ourselves the trip and rehearsed in my living room.

But it’s no joke. These drives are unsustainable over the long haul, and they shorten the career of a freelance musician faster than any other element.

I have countless horror stories of commuting all over the country, covering four states in one month, bouncing around the entire country, from South Carolina all the way to Oregon in the space of a couple of months. I am on my fourth car in seven years, having put close to 400,000 miles on these vehicles during that time span.

Actually, “driving for dollars” is too kind a term for this kind of work. Guess how much I have been compensated for that half-million miles? Not much, that’s for sure. I have never once in my freelance career been paid the Federal standard for mileage, with most of my work paying either no mileage or else less than half of the Federal rate. If you want to see some more detailed figures on the impact that this kind of driving has on your bottom line, read Part 1 of this series. Then go bang your head against a concrete piling to ease your depression from seeing these statistics.

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I decided to call it quits on this full-time freelance lifestyle during the summer of 2006. A combination of factors player into this decision—my engagement (I am getting married in August of 2007), turning 30, and the slow, creeping realization that I had fallen into a freelance quagmire. I could pay my bills and keep food on the table, but visualizing another decade of 50,000 miles of driving a year, all-night frantic dashes across the country in the dead of winter, and an endless stream of interchangeable pick-up gigs and low-quality community orchestra engagements made me shudder. I am still basically doing this work full-time at present, but I am exploring some other career options at the same time. I have always known that this kind of lifestyle (freelance musician/driver) was not for me, and each passing year only makes this fact clearer.

What may be interesting to readers is what happened to my bottom line when I dropped a lot of my work—it went up! I quit my university jobs and my long-haul drives, and I actually have more money in my pocket than I did when I was working all of these jobs.

Do you know what that means?

It means that much of this physically exhausting, nerve-wracking, highly unsatisfying lifestyle was actually COSTING me money.

I’ll delve deeper into the ramifications of this realization and what I think that freelancers can do to be smarter about their professional commitments in the final part of this series, but I can say that, for me, I was unwittingly performing a form of musical charity with much of my work, giving my money away to the Illinois and Indiana toll system, the oil industry, and countless other institutions. Employers weren’t just getting me at a discount—I was actually PAYING for the “pleasure” of criss-crossing the American Midwest.

If much of my work ended up being this kind of “charity work”, how many other freelancers are in the same boat? A lot, I’ll bet.

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This lifestyle is hard. It makes it very difficult to have a family or any semblance of a “normal” life. We musicians choose this lifestyle, of course, and we are therefore ultimately responsible for accepting the resulting conditions as. Too many of us, however, get so caught up chasing our “dream job” in a symphony orchestra that we forsake family friends, and eventually the seeds of what may have made for a much more satisfying life, all for the chance to play in an orchestra.

Is it worth it?

Think about it—is it really worth it?

For many people, it is. They are willing to pay the dues, put in the time, make the sacrifices, do the rounds, and take each and every opportunity to move forward toward their dream. For many people, it works out, and they end up in a fulfilling and meaningful employment situation. For others, they may obtain a position in an orchestra, only to later realize that their organization is deficient in some way—musically, monetarily, or structurally—and they feel trapped, unable to obtain another job due to the rigors of the audition circuit and unwilling to abandon their current job and a life as an orchestral musician. They are miserable and stuck.

Others never land that coveted full-time orchestral position. They continue either to chase after it well into their 40’s and 50’s, settle into a life of freelancing, or get out of music together.

Still others never wanted to land an orchestra gig in the first place. Never having had that expectation of a full-time orchestra job waiting for them, they decide to create their own opportunities for themselves. This will be the subject of Road Warrior Without an Expense Account Part IX – Refocusing (musical entrepreneurship).

