Post by Phillip Serna – www.phillipwserna.com

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My student Patrick Richards (has a fabulous project restoring amplifiers and bass guitars for low-income bass students http://www.myspace.com/thefreewheels &
http://www.myspace.com/swimmermissing) passed on this interesting post by Denson Angelo, bassist and teacher in the Salt Lake City area. It is always good to find new stretches and exercises to do while on the run. As many professionals know, it can be hard to find time when you are out teaching, on the road, or in between rehearsals to get in the practice time to keep in shape, so here’s a new one for you. WARNING: Like any exercise, do NOT over do it at first. It would be adviseable to work it in at the end of your practice sessions. I ALWAYS advise stretching before and after a lengthy playing session. I hope to get more in-depth information on good bass-calisthenics soon.

http://acapella.harmony-central.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1870810 (original post)

step 1: Extend your arms in front of you with your palms facing out (wrists bent up/back) lock the elbows

step 2: make fists as hard as you can squeeze

step 3: open your hands as ‘hard’ as you can. fully extend the fingers.

step 4: repeat steps 2 & 3 as fast as you can for as long as you can…

i doubt many people here can go past 1 minute without wanting to cry.

this will strengthen and stretch muscles and strengthen the insertion points of your tendons….

Bio/Music Styles: Denson Angulo is one of the most sought-after bassists in the Salt Lake City metro area. With a Master’s of Music degree, and skills in all styles of music, Denson has worked extensively as an educator and free-lance professional playing electric bass, acoustic jazz, and classical double bass. A sample of his credentials include international tours to China, Hong Kong, Taiwan, Australia, the United Kingdom, Germany, The Netherlands, Belgium, Switzerland, France, and Italy; and performances with jazz greats Bob Mintzer, Bob Berg, Randy Brecker, Victor Wooten, Conrad Herwig, Nicholas Payton, Ed Calle, Madeline Eastman, Bob Shepard, Jamie Abersold, Javon Jackson, Mark Whitfield, Terreon Gully, Wycliffe Gordon, Brandon Fields, Denise Donatelli, Eldar Djangarov, Kathy Kosins, Tom Scott, Shelly Berg, Bobby Shew, Gregg Bissonette, Carl Allen and many others. As a classical musician, he has recorded for ESPN, ABC, NBC television and LDS motion pictures, and performed solo bass repertoire with the Honolulu Symphony. As an educator he has maintained private bass studios for over 15 years. He has traveled the inter-mountain west as an adjudicator and clinician and has been a full-time professor at Brigham Young University Idaho coordinating their Classical/Jazz bass studio, running their jazz combo program, and teaching jazz history. Currently, Denson is free-lancing in Salt Lake City, the jazz improv/bass instructor at Snow College, bass instructor at the University of Utah (fall ’07), and an instructor at “The Music School” in American Fork, Utah. For more information and videos, visit: http://www.myspace.com/densonangulo & www.youtube.com/densonangulo.

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