World’s greatest wine rack

Bass Wine Rack 1.JPG

Bass blog contributor Benjy recently forwarded this pic of an ultra-cool wine rack. OK–it might have cello pegs, but the body is 100% bass.

Benjy writes:

If this were standing next to my bass, the choice of open strings or open bottles would be difficult! But then, why not both?

Sounds good to me!

May 27, 2009 · Filed Under Benjy, bass, bass humor, photography

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“The Soloist” –the story and Hollywood film of the life of a forgotten bassist.

This is a guest post by double bassist Jean-Yves Bénichou.

A few months ago, the Internet allowed me to reconnect after 30 years with my old friend and classmate, Joe Russo. We both studied with Homer Mensch at Yale University in 1975, unaware of future that lay ahead of us. Luck did smile upon us, enough to give us a reasonable head start to seek enriching careers as bassists. However, destiny had another itinerary planned, not as fortunate, for one of Joe’s long lost friends, Nathaniel Anthony Ayers. This former 1972 Mensch student from Julliard had ended up living in the streets of Los Angeles for a number of years, sometimes playing on a 2 stringed violin, with all of his worldly possessions packed into a shopping cart. He was recently rediscovered by Steve Lopez, a well known columnist for the L. A. Times, who decided to write a book about this miraculous encounter that changed both of their lives. April 24th marks the official release date of “The Soloist”, a film on Nathaniel’s life, starring Jamie Foxx as Nathaniel Ayers, and Robert Downey Jr. as Steven Lopez, and shall be playing in a theater near you…..

April 20, 2009 · Filed Under Benjy, bass

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Zwölftonwerbung – Twelve tone commercial

Double bassist Benjy sent me a link to this uproariously funny (to a music geek, at least) video promoting all the “familiar favorites” written by the warm and cuddly trio of composers from the second Viennese school of composition: Alban Berg, Arnold Schoenberg, and Anton Webern. What timeless ditties these three tunesmiths wove!

September 19, 2008 · Filed Under Benjy, humor, videos

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Argument set to Beethoven’s 5th Symphony

DBB.org regular contributor Benjy sent me a link to this very fun video featuring Sid Caesar and Nanette Fabray pantomiming an argument with the first movement of Beethoven’s 5th symphony as a soundtrack. Sid Ceaser was a live sketch comedy pioneer in the 1950s with his sitcoms Your Show of Shows and Ceaser’s Hour.

Check out more contributions from Benjy on the DBB.org articles page–we wrote a great article about auditioning for the Strasbourg Philharmonic at age 54 after being a member of this orchestra for the past 22 years.

December 7, 2007 · Filed Under Benjy, humor, videos

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Insightful Rabbath technique comment from Benjy

Bass blog contributor Benjy wrote a wonderful comment after viewing the Hans Sturm videos about the Rabbath technique that we’ve been posting here. Since comment can quickly disappear under the radar here (due to the daily avalanche of new content), I thought that it would be a good idea to take a moment and highlight Benjy’s wonderful insights:

Jason and Hans; these blog videos are astounding and worth their weight in gold. Surely, your demonstrations will benefit any curious bassist in understanding how the New Technique works, but the most important information that should be be retained so far is that these finger shifts are only the tip of the iceberg. Allow me to share a few more ideas with you.

Back in 1984, I took a one week intensif course with François here in France. His “New technique” had just come out at the time and our small class of 8 (yes, 8 !) discussed the 12 topics that are covered in the introduction of the 3rd volume. The sixth topic is the one that I find the most important in having studied with him, and I think that talking about it now will enhance your excellent presentations.
Violinists and pianists have been transmitting the same concepts to their students well before Rabbath’s time. No one in the bass world has ever dared to do the same for our instrument, which is why we should open our eyes to this new way of thinking, since he was the first to talk about them. The idea behind this method is not to ultimately, become Rabbath clones, but to « throw your ego out of the window » (as he says) in order to find your own self.

