One of my colleagues was over at my place a few years ago, and we were geeking out in true double bass fashion, playing duets, working on excerpts together, and getting into deep discussions about gear. He and I left for lunch, leaving our basses out of their cases....
While digging through my old e-mail recently, I came upon this snippy exchange between management and musicians regarding compensation for cartage. This is the sort of thing that really makes my blood boil–cartage is compensation paid to musicians who must load...
Prompted by a recent listener question on Contrabass Conversations, double bassist Phillip Serna wrote in with some notes from a technique class he recently gave on trilling. I thought that it would prove to be interesting reading for many string players out there....
Gioacchino Rossini (1792-1868) – Duet for Cello & Double Bass in D (1824)Allegro Michael Duggan, violoncelloPhillip W. Serna, double bass Filmed by Jason Heath for Contrabass Conversations and performed as part of Chicago Bass Festival 2017, March 5, 2017 in...
This video of Ira Glass (via 43 Folders) really resonates with me. He describes the conundrum that creative people continually face–knowing what really is good before having the experience and technical command to actually create something good. I’ve faced...
