Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

University of Iowa bass profesor Volkan Orhan has recently recorded an album of bass ensembles. The unusal thing is that he played all of the tracks himself, and overdubbed them to make an ensemble of Volkans.
The first seven tracks are double bass duets written by David Anderson, principal bass for the Louisiana Philharmonic [...]

Years ago, I played for the American Russian Young Artists Orchestra, a group led by Leon Botstein that toured the United States and Russia. We performed in many different venues, including the Marinksy Theater and the Hermitage Museum in Russia and Tanglewood and Carnegie Hall in the United States.
I see that Leon Botstein [...]

I generally recommend pernambuco bows over carbon-fiber bows for my students, but this stick sounds like a really good option for someone looking for a quality stick under $1000. Carbon-fiber bows tend to have a flatter, less interesting sound than pernambuco bows, but they usually handle as well as a really good pernambuco bow. [...]

Here’s a great video of Edagar Meyer in rehearsal with the North Carolina Symphony:

Check out this excellent live footage of Miles Davis and John Coltrane playing “So What” with the great Paul Chambers on bass.

Listen to this excellent luthier play Liangzhu, a famous Chinese piece with a Romeo & Juliet type of plot. A documentary of this master luthier will soon be available. Check out the documentarian’s website for more details (the site is in Mandarian, so good luck).

This is a fun, musical way to check out the day’s headlines.
The Aural Times - We Sing the News So You Don’t Have To

This is a resource for people interested in learning more about the West African Djembe and the djembe ensembles of the Malinké people of this region. Primary information for this archive was drawn from Wikipedia, Rootsy Records, and YouTube.
Click any of the buttons below to learn more about the music, history, and customs associated [...]

Boston Symphony principal bass Ed Barker will be presenting a masterclass on Wednesday, March 8th from 9-11 a.m. at Roosevelt University (Michigan and Congress) in Ganz Hall on the 7th floor.
Only Chicago College of Performing Arts students will be performing, but all are welcome to audit!
About Edwin Barker
Associate Professor of Music, Double Bass. [...]

All-State Orchestra audition aren’t until the fall, but now is the time to start preparation. Check out this article from University of South Dakota violin professor John Thompson on audition preparation.