Read the complete series:

• Part I - Adjunct University Teaching
• Part II - Realities of Professional Freelancing
• Part III - The Rise and Fall of the Full-Time Orchestra
• Part IV - Rising Tide, Shrinking Pool
• Part V - Regional Orchestras
• Part VI - The Vicious Cycle
• Part VII - Private Teaching
• Part VIII - Burnout
• Part IX - Rethinking Music Performance Degrees
• Part X - Refocusing (Musical Entrepreneurship)

Addendum I: The Real Cost of Driving to Gigs for the Freelance Musician
Addendum II: Tainting the Academic Waters with Pay-Per-Student Teaching

 

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Here is the next segment of our interview with National Symphony Orchestra double bassist Ira Gold. Ira was first interviewed on episode 15 of the podcast. Feel free to check that episode out, or click here to listen to any of our older episodes. Also, you can direct any questions to Ira directly at irajgold@gmail.com.

Enjoy!
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CBC 18: Interview with Ira Gold Part 2 and music of Bill Koehler

Release Date: 4/30/07
Length: 36:49
Website: www.contrabassconversations.com
E-mail: contrabassconversations@gmail.com
Blog: www.doublebassblog.com
Podcast T-shirts, hats, and more: www.cafepress.com/doublebass

To get Contrabass Conversations downloaded automatically to your computer (for free!), you can subscribe in iTunes.

Click here to subscribe through e-mail or through another program besides iTunes

Welcome to Contrabass Conversations, life on the low end of the spectrum! I hope you all enjoyed last week’s episode continuing our conversation with Lyric Opera of Chicago bassist Andy Anderson. In case you missed it, head on over to our website and check it out—it was episode 17. You can also hear Andy on episodes 11, 7, and 4. Episode 11 featured a recital showcase from Andy, so if you’d like to hear him play (and he’s a GREAT player), check out episode 11.

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I also hope that you all also enjoyed this week’s Contrabass Conversations Recital Showcase featuring music from Phillip Serna. This showcase was a full-length recital from 2003 featuring music of Brahms, Misek, Hertl, and Rachmoninoff, and it was recorded at Northwestern University in Evanston, Illinois.

Two quick news items before we get into our episode today. As most listeners undoubtedly know, the International Society of Bassists Convention is coming up this June in Oklahoma City. Due to an irritatingly complicated web of events, I cannot make the convention this year. I really think that it is important for Contrabass Conversations to have a presence at this event, and I’d like to let folks know that double bassist Ausberto Acevedo will be representing Contrabass Conversations at the convention. I will let you know more details as the event approaches, but Oz will be available for interviews and the like, and it should prove to be a good time all around.

If any listeners that are planning on making the convention would like to include some of their own footage and observations, whether they be in written, audio, video, or photo form, that would be welcomed and shared on both the blog and the podcast. Just drop me a line at contrabassconversations@gmail.com or head to over to the blog to get in touch.

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Finally, I’d like to let listeners know that we are going to be adding some special hosts to episodes of the podcast. Both Phillip Serna and John Grillo will be either co-hosting or solo hosting some future episodes of the podcast, which I think is a really great thing. The more people that can be involved on the production end, the more interesting the product.

If anyone out there would like to do an interview for the podcast, please let me know. I really like having listener-submitted content to use for the show, and I am sure that many listeners are aware of guests that would be very interesting to hear from. Just drop me a line and we can talk about how to set this up on the technical end.

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This week we continue our conversation with National Symphony Orchestra double bassist Ira Gold. The first part of this interview was on episode 15, so you can go back and listen to this episode to get up to speed.

Topics discussed:

Ira’s practice routines
Practice session lengths
Open string work
Technique materials for students
Vance Progressive Repertoire series
Rabbath technique books
Hal Robinson Boardwalkin’ (starts at 11:40 part 2 of interview) and Strokin’
…and much more!

Interview with Ira Gold – Part 2

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I also did an interview this week with Lyric Opera of Chicago bassist and Northeastern Illinois University instructor Greg Sarchet. This interview was done in a Bulgarian restaurant and was a lot of fun, and I think that listeners will enjoy listening to it as much as I enjoyed doing it!

This episode will be released next week, and you will also be hearing Greg performing with the Vienna Waltz Ensemble during this upcoming episode.

