Chamber Music and the Bassist, Part I: The Great Chamber Music Search
Double Bass Blog Guest Post by Jeremy Kurtz
As a bassist, I have always taken advantage of all opportunities I find to play chamber music. Unfortunately, these opportunities have seemed to be exceedingly rare–at least, compared to those of my upper-string-playing friends and colleagues. I remember one of the few chamber music coachings I had during undergrad–something that was a weekly ritual for the rest of the string players–and being blown away by the level of musicality that was expected by the players and the teacher. Everyone was focusing on a much more refined level of phrasing, intonation, and musicality than was ever possible in a large orchestra rehearsal, and certainly a higher level than what was generally expected of the bass players. This inspired me–but also made me rather envious of the other string players! Read more
Classic Post: Barry Kolstein interview
Our interview with Barry Kolstein, owner of the Kolstein Shop on Long Island, NY, is an interesting opportunity to learn about the bass business and how it has changed over the last half-century. Barry’s father Samuel entered the bass business in 1943, and Kolstein’s has been one of the major purveyors of instruments and accessories for the double bass ever since. This interview was co-hosted by John Grillo in 2008 for Contrabass Conversations.
Daniel Nix plays Bach Suite No.6
Former Contrabass Conversations guest Daniel Nix plays an excerpt from the Prelude to the Bach Cello Suite No. 6 on his James Ham double bass:
Posts about learning, practicing, and auditioning
Here are a few classic posts about learning an instrument, practicing, getting ready for music school, and other such topics (from 2006-2008):
- Fifteen Practicing Mistakes that Students Make – These are a handful of common pitfalls that I have seen my students make over the years, and getting going with my bass studio has turned my focus to the practice room and how students can achieve the best results as efficietly as possible and with the least amount of frustration possible.
- Nine Dynamite Practice Room Accessories – When it’s time to hit the woodshed and do some serious practicing, there are a handful of no-brainer items that everyone needs–instrument, music, and music stand. Adding a few extra tools into the mix can make for much more productive and enjoyable practice sessions, however.
- Top 7 Considerations for Music School Applicants – Applying to music school? Think about the following points during the application process–they’re in order of most important to least important (in my opinion, at least).
- Advice for Aspiring Music Performance Majors – Musicians are often lured into university performance programs without a full understanding of what their odds of success are in the music business or what kind of a track record the institution they are investigating has. This article serves as a reality check for prospective music performance students and offer statistical evidence on what schools actually place classical music performers in full-time jobs.
- You Can’t Teach Professionally and Perform Professionally – Misperceptions on Both Sides of the Divide – Encouraging undergraduates to develop their instrumental craft to the highest degree possible is a value not shared by all educators. This article discusses common attitudes found among music educators and music performers and dissects problems resulting from these contrary viewpoints.
Classic Post: Duets with, er, yourself
Several people at the 2009 International Society of Bassists Convention remarked to me that their all-time favorite video on the blog was the “Duets” video featuring a bassist wearing, off all things, a Santa hat (!), and demonstrating quite an innovative bowing technique…
http://doublebassblog.org/2008/01/duets-with-er-yourself.html
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