Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

You are browsing the archives of 2008 July.

We’ve had a wide array of guests on the Contrabass Conversations during the nearly two years the program has been live, from international soloists and jazz artists to students and composers. For those bassists either active in the orchestral world or seriously considering a career as an orchestral bassist, the advice from a principal [...]

Summer has always been a slow time for me bass-wise. Though I’ve always done at least one summer festival since college, I usually find myself with quite a bit of time on my hands during the warmer months.
The lack of summer work used to cause me considerable stress, especially in my early years of [...]

I’ve got another little tale about what happens when cats and basses collide. Most bass players seem to love cats, and many have similar tales of feline mischief.
One of my colleagues was over at my place playing some bass quartets a few years ago. His extremely large bass had a beautiful lion’s head scroll, and [...]

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’re featuring Gary Karr, one of the all-time most influential double bassists, on Contrabass Conversations today. Hearing Gary Karr on record was a defining experience for me in my youth (as was the case for bassists worldwide), and hearing him live remains one of my most memorable double bass performances of all time.
The complete audio [...]

While blogging via a cell phone may seem like a painful experience, the iPhone is no ordinary cell phone, and with the release of the brand spanking new WordPress app especially for the iPhone, it’s easier than ever.
While I doubt that iPhone blogging (which I’m doing right now) will replace desktop blogging for longer posts, [...]

Last week I had the opportunity to do an interview with University of Washington bass professor Barry Lieberman. The former Assistant Principal Bass of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and Principal Bass of the Winnipeg Symphony, Barry now serves as co-director of The American String Project, an innovative string ensemble which we will be featuring in [...]

One of my colleagues was over at my place a few years ago, and we were geeking out in true double bass fashion, playing duets, working on excerpts together, and getting into deep discussions about gear.
He and I left for lunch, leaving our basses out of their cases. We had a good time, got back, [...]

While digging through my old e-mail recently, I came upon this snippy exchange between management and musicians regarding compensation for cartage. This is the sort of thing that really makes my blood boil–cartage is compensation paid to musicians who must load a lot of gear in and out of a venue. The philosophy behind this [...]

Prompted by a recent listener question on Contrabass Conversations, double bassist Phillip Serna wrote in with some notes from a technique class he recently gave on trilling. I thought that it would prove to be interesting reading for many string players out there. Enjoy!
Discussion on Trills from Valparaiso University - Double Bass Faculty - Dr. [...]

 

 Standard Podcast: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

We’re featuring a video episode of double bassist Guy Tuneh on this week’s episode of Contrabass Conversations. Guy has been featured many times on the podcast in the past, and it’s a real pleasure to hear his fine playing again on the show. This episode is being released in both audio and video versions. You [...]