I recently got a chance to play around with one of luthier Chris Threlkeld-Wiegand’s double basses. Chris used to work at Robertson and Sons in Albuquerque, New Mexico, building extensions with capos (like the ones you see on the Contrabass Conversations logo). He now runs his own business in Iowa City called the Heartland String Bass Shop, and has been building extremely nice double basses as well as extensions, repairs, restorations, and other double bass work.

This video (also available on YouTube) shows one of these instruments in action. Unfortunately, the only opportunity we had to record a video of it was in a noisy warm-up room before a concert, but at least you get a chance to see what these instruments look like. You also get to hear me mutter about what a massive nerd I am as I walk around the bass with the camera.

Although this video plays like an ad, it isn’t–I just really like Chris’s work. I’ve spent the last few years plastering photos of my extension from Chris all over the Internet, after all, so it’s only natural to do the same for his instruments. And if it was and ad, I’d have made sure to get footage of the bass in a quiet room, not in the pre-concert pandemonium you see on this clip!

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We are in the process of putting together new rate cards for advertising on the blog and on Contrabass Conversations, but I’d like to let folks know about one interesting opportunity that they may want to look into–video advertising. We’ll be offering the option of putting together a video like the one you just saw and displaying it on the blog and in the podcast. This is a very effective way of advertising products or services such as:

1. Selling basses, bows, or other gear
2. Highlighting university double bass programs
3. Highlighting upcoming double bass events
4. Selling new products designed for the double bassist

Do you have an instrument that you want to sell? A video ad showing it in action speaks volumes more than any print ad, and the blog and podcast get well over a thousand hits a day. Would you like to promote your double bass studio? Putting together a video with some stats about your program can be an extremely effective way to reach potential students.

We’ll let you know when rates get completely hammered out, but if you’re interested right now you can always e-mail advertise@contrabassconversations.com or jasonheath@doublebassblog.org and we can talk about it.

You’ll also have the option to drop an ad into a regular podcast video episode. This ad could be either a still frame ad or a video ad–we can do both. We’ll make sure to be as non-annoying as possible with these ads (I try my best to keep ads on the blog and podcast as non-obtrusive as possible), but I think that allowing people to do this sort of thing with video holds great potential.

Related Posts:

• Andy Anderson Virtual Lessons (complete 10-part series)
• Rabbath Contrabass Conversations interviews and performances
• Rabbath Vivaldi performance – video
• Volkan Orhon performs Rabbath’s Poucha Dass
• A. Martin performs Ode D-Espagne by Rabbath

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