Katie Eakes is the assistant principal bassist for the Anchorage Symphony and Anchorage Opera.  She also has a thriving career as an orchestra teacher, and she was recently profiled on the Anchorage Opera’s YouTube Channel.

We talk about what it’s like being a bassist in Alaska, the challenges and satisfactions of her professional life, and much more.  Enjoy, and be sure to follow Katie on Instagram!

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Check out our Online Sheet Music Store with 80+ wide-ranging titles for bassists.

 

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Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

 

Thank you to our sponsors!

 

Dorico - Dorico helps you to write music notation, automatically producing printed results of exceptional quality — and plays it back with breathtaking realism. It is easy enough for anyone to learn, yet has hundreds of advanced notations, features, options and sounds to satisfy even the most demanding professionals.  With its streamlined, natural user interface, students and those with less experience in scoring can compose and arrange straight into Dorico, making learning the language of music notation much faster and more intuitive. Editing and making changes — such as instrument, time signature or key — are straightforward, with the notation instantly and correctly adapting to include them, reinforcing the learning outcome.

 

Ear Trumpet Labs - They make hand-built mics out of Portland, OR and they have an excellent mic for upright bass called Nadine. The Nadine is a condenser mic with a clear natural sound and incredible feedback rejection. This mic is a completely new design -- the head mounts in between the strings above the tailpiece with a rubber grommet, and the body securely straps to the tailpiece with velcro elastic. A 14-inch Mogami cable connects the two parts making it easy to place on any bass. It’s durable and holds up to the demanding needs of the instrument while offering excellent sound quality. Ear Trumpet Labs is offering a free t-shirt just for Contrabass listeners with the purchase of a mic, just visit EarTrumpetLabs.com/contrabass to claim yours and check out the Nadine!

 

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Contrabass Conversations production team:

• Jason Heath, host
• Michael Cooper and Steve Hinchey, audio editing
• Mitch Moehring, audio engineer
• Trevor Jones, publication and promotion
• Krista Kopper, archival and cataloging
• theme music by Eric Hochberg