MostlyBass Milestone
Hi readers, Peter Tambroni here from MostlyBass.com.
I’ve almost reached 100 posts over at MostlyBass.com! To celebrate, I’ll be giving away a download (or more) from my catalog.
A big thanks to Jason & Double Bass Blog for advice and inspiration!
World’s Least Comfortable Bass Stools
Have you ever sat on a bass stool that was bad to the bone? I don’t mean some vaguely uncomfortable, scruffy, mangy, chewed up old wooden stool or a squeaky bar stool designed to elicit annoyed glances from all the cellists in front of you.
I’m talking about a stool that actually seems designed to cause posterior havoc, to eat through your trousers and send pain stabbing up into your back and down into the soles of your feet.
Well, friends, I am quite familiar with a stool like this…a whole set of stools, actually, and they are, believe it or not, the old Chicago Symphony bass stools. Though I initially felt a sense of pride as I sat on the same stools as these guys used (or used to use), the novelty quickly wore off with the wicked chafing I received while using these instruments of destruction.
How those guys managed to endure these things is completely beyond me. I’ve been using them for Symphony Center gigs in Chicago for over 10 years; they get distributed to the second stringer groups that come through the home of the Chicago Symphony, sending scores of hapless bassists wincing back to their cars in the parking garage after performances.
Though they might not look as fearsome as I’m making them out to be from these photos, believe me: they are. Under that black pad is an evil aluminum ring of death, an uncomfortable metallic circle with no actual pad in the middle. Whether this was a result of years of use, a bizarre design choice, or some cruel prank played on visiting bass players, I’m not sure, but the result is like sitting perched on the open end of an oil drum. Ever sit on the edge of an open oil drum…and then try to play bass? Try it sometime and you’ll see what I’m talking about.
Wriggle Wriggle
The pain begins the same every time. First, the evil aluminum circle cuts off all circulation to my legs. I then begin this kind of weird seesawing motion to bring back some feeling, which probably looks to an outside observer like, well…. I don’t even want to think about it!
My lower back hunches, vertebrae creaking uncomfortably into an unnatural contortion, my shoulders hunching like some sort of neanderthal as I try to shift my weight around to no avail. Everything in my body starts to seize up, until I feel like I’m playing with bandages wrapped tightly around all my limbs and torso. I swivel the darn thing around, trying to find a comfortable position and probably putting on a great obsessive-compulsive sideshow to the rehearsal or concert.
Also, I know I’m not the only one; my colleagues on these same stools have a look on their faces like an ill wind has wafted through the bass section by this point. We all look like a miserable, squirmy bunch of folks up there, I’m sure, undoubtedly making for an unusual impression upon the audience.
These things are truly a pile of pain, designed at every turn to destroy the posterior of any bassist unfortunate enough to encounter them. Where’s the ButtCradle (video link) when you need it?
Balancing blogging and “real” life
2009 marks my fifth year in the world of blogging–hard to believe for me, for it seems like only a couple of months ago that I started putting up blog posts on a regular basis. Man, does time fly!
Stages of Blogging
I’ve gone through several different sorts of relationships with my blog over the previous five years:
- strictly pedagogically-oriented
- article repository
- community-oriented
- platform for freelance gripes
- massive time sink
- something I only occasionally check in with
For me, blogging can take an hour a week or 50 hours per week, and I’ve definitely found that 50 hours doesn’t produce 50 times the quality. Over the past year I’ve been trying to figure out a reasonable blog workflow, one that keeps (hopefully) interesting content flowing across the front page but gives me the time I need to perform, teach, and live my regular life.
Working in Chunks of Time Rather than Continuously
It’s easy with blogging (like email, social networking, or any other real-time updating service) to spend hours a day poking around for post ideas, responding to comments, and interacting with other bloggers and bassists. I’ve certainly spent a lot of time in this kind of role, probably spending 3-5 hours a day seven days a week working on the blog.
Over time, I’ve moved almost 100% to future posting, writing content in chunks of 4-5 hours, but only once every couple of weeks (or perhaps only once a month if I’m busy). If it seems like I’m slow to react to a comment, event, or situation in the music world, this is probably the reason why. My content here on doublebassblog.org is essentially on a time delay–I actually am getting folks’ emails and ideas, but I have to wait until I get one of those chunks of time to act upon it.
Drawbacks to this Approach
Do I miss out on interesting content that would be great for the blog? You bet.
Is it harder to interact with readers and other bloggers? Absolutely.
Has my blog become more of a one-way stream of information rather than a conversation? Yup.
For me, however, this is the sort of workflow that works with my life, and if I want to keep the blog going long-term, this is the way it’s gotta be. If I decided to try and do this full-time (something I’ve contemplated and could probably make happen, though I’m not sure if full-time blog man is what I want to be in today’s economic climate!), I’d be able to fulfill those roles I just described, but this is the way it is.
In the future, expect to see a mix of the following:
- podcast episodes (weekly)
- original content (pedagogical or music business-related)
- photos, videos, and “cool stuff” posts
- contributions from doublebassblog.org collaborators
- “best of” posts
- music news summary/link posts
You’re Welcome to Contribute Content!
If you are interested in doing some writing for doublebassblog.org, drop me a line and let me know!
Valse Miniature for Bass & Strings
Hi readers, Peter Tambroni here from MostlyBass.com (& now Evolving Educator.com)
But for you loyal Double Bass Blog readers, it will be a FREE DOWNLOAD FOR THE NEXT 24 HOURS.
CBC 114: Mark Morton interview
We’re featuring an interview with double bassist Mark Morton, who is currently professor of bass at Texas Tech University in Lubbock, TX and has also served as Principal Bass of the Columbus Symphony. Mark was the first prize winner at the International Society of Bassists Solo Competition, and he was the assistant double bass instructor for Gary Karr at the Hartt School of Music. He is well-known for writing and publishing the “Dr. Morton” series of books on the art of bass playing, and he is the founder of the American School of Double Bass.
We talk about double bass technique in great detail during this interview, particularly about Mark’s approach to left hand fingering systems and his Simandl-Plus® system of fingering. I’d recommend downloading Mark’s Simandl-Plus® packet and following along with our discussion to get a more complete idea of how he implements these concepts.
We’re also featuring a track from Haberdashery titled “Malbec” – learn more about this ensemble online at haberdasherymusic.com.
Links: American School of Double Bass, Trios for Deep Voices, Texas Tech School of Music
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