Music from double bassist Bill Koehler

For the final part of our show this week, we will be playing music from double bassist Bill Koehler’s latest album Vandana.

Bill just released a new DuoCD entitled Vandana, Journey2gether
with Manpreet Bedi, tabla virtuso.

The CD got great reviews in ISB’s Bass World and in Double Bassist
(London) Magazines.

Click here to order Bill’s new CD.

You can find more information about Bill’s CDs at his website:

http://www.bill-koehler.com/

Bill’s Biography:

Dr. William Koehler is Professor of Illinois State University where he teaches applied double bass, string pedagogy, graduate courses in psychology of music, and improvisation. Bill Koehler has performed in England, Belgium, Germany, Austria, Russia, Belo-Russia, Puerto Rico, and throughout the U.S. He has recently completed a book entitled A Guide to the Developmental Processes of Improvisation and Composition, which will be released soon. His Solo Bass CD, entitled “Glimpse” features original compositions in jazz, and world fusion idioms, as well as classical pieces for unaccompanied solo bass.
Bill has performed in numerous Orchestras in his native New York City, the Southeast, the Midwest, and performed with notable jazz and improvising musicians such as Sam Brown, Joe Tecula, Joel Smirnoff, Umayalpuram Sivaraman, Harold Seletsky, John Clark, Dave Burrell, Joe Morello, John Campbell, Carl Fontana, Dave Burrell, Jimmy Guiffre, Richard Davis, John Clayton, Rufus Reed, David Baker, Harvey Phillips, Turk Van Lake, and Nashville country music producer Byron Gallimore.
Dr. Koehler is a frequent clinician, and writer on bass pedagogy. He is a regular clinician/performer at the Richard Davis Festival, the International Society of Bassists, and various Bass Symposia. He has written articles and reviewed new music for string bass and string orchestra for the American String Teacher, and the ISB. Dr. Koehler has a number of transcriptions and original compositions for solo double bass, which are available through Schorer Publications in Munich, Germany.
One of his early research interests involves the application of biofeedback to study physiology and to aid the reduction of excess muscle tension in string playing. He has illustrated double bass techniques and made Editorial contributions in the two editions of Robert Klotman’s string education textbook entitled Teaching Strings.

CD review reprinted from Bass World
The Magazine of the International Society of Bassists Summer 2005

Vandana-Journey2Gether
Bill Koehler (db)
Manpreet Bedi (tabla), Bob McEntyre (drums), Glen Wilson (bar sax), David Collier (bass mar, vib), John Boboukis (vox)
Virtual Time Records VTR2004

Journey2gether is the name of the CD, Vandana is the name of the duo, and “cool!” is what you’ll say when you listen in. Bass players and drummers have a special relationship in non-classical music; together we create the groove over which all those horn players, guitar players, and singers do their business – without us, they would be nothing! (well…) On this CD, bassist Bill Koehler and tablist Manpreet Bedi feature themselves and the groove, resulting in some very interesting and beautiful music.
The Duo sites their musical influences as contemporary classical, jazz, world music and the music of India, and the fusion of eastern and western musical languages. Journey2gether features some written, but mostly improvised music. With the exception of Vernon Duke’s Autumn in New York and a 14th century ballade by Guiullame Machaut, all of the compositions are by Koehler and Bedi, and sound heavily influenced by Indian music.
For example, the opening cut, Caravan Bacchanal, begins with Koehler’s cadenza on a Phrygian scale, then he sets up a groove, and after Bedi and guest drummer Bob McEntyre join in and take over the groove, Koehler picks up the bow and continues wailing. The drummer and the tablist both take solos before the piece is through, and when it’s all over the listener will be surprised that eleven minutes have passed – compelling stuff.
Euphoethos has a guest appearance by baritone saxophonist Glenn Wilson, and he and Koehler take turns providing cascading phrases throughout the piece. This tune like many on this recording (and particularly Deep is My love for You), has a wonderful, hypnotic effect. The tunes Incantation, Consolation, and Postlude are grouped together, seemingly as one piece, and are tremendous. Consolation employs Wilson’s bari sax as well as David collier’s marimba and vibes – one of the great things about this album (and Consolation is a very good example), is the way Koehler brings together so many low pitched instruments, and how fantastic these instruments sound together. There is such warmth – it’s the musical equivalent of “comfort food!”
Koehler’s playing is top notch. His sound, particularly when bowing, is beautiful and his intonation enviable. His compositions are published through himself or Schorer Publications, and I suspect that they are equal parts fun and challenging. Tablist Bedi is a delight; he gets a gorgeous tone and his accompaniments or interactions are noteworthy throughout the album. Journey2gether is an excellent addition to and CD collection-check it out, play it for your students, and enjoy listening to a terrific example of what else the bass can do!
Review by Chris Kosky

