Contrabass Conversations

When I got the podcast going again in 2015, I knew that I wanted to do "round two" interviews with past guests. Los Angeles Philharmonic bassist and USC Thornton School of Music professor David Allen Moore was at the top of my list.

I had David on the show back in 2009, which has been one of the most popular interviews from the first-generation podcast episodes (nearly 14,000 downloads at the moment).

A lot has changed for David since we last spoke:

• He took a sabbatical and, after analyzing Edgar Meyer's technique, developed the concept of fractal fingerings.
• He wrote a book on Fractal Fingerings.
• He became an ultra-marathon runner.

Several of my former students have studied with David over the years. When I asked them who had the biggest impact on them as a musician and as a person, David was the first person they mentioned.

I headed down to Los Angeles and we met up at his USC studio. Here's a shot of us along with bassists Fernando de la Fuente and Dan Carson (another former student of mine!).

We dig into all kinds of topics, including:

• building an internal map
• how bass pedagogy is still catching up to reality
• analyzing Edgar Meyer's bass playing
• the concept of framing
• Rabbath's approach and the German bow
• how practicing is a creative process
• how running changed David's approach to various aspects of life
• fractal fingering
• peak performance
• raising your floor as well as your ceiling
• reveling in your successes

...and much more!

Links to check out:

• David's previous podcast appearance
• Videos on Musaic (New World Symphony's great service)
  • Bowing exercises for clear sound and articulation
  • Building a technical and musical foundation
  • Learning a new piece of music
  • Organizing practice habits and learning how to learn
• Domaine Forget (David teaches there in the summer)
• David's LA Phil page
• David's USC page

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Rob Anzellotti and I had been planning on doing an interview. When we realized that we would both be in Prague for BASS2016, we made plans to meet up and chat about capos, extensions, and other sorts of bass geekery.

Rob and I are joined by Chris Mathers for a freewheeling talk about bass, living in New York, life as an expat, getting into fabrication and how that led to making bass capos.

Did you ever want to know how many pounds of pressure strings exert on a bass? Are you interested in the nitty-gritty of installing extensions without drilling into the scroll? How about the angle at which a good capo should close? If so, this is the episode for you!

It was a blast hanging out with Rob and Chris. After we got done talking, we wandered down the street for some epically good Czech food and beer. There's nothing like geeking out on all things bass and following it up with good food and conversation.

Links to check out:

• D'Addario strings giveaway!
• Bass Capos (Rob's company)
• Bass Capos on Facebook
• Chris Mathers

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Florian Pertzborn launched the European Orchestra Experience Award for the BASSEUROPE Orchestral Competition this year in Prague.

The recipients were:

• 1st prize: Luzia Vieira
• 2nd prize: Zuzana Blahova
• 3rd prize: Andrea Cocco

Florian and I got a chance to sit down in the beautiful courtyard of the HAMU in Prague to discuss this competition. We talk about why Florian launched this and what benefits he sees it bringing to young double bassists.

We also cover:

• life as a musician in Porto, Portugal
• a typical season for Casa da Música (Florian's orchestra)
• the international makeup of this orchestra.

It was great to chat with Florian! He's a great guy and is working hard to provide opportunities for young bassists across Europe.

Links to check out:

• D'Addario strings giveaway!
• Florian's website
• www.netbass.eu
• Casa da Música (Florian's orchestra)
• my appearance on Crushing Classical podcast
• my appearance on Trumpet Dynamics podcast

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

It was such a pleasure to catch up with Petia Bagovska in Prague for BASS2016! I've known her for years. We used to play in some orchestras together when we were both living in Chicago.

When we both realized that we would be in Prague together for the European Bass Congress, we agreed to find a few minutes to catch up and record an interview.

Let's set the scene...

We're sitting in the courtyard of the HAMU in Prague on a beautiful October afternoon.

It's the most perfect weather imaginable. Everyone is outside having a coffee or a beer and a snack, chatting, laughing, trying out basses, and enjoying the experience of being united together as bassists in one of the world's great cities!

Not a bad way to spend an afternoon!

We talk about:

• life as a professional bassist in Bulgaria
• Petia's experiences studying in Sofia
• orchestra life in Bulgaria
• Petia's book Double bass: Traditions and future

Links to check out:

• D'Addario strings giveaway!
• Petia's Facebook page
• Petia performing Czardas (YouTube)

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to your inbox!

