How to learn an excerpt

How to learn an excerpt

Throughout my formative years of piano and double bass study, I was consistently told to slow down. I didn’t want to slow down, I wanted to go fast, like Ricky Bobby. Little did I know that was and still is some of the best advice I have received. In my teaching,...
How to bow a double bass

How to bow a double bass

The bow can be such a mysterious thing on the double bass, especially when you’re starting out. To me, the left hand seems so much more objective: You’re either in tune or you’re out of tune.You’re on first finger, second finger, or fourth finger.You’re on the G...
One octave minor scales: natural, harmonic, and melodic

One octave minor scales: natural, harmonic, and melodic

Here’s the latest in my attempt to create more content for beginner bassists! Minor scales are always a bit complicated due to their natural, harmonic, and melodic forms. I did the best I could (!) in the above video to explain how they work, and I recorded all...
One Octave Major Scales for Double Bass

One Octave Major Scales for Double Bass

A few years ago, I was searching in vain for a YouTube video of one of George Vance’s Progressive Repertoire pieces. This search proved futile–the best thing I could find was a blurry cell phone video of a 12-year-old playing it at a recital. Frustrated at not...
Zoom Q2N 4K: worth it for musicians?

Zoom Q2N 4K: worth it for musicians?

Ever since the pandemic hit, I’ve been researching various devices to find affordable gear recommendations for music teachers and students. Recently, I’ve been hearing good things about the new Zoom Q2N 4K. I’ve used a bunch of Zoom products over the years and have...