We have a tremendous amount of informative, interactive, and downloadable resources for double bass students here at doublebassblog.org. If you are having trouble locating a specific resource, or if you would like to suggest a new resource for the blog, please e-mail us at jasonheath@doublebassblog.org or fill out the contact form at the bottom of this page. A list of complete double bass blog resources is available at doublebassblog.org/features.
Articles for Students
These articles focus on educational issues and information for double bass instructors. A complete list of available articles is available at doublebassblog.org/articles.
- Adjunct University Teaching by Jason Heath
- Advice for Aspiring Music Performance Majors by Jason Heath
- Arm Exercises for Flexibility and Strength by Phillip Serna
- Arm Exercises for Flexibility and Strength by Rob Oxoby
- Auditioning for the older musician by Jean-Yves Bénichou
- Balancing solid musicianship and solid bass playing by Nicholas Hart
- Buying a Bass by Jason Heath
- Choosing a double bass gig bags by Jason Heath
- Comparing Rabbath and Simandl techniques by Jason Heath
- Contemporary conservatory life by Nicholas Hart
- Double bass extensions by Jason Heath
- Ethical considerations in adjunct teaching by Jason Heath
- Essentials for bassists by John Floeter
- German bow grips by Robert Oppelt
- Getting a Good Sound by John Floeter
- Getting in shape fast after a vacation by John Floeter
- Getting out of the practice room by Nicholas Hart
- How posture affects sound by Nicholas Hart
- How to polish ebony fingerboards by Jean-Yves Bénichou
- Jean Cros – in memorium Jean-Yves Bénichou
- Mental aspects of bass playing by Nicholas Hart
- Misconceptions between teachers and performers by Jason Heath
- Mock Auditions by Nicholas Hart
- Organizing practice time by John Floeter
- Performance Anxiety by Nicholas Hart
- Playing the Mahler 1 bass solo by Robert Oppelt
- Practice organization – getting a good sound by John Floeter
- Reflections on Double Bass Teaching by Jason Heath
- The Psychology of Being Musical by Nicholas Hart
- This new bass (a painful journey) by Eric Hochberg
- Tuning in Fifths with Joel Quarrington (audio interview on NACO)
- Upgrading instruments by John Floeter
- Sound and motion in bass playing by Nicholas Hart
- What to practice when time is of the essence by Joe Lewis
- Why I teach by Jason Heath
- Why teach music? by Jason Heath
Auditions
Want to find out the latest double bass auditions, news about recent winners, and more? Just visit our audition index to learn more.
Audition Requirements
Get the skinny on what material is required for auditions at various major music schools, and add to the body of knowledge by leaving additional information here!
Collaborators
We have a diverse set of excellent collaborators contributing content to doublebassblog.org. This page features biographical information for our writers and a link to all of their contributions.
Double Bass Interviews
Check out our constantly evolving archive of double bass audio interviews with luminaries from all musical genres. Once on this page, individual guests may be selected (each is pictured next to their name and occupation). We add to this archive on a weekly basis, so check back frequently for more content!
Take me to the archive >>
Selected Interviews:
- Tuning in Fifths with Joel Quarrington (audio interview on NACO)
Double Bass Performances
Visit our Contrabass Conversations archive for weekly performances from double bassists across the globe! Classical, jazz, bluegrass, and electric bassists are all featured, and available offerings may be searched by guest or keyword.
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Double Bass Posts
Want to look at just bass-related content? Just click here!
Double Bass Videos
Listing of all videos available on DoubleBassBlog.org.
Double Bass Video Lessons
We have several multi-part video lessons available. These may be viewed online or can be downloaded. Links are available to download each individual video (viewable on your computer, iPod, or other portable media device), and all available videos can be downloaded automatically by subscribing to our Contrabass Conversations feed.
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Crazy Gig Stories
Would you like to know what life is really like as a professional musician? We’re constantly turning out new stories about the wacky things that we musicians run into on a daily basis. Ever have a car explode while coming home from a gig? Ever have a plane taken over by the musicians? It’s happened, and it’s covered here.
Contrabass Conversations
Weekly audio and video episodes featuring interviews, performances, virtual lessons, crazy gig stories, and much more.
Downloads
Click here to visit the DBB.org download archive and pick up hundreds of PDFs, MP3s, and other resources.