Learn how you can support the show at contrabassconversations.com/support

Listener feedback and news links:

• book launch landed Winning the Audition at #1 on Amazon!
• new ways to support the show - contrabassconversations.com/support
• find the podcast on all social media networks: itunes, facebook, twitter, snapchat, instagram, pinterest, linkedin, youtube
• feedback from Matt Gold about My Car Caught Fire and Exploded
• feedback from Jerry Ramos about Gary Karr and Rabbath interviews

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

I'm so thrilled to announce that Winning the Audition is now available! You can get it in paperback, ebook, and Kindle formats, and links to all of this are available at winningtheaudition.net. More formats (including audiobook) coming soon!

Today's episode covers:

• what people are saying about the book
• Ira Gold's complete foreword to Winning the Audition (it's great!)
• highlights from all four episodes of the Winning the Audition podcast series

What people are saying about Winning the Audition:

"Professor Larry Hurst likes to say 'orchestras are the largest employers of musicians in the world,' As a result, auditions consume the lives of so many aspiring classical musicians. We have all obsessed over them to the point of auditions becoming mystical events with their own lore and urban legend. That somehow they are won with some kind of secret handshake, studying at the right school, playing like a machine, selling your soul to the devil, etc.

Jason Heath's new book Winning The Audition goes a long way to demystifying this frequently misunderstood and intimidating process. His book is the most thorough and exhaustive book on orchestra auditions that I have come across for any instrument. Through his book and his podcast, Jason has created one of the most invaluable educational resources available for classical bassists."

Owen Lee Principal Bass, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati CCM Principal Bass and Faculty, Chautauqua Institution

"Jason Heath has compiled relevant tidbits from interviews with top-notch players and major audition winners, interspersing them with his own approaches and experience. Part practical, part anecdotal, and part inspirational, this compilation is something that any musician on the audition trail can learn from.

What I particularly like about Jason's approach is the idea that there is not "One Way To Do Things"; rather, he amalgamates multiple approaches with a wonderfully open mind."

Lisa Chisholm Preparation and Performance Coach www.masterperforming.com

"Jason has done amazing work. What started as a double bass blog has grown into a treasure trove of ideas, techniques, high level concepts, and history of not just the double bass but music in general. In fact, the ideas he's collected and assembled cross disciplines and transcend music. There are useful ideas in here for everyone. Thank you, Jason!"

Andrew Raciti Northwestern University Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra

"Jason has included an immense amount of value in this book about auditions. I can't imagine a more detailed approach. In this book you have a wealth of information from not only Jason's own experience as a successful musician and auditioner, but from all of the many renowned bass players he has interviewed on his podcast.

This is an insider's look at how to nail an audition with a wealth of tools to use to perfect your audition approach. I would say that any musician, bass player or otherwise, will benefit greatly from reading this book and employing the techniques."

Tracy Friedlander Crushing Classical Horn Wise

"Jason has put together an essential resource for any musician wanting to gain the edge and to win their audition!"

Geoff Chalmers DiscoverDoubleBass.com Founder

"Thank you Jason for putting this book together! Finally someone has compiled best practices in the realm of audition taking and Jason has gotten together some of the best minds in the music world. I'm sure anyone can gain insight into their own audition preparation from this book."

Harish Kumar Oulu Sinfonia, Helsinki

"I wish I had this text 25 years ago! Jason has gathered decades of bassists experience and distilled them into this impressive resource. The advice, tips and strategies are detailed and proven successful. Highly recommended!"

Peter Tambroni mostlybass.com founder and music educator

"I love how all these wonderful resources are in one easy to read tool. Thank you, Jason, for continuing to harness the uniqueness of the double bass community!"

Dennis Bergevin music educator, Grand Rapids

Get your copy today! Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

I had the good fortune to meet Yung-chiao Wei back in 2000 at the Pacific Music Festival in Japan. She was wrapping up her time with the New World Symphony and was just about to start new new position at Louisiana State University.

The rich double bass culture she has created the past decade-and-a-half is remarkable.

In addition to creating the Louisiana Bass Fest, Yung-chio has propelled her students into all sorts of "next steps" like:

• winning auditions such as tenured Principal Bassist and Assistant Principal Bassist in the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Acadiana Symphony
• Assistant Principal Bassist of the Taipei Symphony Orchestra
• going to prestigious music schools with full scholarships at the Juilliard School, Yale University, Eastman School of Music and Cincinnati Conservatory
• teaching at at the Cincinnati Conservatory and Southeastern Louisiana University
• founding the Brava Orchestra, an youth orchestra in Brazil, with a mission to bring music to the poor
• becoming the Executive Director at New York Baroque Incorporated

Talk about having an impact on future generations of musicians!