The New World Symphony will be performing Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka with Michael Tilson Thomas this Sunday at 4:30 p.m. Eastern Daylight Time. Here is some more information on this event from the NWS website:

On Sunday, April 29 at 4:30PM EDT, the New World Symphony, America’s Orchestral Academy, will webcast a performance Igor Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka live from the Lincoln Theatre on Miami Beach. Introduced and conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, this free, audio-visual webcast is part of the New World Symphony’s ongoing efforts to make its presentations accessible to a wide array of listeners.

Originally written for the Ballets Russes in 1911 and revised in 1947, Stravinsky’s Pétrouchka is a masterpiece of the orchestral repertoire. Sandwiched between the resounding popularity of The Firebird and the controversial premiere of The Rite of Spring, Pétrouchka depicts the story of a straw puppet that comes to life. Stravinsky explicitly designed the music’s rhythmic eccentricities and dissonant harmonies to unsettle the audience. Writing in the 1960s, he insisted, “I had conceived of the music in two keys…as Pétrouchka’s insult to the public, and wanted the dialogue for trumpets in two keys at the end to show that his ghost was still insulting the public.” It was an insult the public could tolerate with some enthusiasm. The ballet proved to be an even greater success than The Firebird and has since become a staple of the orchestral repertoire.

Follow this link to listen to the New World Symphony live.

Here is some sad music world news:

Mstislav Rostropovich, the cellist, conductor and champion of human rights who stood at the center of musical and international life for more than half a century, died Friday of cancer at a Moscow hospital. He was 80. (continue reading)

I only got a chance to work with Slava once, but it was a very memorable experience. In 1999 he conducted the Civic Orchestra of Chicago in a concert featuring Shostakovich’s 5th and 9th symphonies. I remember being very excited to get a chance to work with someone that I had seen and heard so many times in the past, both as a cellist and as a conductor.

Music critic and blogger Alex Ross has put up a clip of Slava playing the Britten Cello Suite No. 1. Click here to play this clip.

Many classical music bloggers have been posting memories of Slava. Here are some worth checking out:

Mstislav Rostropovich - from oboeinsight
Slava - from OhMyTrill
Slava, R.I.P. - from On a Pacific Aisle
FriPod: Slava - from Musical Perceptions
Farewell, Slava - from Jessica Duchen’s classical music blog
Rostropovich - reaching out for the music - from On An Overgrown Path
Sad news in the cello world - from Life, Lived Daily
Slava, Dead at 80 - from Sequenzia21
Mstislav Rostropovich, 1927-2007 - from daily observations
Mstislav Rostropovich, 1927-2007 - from ionarts

Patty from oboeinsight also posted links to some YouTube videos of Slava playing. Here are a few to remember him by:

Haydn Cello Concerto

Brahms Double Concerto with David Oistrakh

Dvorak Cello Concerto

This is a guest post by double bassist Jean-Yves Bénichou on how to correctly polish ebony fingerboards. Benjy is bi-national, being a citizen of both the United States and France. He has lived in France for the past 30 years and has been a member of the Strasbourg Philharmonic since 1985. He studied double bass at Temple University with Edward Arian and at Yale University with Homer Mensch, as well as additional studies with Roger Scott and François Rabbath.

