Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson part 1
When I started Contrabass Conversations in January this year, this is the sort of project that I hoped would eventually happen, and I am really excited to begin putting this material out! Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass in this multi-part series. Andy teaches at Roosevelt University’s Chicago College of Performing Arts, and I think it’s fantastic that he was interested in putting this together.
This first installment covers bass technique basics like holding the instrument. Following installments get into left hand and bow arm techniques, as well as introducing many creative approaches to common student difficulties. We’ll be putting out a new section of this video every few days, so stay tuned to the blog and the podcast for more of this great material from Andy!
This will be a multi-part series (the complete series is well over an hour long!), and once it is complete it will be rolled together into a format that can be viewed without interruption. These videos are also being released at Contrabass Conversations and on YouTube (click here for the YouTube post). They are also available in the bass blog video player in the left navigation bar at the top of this page.
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Sep 22nd, 2007 at 4:11 am
I would like to add that if the student does a good job of grasping the concept of finger spacing and hand shape, I find that it is a good idea to go ahead and encourage him or her to drink the can of Guinness they’ve been using to help shape their hand as a reward. Also, if you choose to employ this method, it is very important that you insist that your student finish the entire can of beer before the lesson is over. If your student has trouble completing this task, it’s ok, but at that point you might want to discourage him or her from continuing study of the bass and maybe point them in the direction of the violin or oboe.
Seriously, thanks Andy. Those are some really good ideas.
Sep 22nd, 2007 at 5:02 am
Loved the demo - especially the last shot with the Guinness. So that’s how Andy developed such a beautiful left hand technique!
Sep 23rd, 2007 at 1:46 am
This is a useful resource! I have put up a link to this on d’Bassists’ blog. Hopefully it will draw more readers from Singapore to follow this series.