Yung-chiao and I dig into all kinds of topics, like:

• how playing Brahms makes her feel alive
• the Tai-chi horse stance and how it applies to bass playing
• overcoming some of her physical limitations
• over-practicing and how to avoid it
• her solo recordings
• the value of creating a bass festival

...and much more!

Be sure to subscribe to Contrabass Conversations to get these episodes delivered automatically to your mobile device!

Links to check out:

• D'Addario strings giveaway!
• Yung-chiao's website
• Yung-chio's YouTube channel
• Yung-chiao's faculty page at LSU
• Yung-chiao Wei Plays Brahms, Elgar, Yen and Tommasini (her latest CD)
• Yung-chiao's first CD
• Yung-chiao on Facebook
• Tai Chi horse stance (YouTube)

Links from news and listener feedback:

• winningtheaudition.net (my new book!)
• my appearance on TEM podcast
• notablevalues.com (Susan Weger's site on musical entrepreneurship)
• video featuring Normand Guilbeault from Montreal
• Dan Pink and why you should write a failure resume (from Jerry Fuller)

Celebrate the 10th anniversary of Contrabass Conversations!

The 10th anniversary of Contrabass Conversations will happen on January 1, 2017! Call into our special voicemail line at (415) 952-5643 and leave a message telling me a thing or two about yourself like:

• your name
• where you live
• how long you've played bass
• where you play
• when you discovered the podcast
• your favorite episode(s)

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

I'm thrilled to announce that my new book Winning the Audition will launch on Thursday, November 17th. This book expands on the content provided in the Winning the Audition podcast series.

You'll learn:

• Why thinking of your audition preparation as a scientific experiment unlocks your potential.
• How charting your audition progress keeps you from making the same mistakes repeatedly.
• How you can take your auditioning to the next level through changes in mindset.
• Why auditioning is a skill that can be mastered.

Visit winningtheaudition.net to pre-order your copy. You can also sign up for bonus content from the book like my Four Methods of Slow Practice worksheet!

Here's what people are saying about Winning the Audition:

"Professor Larry Hurst likes to say 'orchestras are the largest employers of musicians in the world,' As a result, auditions consume the lives of so many aspiring classical musicians. We have all obsessed over them to the point of auditions becoming mystical events with their own lore and urban legend. That somehow they are won with some kind of secret handshake, studying at the right school, playing like a machine, selling your soul to the devil, etc.

Jason Heath's new book Winning The Audition goes a long way to demystifying this frequently misunderstood and intimidating process. His book is the most thorough and exhaustive book on orchestra auditions that I have come across for any instrument. Through his book and his podcast, Jason has created one of the most invaluable educational resources available for classical bassists."

Owen Lee Principal Bass, Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra Adjunct Assistant Professor, University of Cincinnati CCM Principal Bass and Faculty, Chautauqua Institution

"Jason has put together an essential resource for any musician wanting to gain the edge and to win their audition!"

Geoff Chalmers Discover Double Bass Founder

"Thank you Jason for putting this book together! Finally someone has compiled best practices in the realm of audition taking and Jason has gotten together some of the best minds in the music world. I'm sure anyone can gain insight into their own audition preparation from this book."

Harish Kumar Oulu Sinfonia, Helsinki

"I love how all these wonderful resources are in one easy to read tool. Thank you, Jason, for continuing to harness the uniqueness of the double bass community!"

Dennis Bergevin music educator, Grand Rapids

Learn more at winningtheaudition.net!

More links to check out:

• D'Addario string giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners
• Road Warrior Without an Expense Account (my first book)
• Winning the Audition podcast series
• contrabassconversations.com/donate (new donation option)

Be sure to subscribe to Contrabass Conversations to get these episodes delivered automatically to your mobile device!

The 10th anniversary of Contrabass Conversations will happen on January 1, 2017! Call into our special voicemail line at (415) 952-5643 and leave a message telling me a thing or two about yourself like:

• your name
• where you live
• how long you've played bass
• where you play
• when you discovered the podcast
• your favorite episode(s)

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Reuben Rogers and I got connected through our mutual friend Allan Santos.

I wasn't even sure where to begin with a player like Reuben.