I really appreciate the opportunity to post this excellent and informative article. Feel free to leave your thoughts and questions for Benjy in the comments to this post.
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Musical instruments are extensions of the human voice. If we wish to project our inspiration into them, we must rely on our hands to do so and in the case of wind players, our mouths as well. A lifetime of practicing involves constant physical contact with these artistic means of producing sound, resulting in unknowingly forging a different and powerful extension of our own body. Someone once told me that musicians are “transparent beings”; that we can be seen through our instruments as one looks through a window.

String players spend hundreds of hours touching part a highly refined wooden case. Our hands collaborate and act as a link between a composer and our brain, allow us to perform whatever we desire. If so much time is spent trying to achieve the rigorous demands of tone quality and intonation that we pursue, why should we then deprive our left fingers the sensual aspect of letting them feel comfortable as they “glide” up and down a piece of maple and ebony wood?

I have seen many basses, old and new, expensive and cheap, that have necks comparable to vertical lollipops with fingerboards that still feel rough. As shiny and as pleasing to the eye as they can be, they are unfortunately not aesthetically natural to touch. Obviously, it is important to varnish untreated wood to protect it from humidity and finger oil. When it comes time to applying a coat of protection to the finished instrument, luthiers never neglect the back part of the neck, and fill the minute grain and pores. Ebony by comparison, is a very dense exotic wood that actually gets harder as time goes by and does not require the same kind of protection. It is not surprising that no other substance can replace it for what string makers intentionally designed it for; that function being a fingerboard. The French call it “la touche”, an area that can be touched again and again. However, I feel that there is one finishing touch that is ultimately overlooked when the instrument is completed.

This polishing technique is a simple 3-step procedure that calls for ordinary household items. Do not hesitate to follow my instructions even though they may not sound plausible at first. I have tried this method on roughly10 basses, and have received favourable comments (the nice and WOW! kind) as to its end result. No, there will be no need to take your bass to the local shop, nor spend a week’s salary in the process. You can polish your neck at home, and the cost will be probably under 10$, but you’ll need lots of elbow grease. The best part is that you will have done it by yourself.

For best results when doing the job and to facilitate your work, I recommend removing all of the strings off if you can (maybe the next time you change them?).You can also take off two strings at a time, when working on the fingerboard.

1) Sandpaper: Lay the bass on its side. The back of the neck should be dealt with first .Use a medium fine quality to start with, or even a coarser type depending upon the amount of varnish that has been applied to the wood. The idea is to rub from coarse to fine.

Do not be afraid to scrape off as much varnish as you can. DON’T overdo it on the saddle (the place where the neck is glued to the body). This part should be primarily left alone. You can however, sand it and create a gradient of light to dark, from the front to the back if you so desire, but it is best to simply concentrate on the area where your thumb moves about. When sanding the sides of the fingerboard, it is preferable to make one large movement going from the nut to the end. If you use a wooden block covered with sandpaper in this step, be careful so as not to alter the original slope of the ebony. I prefer using my fingers. Turn the bass around on its other side and repeat the process.

Now lay the bass on its back. Use the same grade of sandpaper when sanding the fingerboard. The idea here is to polish the ebony and not remove varnish. Rub vigorously in a long stroke from the nut to the end, in one continuous motion. If you start at the middle going towards each end, you could affect the shape. Again, the pressure of the fingers will do a much better job than a block of wood. Sand until you feel that you have smoothed out all of the imperfections. Your powdery neck now may seem strange to touch, but don’t worry, it’s not going to stay this way.

2) Fine Steel Wool For this next step, don’t think that I’m going to ask you to go to your kitchen sink and get a fresh new Brillo pad. Instead, go to your nearest hardware store, or a place that sells furniture restoration supplies, and ask for professional type 000 Fine Steel Wool. The amount zeros may vary, but choose one that is fine enough so that you don’t have to use gloves; any coarser grain will cut your fingers. This may be the most expensive thing that I’m asking you to buy, and you’ll have enough to polish10 other necks.

