Contrabass Conversations

Our guest, Mike Gaisbacher, is a Nashville-based bow maker who specializes in bass bows. He started his journey in bow making in 2022 after graduating from Berklee in 2015 and learning how to rehair from Sue Lipkins. Mike has since dedicated himself to perfecting the craft, studying with experts like Sue Lipkins, Matt Wheling, and attending Rodney Mohr's workshops.

His work includes a remarkable project: a bow for Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers, which is a copy of Edgar Meyer's bow. Mike's bows have also been played by Ethan Jodziewicz, Mark Schatz, and are featured in the Minneapolis orchestra. Learn more about Mike's work on his website or Instagram.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance. Learn more about Upton's rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

• theme music by Eric Hochberg

Sam Suggs is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and was recently recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition.

We dig into his unique path from a strong piano background in Buffalo, through Northwestern University, where he studied both performance and theory, to his time at Yale focusing on contemporary music. We also explore Sam's philosophy on concert programming and the importance of engaging the audience.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance. Learn more about Upton's rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

• theme music by Eric Hochberg

Stephanie Patterson specializes in teaching adult learners and has been playing in community orchestras for decades. We talk about the joys and community benefits of participating in community orchestras, Stephanie's role in the Abington Festival Strings, and highlight various community orchestra activities and events, including rehearsals, concerts, and the engagement of various age groups.

Enjoy, and check out Stephanie's past podcast appearances here.

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Connect with us:

• all things double bass
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• double bass sheet music

Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance. Learn more about Upton's rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

• theme music by Eric Hochberg

Robin Kesselman is the author of Bow Speed Geography, which elegantly explores concepts of bow speed geography in string playing, focusing on the importance of evenness in bow speed, control, and the application of bow speed.

We dig into life for Robin in the eight years since our past interview, the inspiration behind the book, and all kinds of topics surrounding bow speed, technique, and expressivity. Enjoy, and you can pick up a copy of this great new resource at the ISB Store and Robertson and Sons.

Photo courtesy of the Houston Symphony

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Connect with us:

• all things double bass
• double bass merch
• double bass sheet music

Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance. Learn more about Upton's rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

• theme music by Eric Hochberg

Paul Thompson is a bassist and educator in the Pittsburgh metro area. He also runs a successful YouTube Channel under the name pdbass.

This interview discusses content creation challenges, audience management, social media usage, balancing creative goals with audience expectations, and YouTube's influence on careers. It emphasizes music passion, content segmentation, understanding platform success/failure, and navigating YouTube analytics. It also covers the emotional impact of views/comments, feedback from renowned musicians, live streaming plans, and exploring creative content ideas.

Check out the video version of this conversation on YouTube, and check out Paul's past appearances on the podcast and YouTube Channel to learn more about this cool artist!

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Connect with us:

• all things double bass
• double bass merch
• double bass sheet music

Thank you to our sponsor!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance. Learn more about Upton's rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

• theme music by Eric Hochberg

In this episode, we delve into a fascinating conversation with ​Dana Saba David​ from Israel and ​Carlos Pino​ from Colombia, the duo behind the bass duet ​Between the Bass​.

They share their unique approach to the double bass and electric bass, blending tradition with innovation in a way that redefines the possibilities of these instruments.

Thank you to our Sponsor, Upton Bass

Upton's double bass rosin​ is a new formulation developed and tested by Upton Bass to provide the best feel, response, and tone of any double bass bow rosin. Developed and bespoke by Gary Upton and made in Upton's Mystic, Connecticut workshop.

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• theme music by Eric Hochberg

Peter Doubrovsky and Brandino are both renowned musicians and fans of the 5-string double bass.

Peter Doubrovsky, aside from his work with the Pasadena Symphony and POPS orchestra, is a highly sought-after recording musician. His illustrious career spans over twenty years, during which he has recorded for countless feature film soundtracks. Some notable works include Coco (2017), Spider-Man: Homecoming (2017), Rogue One: A Star Wars Story (2016), Star Trek (2009), and Conspiracy Theory (1997).

Brandino's success is marked by his collaborations with many of the world's top recording artists and entertainers. His extensive involvement encompasses the music, entertainment, television, multimedia, web designing, and film industries.

In 2007, his musicianship was recognized with double Grammys for his participation in the 2007 Grammy Nominated "Album of the Year" and "Best Pop Vocal Album" Justin Timberlake's "FutureSex/LoveSounds," Mary J Blige's "Breakthrough" which won 2006 Best R&B Album of the Year, Beyonce and Stevie Wonder's "So Amazing" single in 2005, and "OUTKAST" which bagged the 2004 Grammy Album Of The Year and Best Rap Album.

Thanks to both Peter and Brandino for their insightful conversation on this episode. For further inquiries or to connect with Peter, he can be reached directly at [email protected].

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Alejandro Arenas is a versatile musician, composer, producer, and educator who has performed with various bands and genres, co-founded award-winning Jazz ensemble La Lucha and World Music ensemble Orilla, and worked as a freelance bassist for numerous artists.

He also serves as an adjunct professor of bass at St. Petersburg College for the Music Industry Recording Arts program.

We dig into his journey through the music world and much more. Follow along with Alejandro on his website, Instagram, and Facebook, and a big thanks to our mutual friend Geoff Neuman for connecting us!

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Mark Dresser is a Grammy-nominated, internationally renowned bass player, improviser, composer, and interdisciplinary collaborator. At the core of his music is an artistic obsession and commitment to expanding the sonic, musical, and expressive possibilities of the contrabass. He has recorded over one hundred forty CDs including three solo CDs and a DVD.

Mark's latest solo album is Tines of Change, which features luthier Kent McLagan's innovative bass designs, including a set of metal tines that can be bowed and plucked. Check out the trailer for Tines of Change here,, and bravo to Mark for this fascinating new sonic adventure.

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theme music by Eric Hochberg

Gustavo Lorenzatti is an Argentine double bass player, composer and long standing member of the Symphony Orchestra of Córdoba. He has a background in jazz, improvised and classical music, tango and Argentine folklore. He formally studied at the Rotterdam Conservatory of music with the soloist of the Netherlands Philharmonic, Hans Roelofsen.

We dig into Gustavo's path through the music world, his unique approach to composition and solo performance, and also hear several musical examples of his special double bass approach.

Enjoy, and be sure to follow along with Gustavo on Instagram, Spotify, and YouTube!

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Thank you to our sponsor!

Dorico - This podcast episode is sponsored by Dorico: the next-generation music notation software from Steinberg, that's packed with smart, time-saving features to help you spend less time in front of your computer and more time doing what you love: making music.

The latest version of Dorico 5, includes Iconica Sketch, a new orchestral sound library, bringing more expressive playback, and making it easy to produce more life-like performances with a dynamic stereo soundstage. Try Dorico Now For 60 Days For Free: visit dorico.com

• theme music by Eric Hochberg