I mean, he has played with Charles Lloyd, Wynton Marsalis, Joshua Redman, Roy Hargrove, Marcus Roberts, Nicholas Payton, and a long list of jazz luminaries. He's played on some of the best jazz albums of the past 20 years.

Where to even start?

So I reached out to Allan, and he told me:

"You've got to ask Reuben about the time he fell asleep on the bandstand during a set."

That's how we kicked it off. It was the first of many stories like that. In fact, I was sore from laughing so hard after we finished talking!

We dig into:

• how to get work done at 3 am on the road
• Reuben's first blizzard experience living in Boston and how it nearly drove him back to the Virgin Islands
• how Reuben's high school music teacher Georgia Francis helped him repeatedly during his younger years
• mistakes that derail the careers of many young musicians

...and much more!

This was a super fun conversation. Reuben is an awesome guy, and you'll have a great time and learn a lot from this conversation!

Links to check out:

• Reuben's website (click the bass trunk for a surprise!)
• The Things I Am (Reuben's solo album)

Reuben even has a set of bass loops available from the Loop Loft! Here's a clip featuring these groovy tracks.

Be sure to subscribe to Contrabass Conversations to get these episodes delivered automatically to your mobile device!

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

What happens if you get hired to teach double bass... and there are zero students?

That's what George Amorim faced when he joined the faculty of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley.

Where do you even begin?

But George wasn't deterred.  First, he visited high schools in the area.  Lots of bass players, but lots of work to be done.  

More high school visits from George.  People took notice.  Slowly, things began to grow.

Then George started ¡Viva el Bajo!  The response was immediate, and it grew bigger over time.  Students got better.  Word began to spread.

Fast-forward to the present.  

George has created a double bass powerhouse in South Texas.  His bass quartet featuring himself and his students Andres Vela, Daniel Morehead, and Gabriel Preusse played a stellar recital.

Piece #1 on the program: an arrangement of Peter and the Wolf by UTRGV faculty member Justin Writer.  Justin also narrated!

Piece #2 on the program: an original composition by Gabriel Preusse called Afro Sambas.

By the way, Gabriel's quartet is published and available! Contact him to learn more.

How did George enact this long-term plan to transform a double bass vacuum into one of the most vibrant bass scenes in the country?  What can others do to build their own double bass scene, no matter where they live?

That's what we dig into in this interview.

Learn more about my coverage of music teaching at contrabassconversations.com/teaching.

Be sure to subscribe to Contrabass Conversations to get these episodes delivered automatically to your mobile device!

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D’Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D’Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!

Alexandre Ritter has become a champion of Armando Trovajoli's work Sconcerto.

Once you hear this amazing piece, you'll understand why.

Written for Franco Petracchi, this work has been largely unplayed until Alex got his hands on it.

The process was complex, but Alex worked it out to record the entire piece and publish it on YouTube. This piece is destined to become one of the major concert works for orchestra. It's jazzy, colorful, mysterious, and magical.

But that's not all Alex is doing these days.

We dig deep into Bille, how Alex uses it in his teaching, and we get into the debate of using the 3rd finger in the lower positions like what's printed in Bille—Alex makes a compelling case for it.

While we were talking, he actually grabbed the bass and played through several examples for me!

Alex and I also talk about the experience of leaving Brazil to study in Georgia, how philosophy has influenced his thinking, job prospects in Brazil, and much more!

Learn more about my coverage of music teaching at contrabassconversations.com/teaching.

Links to check out:

• Alex's website
• TROVAJOLI - I TEMPO DI BLUES - ALEXANDRE RITTER 2016 (YouTube)
• TROVAJOLI - II ALLEGRETTO - ALEXANDRE RITTER 2016 (YouTube)
• TROVAJOLI - III PAVANE - ALEXANDRE RITTER 2016 (YouTube)
• TROVAJOLI - IV SCHERZO - ALEXANDRE RITTER 2016 (YouTube)
• Joel Quarrington's Method Book (here's a link to my Joel Quarrington interview)
• Alex's dissertation about the Rota Divertimento (in the ISB's Online Journal of Bass Research)

Be sure to subscribe to Contrabass Conversations to get these episodes delivered automatically to your mobile device!

Thanks to our sponsor!

This episode is brought to you by D'Addario Strings! Check out their Zyex strings, which are synthetic core strings that produce an extremely warm, rich sound. Get the sound and feel of gut strings with more evenness, projection and stability than real gut.

Enter the D'Addario strings giveaway for Contrabass Conversations listeners at contrabassconversations.com/strings!