Rip or cut off a generous piece with scissors, so that you can snugly fit 4 fingers into it. Lay the instrument on its side. Start by rubbing the back of the neck, and try to avoid touching the ebony if you can, so as not to dirty the white wood with black ebony dust. Use long strokes as I mentioned before. You will immediately begin to feel and see the difference. Now work on the sides of the fingerboard in the same manner, but don’t go back to the maple, as you may stain it with ebony powder.

When you have finished concentrating on these areas and the saddle, lay the bass on its back and work on the fingerboard. Without being stingy; use another piece of steel wool for this job. Start from the nut and go to the end, and apply lots of elbow grease. If you work correctly, you will see the powder coming off onto the wool. (Now you know why I asked you to remove 2 strings at a time, or even all of them). Wipe off all of the powder when you are done with a wet Handy-Wipe or sponge, and then immediately use a rag to wipe off the excess water. You are now ready to tackle the 3^rd and final step.

3) Toothpaste That’s right; toothpaste! I learned this trick from some guy about 30 years ago and it has never failed me since. I like to use Colgate which is known for its less abrasive qualities, but any kind should do. I should mention that this final step requires lots of muscle power and clean rags, so go and rip up an old bed sheet while you eat your bowl of Wheaties. The toothpaste is going to finish the job by “micro-sanding” everything you have sanded so far. This is the secret ingredient that works wonders. A violin maker told me that he was taught a different way of finishing off his varnishes, fingerboards, etc., but that he would definitely use this method from now on since the result was far superior. Not only will your neck and fingerboard feel ultra-smooth and look attractive in the end, you’ll no longer need to take your bass to the family dentist!

Put the bass on its side. Take a clean cotton rag and wrap it around your index finger. Apply a very small amount to the covered finger and start rubbing the back of the neck. It is important to rub with great pressure, so as to almost burn your finger and make the toothpaste disappear. I repeat, rub, create heat, and make the toothpaste disappear! If you are too tired after a while, relax; and continue later. The longer your strokes are, the better the results will turn out especially on the side of the fingerboard.

Lay the bass on its back so as to work on the fingerboard. At this point, you may wonder how easier this all could have been had you been a violinist, violist or cellist. Here you may want to spread a bit more toothpaste directly with your finger, but remember- the more you apply, the more you’ll have to rub in order to make it disappear. You may in fact, use 2 or 3 fingers for weight and to highly polish the wood. Make a visual check by looking at the fingerboard in perspective up and down towards a source of light. The reflection in perspective will turn out to be intense, and you will be able to clearly see your finger at an inch or so distance. If it is visible, then the polishing procedure will have succeeded. My goal is not to transform the bass community into a narcissistic musical minority, nor to turn your fingerboard into a mirror, (there are mirrors for that). I simply want to help you feel a difference in your playing.

With this method, one can obtain a well seasoned, aged, “patina” look, comparable to the ones found on 100 year old church benches or wooden railings in Europe. Even an ordinary plywood bass will become more satisfying to touch and play. Your left hand will thank you for your efforts, and I guarantee you that you’ll be putting in more hours of practicing than ever before.

As a true finishing touch and to maintain the high lustre of your work, you may want to apply some professional quality furniture beeswax on the ebony from time to time, without overdoing it. It is also wise to use a small piece of wool from an old sweater to keep the fingerboard shiny.

Personally, I use silk which also has the advantage of removing rosin off the strings. There is nothing better than silk. It is the best fabric to use for cleaning your strings. No other fabric, not even cotton will do the job as well. Go to any fabric store any buy a meter’s worth, and cut it up into small squares and you’ll have enough until you retire. Don’t forget to wash it once in a while with soap and water, to give it a soft texture when scraping that rosin off. Rub your strings up and down so as to make a high screeching noise and then when you’ve just thought that you’ve gone deaf and the noise no longer persists, all of the rosin will be gone. So what if you make holes in your silk rag when doing so? It’s serving its purpose!

Any comments on the results obtained from this article would be highly appreciated.

Good luck and happy polishing!

Benjy