The 282 permutated bowings and the 130 different fingerings for each scale and arppegio are not to be taken too seriously. They look scary at first, but when practiced in the following manner (according to François himself) make great sense and will never get boring:

First day : choose any scale and its fingering and start with the first of the 282 bowings. Everytime you start the scale again, go to the next bowing. Do this for 5 mins without stopping to correct errors in intonation. These problems will correct themselves as you come back to them.

Second Day : Continue doing the same thing as before, with a new scale and new fingering. Increase the practice session to 10 mins.

Third day : Now increase your work to 15 mins, always using a different scale and moving along with the bowing variations.

Fourth day : Stop. Do not practice at all. This relaxation period will give your muscles time to relax and regenerate and is essential in the process.

Fifth day : continue as before, increasing your time to 20 mins with different scales and fingerings and progressing in the bowing permutations.

Sixth and seventh days : the same as the fifth.

Eight day : Stop and relax

Continue this patterned routine of 3 days of non-stop practicing with one day off, until you reach the 2 hour time limit. You will suddenly realize that those first few days of 5-10 mins of hard intensive work don’t seem tiresome anymore. The 282nd bowing which calls for 22 notes (3 octaves) to be played in one bow will be a cinch. You’ll be able to play concertos, orchestral excerpts or even an entire recital as though it were child’s play because you have obviously surpassed the required technical demands that you are now confronted with.
The key factor in this kind of work is to create endurance, the kind of endurance that piano and violinist virtuosi obtain on their instruments. We too can reach a level of physical strength only if we work at it, for as François states, « to be a concert performer, you have to practice like one ». May I also add that this kind of extreme concentrated work requires a few sacrifices : no phone calls, no answering doorbells etc. Total immersion is the goal here. I have undergone this kind of practicing 3 times in my life, and feel that it has helped me achieve fantastic in my playing. I simply never get tired.

During those days of my « geographical fingerboard exploration », 2 ideas came into mind. The first was a vertical one, on how the hand and fingers would move up and down on the fingerboard. This reminded me of the way a tarantula walks. Its body glides and is in complete control. It gets from point A to point B, by using its legs do the work, but the legs have no mind of their own. Your hand is like a tarantula’s body ; your fingers are its legs. When playing a fast passage, chose fingerings that coordinate the movement of your hand within a given distance, and do that in the least amount of time. This movement, space, time idea is as you know, the first topic elaborated upon in the 3rd volume. This mental concept really helps out in the crab technique as well.

The second became a horizontal mental image. When we drive in the rain do we look at the road in front or do we stare at the raindrops on the windshield ? So you missed a note on the way up ? Was it out of tune on the way down ? So what ? Keep going and DON’T STOP ; you’ll only give them the importance they don’t deserve. These mistakes should not be blown up and inhibit your performance.

I hope that these comments in studying the bass will help one gain more insight as to how they can learn to slowly break away from being a student, and seek the performer that is in all of us.

Thanks for the great comment, Benjy! Check out the links below for more of Benjy’s blog contributions:

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November 7, 2007 · Filed Under Benjy, bass, student resources, technique

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Koussevitzky’s giant bass case

Earlier this week I blogged a bit about a special bass case made for Serge Koussevitzky’s bass. Bass blog contributor Benjy sent in the following photos and information regarding this vintage bass trunk:

These pics were sent to me by a bassist friend of mine from Paris, Michaël Greenberg, who also lectures and does research on old French instruments, and who is also the author of the famous 1998 thesis on François Rabbath.

Michaël states that:

” Marc Laberte made both a replica of Koussevitzky’s bass that he subsequently sold alongside his own models, and this special case for the Maestro’s own copy. The correspondence concerning the delivery is in the Koussevitzky archive in the Library of Congress.”

Even for the size of this case, I don’t think that Koussevitsky ever had the same problems that we have all encountered in our modern continent hopping. In those days, you could most likely travel by boat. If you traveled by plane, security measures were practically inexistent. You could even escort your bass all the way to the plane’s baggage compartment to make sure that it was secure!

While we’re on the subject, check out this 1920 nostalgic catalogue on Marc Laberte and his associates, violin makers from Mirecourt, France:

http://www.luthiers-mirecourt.com/laberte-humbert_fourier_magnie-1915.htm

Page 19 says that “This 5 string bass is a replica of GUARNERIUS bass, belonging to the famous bassist Ed. NANNY. Its streamlined form allows the performer to reach the harmonics that are situated beyond the fingerboard, without any difficulty.”