Links for Students
General Bass Sites:
International Society of Bassists
Talkbass
MostlyBass
Bass Club Chicago
Lemur Music
American School of Double Bass
Bob’s House of Basses
Bob Gollihur’s Double Bass Links Page
Double Bass and Violone Internet Archive
Polyphonic.org
The Online Double Bass Guide
Harmony Central Bass Resources (great for electric bass)
The Double Bass Page (UK)
DaXun Zhang’s Website
Sigi Busch’s Website
Gary Karr’s Website
Encyclopedia of Bass Logic
The Online Journal of Bass Research
Bottesini.com
Rufus Reid Homepage
Staff Paper:
click here to download some staff paper (free PDF download)
Rosin:
Pop’s Bass Rosin (fresh!)
Oak Bass Rosin
Wheels:
Gaines Bass Wheel
Bob’s Bass Buggy
Stools:
Cases (soft):
Professional-Quality Soft Bass Cases
Bob’s Bass Bag
Mooradian Deluxe
Soundwear
Reunion Blues (very expensive, but the best)
Cases (hard):
Misc. Gear:
Bass Bib
Humidifier (Dampit)
mute
practice mute
string winding crank
bow quiver
Strings:
Bob’s House of Basses – check my string article for advice on what to choose
Pickups:
Bob’s House of Basses has a very comprehensive listing
Music Publishers for Bass:
Discordia Music
Slava Publishing (Progressive Repertoire by George Vance)
Liben Music
BassPlace.com online distributor
Thomas B. Gale publications
Aebersold Bass Publications – jazz
Career Websites for Performers:
MyAuditions
Musical Chairs
American Federation of Musicians
Summer Festivals to audition for:
Aspen Music Festival
Tanglewood Music Festival
National Repertory Orchestra
National Orchestral Institute
Pacific Music Festival
Schleswig-Holstein Musik Festival
American School of Double Bass
Brevard Music Center
Sewanee Music Festival
Birch Creek Music Performance Center
Hot Springs Music Festival
MYA Summer Music Festival
Interlochen
Bradetich Master Classes
Karr Kamp
Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp
Pine Mountain Music Festival
National High School Music Institute
Boston University Tanglewood Institute (BUTI)
Crane Youth Music Camp
Sarasota Music Festival
Youth Orchestra of the Americas
Frenchwoods Festival of the Performing Arts
Free Scores:
Neue Mozart-Ausgabe: Digitized Version This site provides a complete and freely accessible and downloadable catalog of the same source material used in the Bärenreiter edition of Mozart’s works.
The NMA Mozart project places restrictions on the use of material on the site, making you click through a license agreement that restricts you to personal use (not public performance use).
Practice Tools:
Audacity – a great FREE sound recording and multi-track editing program
Classicalmusicarchives.com (comprehensive MIDI orchestral repertoire)
Violinmasterclass.com – an excellent educational resource for all string players with videos, practice charts, and more
MusicTheory.net – great online music theory compendium
Online Ear Training
Practicespot.com – great site filled with practice tools, games, downloads, exercises, articles, etc.
Getting the Most Out of Your Practice Session (Bill Koehler)
Inner Game of Music
MIDI Library for Solo Bass
more solo bass MIDI
more MIDI files
MIDI World
Hans Sturm’s Double Bass Audition Resources (audio and text bass resources)
Finale Notepad (basic free version of Finale)
Electric Bass Downloads Page
Douglas Yeo Trombone Home Page (not a bass page, but full of valuable career and practice info.)
FlexiMusic (offers a set of great music software, including FlexiMusic Wave Editor, Generator, Composer, Orchestra, Composer, and Kids Composer)
Orchestral Audition Audio Study Guides
Listen to and follow along with double bassist John Grillo as he takes listeners through the standard orchestral audition repertoire for the double bass. Includes both audio double bass excerpts and dialogue.
Take me to the study guide >>
Opera Audition Audio Study Guides
Listen to and follow along with double bassist John Grillo as he takes listeners through the standard opera audition repertoire for the double bass. Includes both audio double bass excerpts and dialogue.
Take me to the study guide >>
Practicing Resources
Hundreds of MP3s are available to work with online or download for student practicing. This page also features a list of useful online tools for practicing and musical development.
Podcasts
Learn more about the double bass and hear great interviews and performances from leaders in the field through the Contrabass Conversations audio and video podcast series!
Recitals and Performances
We offer an ever-expanding set of full-length performances of double bass solo and chamber repertoire. This page lists our current offerings. You can find many more live performances in the Contrabass Conversations archives, and feel free to submit a piece or suggest a feature through the form at the bottom of this page.
Luthier Directory
Our list of shops that sell, repair, or construct double basses and related gear. View our listings or add your own for free!
Virtual Master Class Project
Submit your own tracks anonymously for evaluation from the community. You do not need to be a bass player to participate!
To get in touch, email jasonheath -at- doublebassblog.org.
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