Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

I definitely identify with Laurel and Hardy in this sketch, playing my bass in the snow with little attention from people passing by, goofing around while simultaneously miserable in the winter weather. Add in a long drive to this ‘gig’ and you’ve captured my life to a T.

Doublebassblog.org contributor Bill Harrison recently put out a new video demonstrating major triad fingerings on the double bass. Bill has made several instructional videos for jazz bassists in the past, and they are definitely worth checking out. Bill is the founder of PlayJazzNow.com, a company that specializes in downloadable play-along tracks for [...]

Xbass.org, the online double bass magazine created by members of the fabulous Bass Gang (hear excerpts from this group on Contrabass Conversations episode 23) just did a fantastic new redesign of their site. This site is a tremendous resource for bass players everywhere. In many respects, it has a lot of similarities to [...]

My student Daniel Chmielinski, in addition to being a very talented bassist, runs the car enthusiast site carsleuth.net, and he started a recent vlog episode with a video commercial that he put together for Contrabass Conversations.  Check it out!

Chicago Youth Symphony Teddy Gabrielides recently sent me a link to this video of Matteo Gaspari performing the Dittersdorf Concerto…with a mandolin orchestra!  Check it out:

Karl Ditters von Dittersdorf (1739-1799) Concerto E-Major (Allegro moderato) for Double Bass and Mandolin Orchestra, played by Matteo Gaspari (Double Bass, Kontrabass), Mandolin Orchestra Ettlingen / Germany, www.mandolinenorchester-ettlingen.de, arranged by [...]

Italian bassist Vito Liuzzi recently sent me a link to this new video from The Bass Gang’s recent Italian tour. What a great ensemble!

We’re continuing our occasional forays into the world of electric bass, highlighting some of the masters of the instrument. Today we’re featuring this video of the great Jaco Pastorius, who died at a tragically young age. Who knows how much farther he could have pushed the boundaries of this instrument and propelled himself [...]

Italian bassist Vito Liuzzi recently sent me a link to this new video from The Bass Gang’s recent Italian tour. What a great ensemble!

Italian bassist Vito Liuzzi recently sent me a link to this new video from The Bass Gang’s recent Italian tour. What a great ensemble!

OK–he’s not an upright bass player. But the indisputable awesomeness of the Woot certainly warrants attention here at doublebassblog.org. He’s one of the most popular electric bassists of all time, and rightly so–his inventiveness, creativity, and virtuosity shine through in everything that he plays. Go Victor!