You can check out Benjy’s various contributions to the blog through the bass blog articles link.

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October 4, 2007 · Filed Under Benjy, bass, photography

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Great Bottesini photo from Benjy

Regular bass blog contributor Benjy sent in this great photo from an old International Society of Bassists journal that he scanned, retouched, and framed.

Benjy writes:

I’m sure that it will amuse the bass community- we can actually count the number of strings he played on! If I’m not mistaken, he was very active in adding on the low E to be able to perform the Othello solo. He dedicates the pic to Emmanuel Nelson, whoever he may have been.

You can check out Benjy’s many wonderful article contributions to the blog through the bass blog articles link.

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September 24, 2007 · Filed Under Benjy, bass, photography

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Auditioning at 54 – part 2

This is part 2 of a guest post by double bassist Jean-Yves Bénichou. You can read part 1 of Benjy’s post here. Benjy is bi-national, being a citizen of both the United States and France. He has lived in France for the past 30 years and has been a member of the Strasbourg Philharmonic since 1985. He studied double bass at Temple University with Edward Arian and at Yale University with Homer Mensch, as well as additional studies with Roger Scott and François Rabbath.

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Last May 23^rd, I auditioned for the same job I had been holding for the past year, that of temporary assistant principle. In our contract, there is a special clause stating that after 15 years of occupying a certain chair, you can retrograde, (move back into the section), WITHOUT loss of pay. This is a clause destined primarily for wind players, whose chops let loose after a number of years, and are replaced by younger performers. This clause can also be applicable for strings players. Thus, one of our 2 assistant principles decided to put the law into effect and asked me if I was interested in taking over his seat until a future retirement from one of our colleagues. I accepted and was financially promoted. Since I had already served as assistant principle for 5 years 10 years ago, no audition was set up. (I had played the Lieutenant Kijé solo during that time.) The only factor that was needed to keep this job would be to present myself for an official audition; otherwise I would lose my monthly bonus. If I would have sat around and not done anything, I would automatically have moved onto the 5 string bass bonus, one which pays 70€ (94$) less. So I tried my luck. This time (unlike last time) I would play for as many people as possible and try to keep the job, in spite of my age of 54. There is no age limit here in Europe for such auditions. That’s cool when you think about it. Obviously, I was the first to know the date 4 months in advance and started seriously practicing.

The day of the audition finally arrived. I took my usual 6 min drive to work whereas there were people from Paris, Germany, Switzerland and of course France. We were 15 candidates and I was the oldest. How much of a chance did I have I thought? Back in 85 auditions, would take place behind the screen, and then for the 3^rd round, the screen was removed. Now, all rounds are behind screen. Back in 85 I was younger, unconscious of my daily problems, desperate to get a job. Here, I was already in the group, friends with everyone. The other candidates were younger, had practically no experience in comparison to my 22 years of playing everything under the sun.

During the past the season as Assistant Principle, I had played Principle at least 5 times, leading the section. Our conductor was very happy with me, and so were my stand partners. I had gained much experience from the Chamber Orchestra as a Solo and only bassist. I know for a fact that playing in front of 2000-4000 people can stimulate your performing abilities. Now I was just another auditionee in the inevitable but necessary competition. No one can go against the law and there was no way I was going to keep the job forever. The last time my “temporary” job lasted 5 years; this time, one.

Upon entering our rehearsal hall to which I am so accustomed to, I was greeted by a wall of plywood screens for one end to the other. I could feel the presence of my friends and fellow bassists on the other side. How could I undergo this and prove myself? No matter what I would do, everything would be under a microscope with no live audience to play along with and not for.

I played as best as possible but was eliminated after the first round along with 9 others. For the second and final rounds, I sat waiting for the jury’s decision. I seriously thought that they would take someone, but I was wrong. This was a job for an assistant principle- no rank and file stuff. None of the 3 finalists could make the required grade. Indirectly, I was the only winner at the end, since they didn’t take anyone! I was later commended by other bassists and non bassists in the orchestra for having tried my luck. I don’t think that I’ll be auditioning again for the same job on Oct. 2^nd, I’ll prefer to be on the other side the screen next time.

