Jason Heath’s Double Bass Blog

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I got this sad note from my double bass blogging colleague Riccardo Valsecchi. It sounds like Xbass.org (which recently launched a new video project called Xbass.tv) is reevaluating the viability of their project and may be ceasing operations in the near future.
Riccardo writes:
Dear double bass players and lovers,
My name is Riccardo Valsecchi and [...]

 

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Here’s the latest episode of Story Time with Contrabass Conversations. These stories recount some of the funny, sad, poignant, and painful moments in the life of a freelance road warrior. Find the text version of this story here, and check out Contrabass Conversations for more weekly double bass content.

Most string players own several different bows during the course of their playing career, usually starting on a fiberglass or inexpensive wooden bow in early years of study and upgrading many times on the journey toward professional-level playing. Like strings, rosin, and other key pieces of gear, bows are a very personal and subjective item, [...]

This is a post from National Symphony Orchestra bassist Jeff Weisner. Jeff also teaches bass at The Peabody Institute in Baltimore and co-authors the blog PeabodyDoubleBass. Click here for all of Jeff’s doublebassblog.org posts.
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(crossposted at PBDB)
I am often most frustrated as a teacher not by anything about my students or about [...]

 

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We’re concluding our interview with the multi-talented bassist Dave Anderson on this week’s episode of Contrabass Conversations. In addition to serving as Principal Bass of the Louisiana Philharmonic, Dave is a prolific composer, active teacher, and electric bassist. He serves as Principal Bass of the Britt Festival Orchestra in southern Oregon, and he plays in [...]

Folks out there in blog and podcast land are really going to dig this new project launching next week from Adaptistration blogger Drew McManus and me. Titled “Because Shut Up, That’s Why!”, this podcast is a lighthearted musical review podcast that features a wide variety of musicians debating various pieces in a fun environment. Drew [...]

I always enjoy seeing members of the online double bass community appear in print media. What we do here online has, I believe, just as much validity and potency (and has arguably surpassed print media in importance in recent years) as print media, and most of the material published here on doublebassblog.org actually reaches more [...]

For the past month, I have been hosing and producing a podcast for Midwest Young Artists, a Chicagoland organization encompassing orchestral, jazz, choral, and chamber offerings. To me, this podcast (which can be found at WMYA.FM is a fantastic idea, and I’m thrilled to be a part of the process. In addition to handling the [...]

 

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Welcome to Exploring Chamber Music with Chicago Symphony bassist Brad Opland and the Chicago Chamber Musicians. This Contrabass Conversations special series highlights chamber music that includes the double bass. Learn more about the Chicago Chamber Musicians by visiting their website at chicagochambermusic.org.
Today’s program features several works by double bass virtuoso and composer Giovanni Bottesini. All [...]

Houston Symphony Principal Bass Tim Pitts will be teaching at the Beijing Music Festival this summer (which will actually be held in Shanghai this year to avoid the Olympics). San Diego Principal Bass (and former Tim Pitts student) Jeremy Kurtz provides the following details:

…my former teacher, Tim Pitts, is going back [...]