Basses, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Part 4 – Baggage handlers treat basses like chimps on amphetamines
In part 3 of Basses, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, we discussed all of the hassles that go into the modern double bass-laden air travel experience. While flying with a bass has never exactly been a joy, each passing year makes it more and more of a not fun experience.
This tale of mine happened [...]
That’s my cone! - bass on a train story from Andrew Harmon
This bizarre story comes from double bassist Andrew Harmon and is about a wacky experience he had while taking the Chicago El with his bass. I take this train all the time with my own bass, and I can certainly relate, although I’ve certainly never had this sort of thing happen to me!
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My [...]
Basses, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Part 3 – Planes
Plane Trips with Basses Are Fun – If Fun for You is Getting Attacked by Rabid Weasels
Traveling with a bass is an annoyance by cab and an irritation by train, but the real drama occurs when we intrepid (or foolhardy) bassists venture out to our nearest airport to load our instruments on a plane.
After all, [...]
Basses, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Part 2 - Trains
In the first part of this series I described the utter nastiness that results when you combine cabs and double basses. The horrible experiences from this first installment have given me an irrational hatred of cabs. I never take them, bass or no bass. To this day, even the very sight of [...]
Michael Hovnanian’s Beethoven 9 story
Blogger (and Contrabass Conversations guest) Michael Hovnanian wrote a great gig story on his CSO Bass Blog about an incident that happened about 10 years ago during a Chicago Symphony Orchestra performance. And I think that this thing only happened in second-tier orchestras!
It was ten years ago, maybe more – one of the first [...]
Angry airport rant from Phillip Serna
I just received this story from bass blog contributor Phillip Serna documenting an infuriating experience at the airport with this viola da gamba. It is quite fitting that I got this story just a day after putting out the first part of my Basses, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles series.
Phillip writes:
You won’t believe this.
I was [...]
Basses, Planes, Trains, and Automobiles Part 1 - Cabs
This story also has an audio and video version!
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I hate driving.
I am also a bass player.
This is a problem.
As I watch my violinist, flutist, and clarinetist colleagues getting off of the train outside of a gig while I circle frantically for a parking spot (legal or illegal—anything! I’m running late!), my eyes narrow [...]
Painful gig story from Don Mincher
In response to my recent gig story Bugs Bunny is my Mortal Enemy, bassist Don Mincher sent me this tale about a painful gig experience:
Your Bugs story and related “intestinal problems” conjured up one of my bad scene gigs many years ago. I was to play a casual combo gig on bass guitar [...]
Bugs Bunny is my Mortal Enemy
There is no sick leave for a freelance musician. I sure learned that lesson the hard way.
A couple of years ago I was booked to play Bugs Bunny on Broadway, a popular show using the orchestra to accompany some Looney Tunes classics. These shows are like musical flypaper, attracting huge numbers of folks [...]
They locked me inside and made me conduct violas!
For years I worked as a coach and lesson teacher in the public schools of suburban Chicago. I ran sectionals, did some chamber music coaching, and taught a gaggle of kids during and after the school day. Although I was pretty hesitant about doing this work when I started freelancing, worrying that it [...]