Similar experiences have occurred with other very fine players who want to move up the ladder in the same orchestra, yet are eliminated right after the first round. How ironic it is that orchestras have to officially seek what they already have. The audition process is a necessary evil for all of us, but it is a democratic one. In England, you are “on trial” for a period of 3 months and then they decide whether to keep you or not in a committee. It’s a bit more human, but can also create an argument for favouritism.

Finally, there is an anecdote about Yo-Yo Ma who decided just for fun to audition for the Boston Symphony in order to prove how the system of juries and auditions can be. He was apparently eliminated after the first round. This story may or may not be true, but it does prove a point. We and our audience know who we are and don’t need a jury to confirm it.

The technical progress of sound reproduction has forced us into becoming digitalized instrumentalists. On a recording, any wrong note can now be masterfully corrected and we attend concerts expecting to hear performing artists play the same way they do on their CDs. Our playing and way of thinking is following the same trend of perfection; 60 years ago auditioning was less of an ordeal than it is now. It is no surprise that we are more attracted to the old archives of great players. Music is an audible art but nevertheless has to stay human.

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Click here to read Benjy’s excellent post on how to polish ebony fingerboards, or check out his post on Jean Cros. He has also contributed a great story/photo post titled Strollin’ Down the River.

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June 26, 2007 · Filed Under Benjy, advice, bass, education, student resources

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Auditioning at 54 – guest post from Jean-Yves Bénichou

This is a guest post by double bassist Jean-Yves Bénichou. Benjy is bi-national, being a citizen of both the United States and France. He has lived in France for the past 30 years and has been a member of the Strasbourg Philharmonic since 1985. He studied double bass at Temple University with Edward Arian and at Yale University with Homer Mensch, as well as additional studies with Roger Scott and François Rabbath.

I really appreciate the opportunity to post this excellent and informative article. Feel free to leave your thoughts and questions for Benjy in the comments to this post.
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As an American bass player living in France for the past 30 years, being a member of the Strasbourg Philharmonic for the past 22 years has been undoubtedly the ultimate milestone of my career. I entered the group in 1985 as a section player, and have acted as temporary assistant principle for 5 years from 1991-1996, and from 2006-2007. As I skim though Jason’s blog and read the various articles on the ups and downs of being a bassist today’s society, I remind myself that I too was an aspiring beginner just like everyone else. Times have certainly changed, but what’s important for all of us is neither to lament nor to give up. My goal is to share my past experiences with others directly by means of the Internet, in order to transmit the fact that hope and luck are still alive in all of us.

When I first set foot upon the European continent in the 1976 Spoleto Festival, little did I know that I would later on end up in one of Europe’s most prestigious groups. I had already spent 6 years touring different European countries and the USA with the Toulouse Chamber Orchestra, but I felt that if I had lingered on in that beautiful southwest town world renown for its Airbus factories, my former bass education would slowly come to a halt. Playing baroque music day in and day out can ruin one’s mind I thought, why can’t I move on and go back to Mahler, Strauss, Beethoven and Brahms? It was time to move along and audition for orchestral jobs, no matter where. At the age of 33, I took an audition and was accepted in Strasbourg, France.

The Philharmonic with its 110 players is now 152 years old making it one of the oldest orchestras in France. It was founded in 1855 and has grown from a small conservatory “association” into full symphonic orchestra. Before the turn of the 20^th century and until 1925, it was not unusual for concerts to have listed on their program an overture, a concerto, and 2 major symphonic works. Let’s not forget that radio, telephone, television and Internet were still not invented; people went out from 6:00 pm till midnight. During those first few years of its creation, an important lawyer-sponsor Louis Apffel started a foundation which still exists today, stipulating that all first chair orchestral players automatically become teachers at the local conservatory. (Nowadays, such a job is worth its weight in gold!). The Philharmonic has successively been lead under the batons of the following conductors: Hans Pfitzner, Otto Klemperer, Georges Szell, Hans Rosbaud, Ernest Bour, Alceo Galliera, Alain Lombard, Theodore Guschlbauer, Jan Latham-Koenig and since the past year 2006 and on, Marc Albrecht. The Orchestra symbolizes Europe wherever it tours and needless to say, our main musical hit during these festive occasions is Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy” from the 9^th symphony.

The town of Strasbourg is located in the border of the Rhine River which separates France from Germany. During the Roman Empire it was known as Argentoratum and celebrated its 2000^th anniversary back in 1988. The population has presently grown to 300,000, not including the suburbs. It is the capital of the Alsatian region, but has lived under the annexation of France to Germany 4 times since the beginning of the First World War. Maybe this is one of the reasons the Philharmonic has survived for so long. The following are a few musical titbits that are usually associated with the town:

Mozart was offered a job as organist in the St. Thomas church, but refused the position. The French national anthem known as “La Marseillaise” was composed in 1792 and sung for the first time here in town by Claude Joseph Rouget de Lisle. In 1858 Wagner while passing through heard a performance of his Tannhäuser overture and was quoted saying to a friend in a letter” to my very great surprise, the orchestra played very well, sometimes excellently, with very fine dynamics and the whole with lots of punch, enough to overwhelm and impress me”. Camille Saint-Saëns was proclaimed in 1878 performing his 4^th piano concerto along with his 3^rd symphony and other works that same year. Brahms was also present conducting his 2^nd symphony in 1881. In May 1905, Richard Strauss performed a piano version of his new opera “Salomé” for his new acquaintance Gustave Mahler in what is now the Wolf music store, still standing. Strauss also conducted Till Eulenspiegle and Zarathustra in 1899 and Ein Heldenleben in 1901. In a 1905 festival, Mahler conducted his 5^th symphony, while Strauss led the group in his Symphonia Domestica. Mahler closed the series with a rendition of Beethoven’s 9^th. I cannot help but to think about the presence of these composer-conductors in town when playing these works in concert.

It is interesting to note that bigger cities can usually support 2 orchestras one symphonic, one operatic. Due to the size of this city, there has always been one official orchestra which has always been employed by the town. Having known the musical luxury of switching over from one to the other, I personally would go out of my mind if things were ever to change. It’s simply not healthy. Our season thus has a typical subscription series of 12 major concerts with 4-5 Operatic productions for l’Opéra du Rhin. As an official “town worker”, we members have all of the fringe benefits and advantages that all Strasbourg employees receive, such as a 13 month of pay as a Christmas bonus, (European orchestras pay by month and are always paid 52 weeks), reduced prices for vacationing, or anything else in the same realm, including cheap housing loans, etc. The most incredible part is that after a year, you receive full tenureship and can no longer be fired from the group. We also play our share of TV and CD recordings, regional concerts, and touring, and receive yearly royalties for all. Although there is a musicians union, known as the S.N.A.M (Syndicat National des Artistes Musiciens), you are free to join or not. There is no pressure upon you as in the states.

When I think about it, there is no other job more enriching for a modern musician. The hall we play in the “Palais de la Musique et des Congès” is mainly a congress hall, since Strasbourg is the geographical center of Europe. The auditorium also has great acoustics for symphonic music and has just been renovated after 33 years. In comparison to other French towns, we have our own parking lot, which entirely eliminates that time wasting daily cut-throat search amongst drivers. Every group of instruments has its own practice rooms/lockers, which surround the orchestra rehearsal room. Our services are only 2.5 hours long (compared to the one time usual 3 hours in other orchestras) and for many years we were the only orchestra in France with such a contract. All of the characteristics that I have mentioned may sound strange by American standards, but this is Europe. I have yet to see big orchestras in the USA become full fledged town workers and let go of their usual sponsors to survive.

Stay tuned for part 2 of this article from Benjy.

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June 25, 2007 · Filed Under Benjy, advice, bass, education, orchestra news, student resources

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Innovative Concert Hall Designs

Bass blog contributor Benjy sent me a link to this feature from the New York Times website. It is a Flash movie documenting some of the new and innovative concert hall designs being commissioned from various architects. Very well done and very interesting.