tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-77447236821540669772011-09-09T13:04:32.210-04:00PeaBodyDoubleBass. A place for us to talk all things Double Bass at Peabody Conservatory and beyond.The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.comBlogger971100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-88139465887697636422010-12-12T14:27:00.003-05:002010-12-12T14:37:54.636-05:00

It’s still not the primary topic of this blog, but recent events in a certain large Midwestern city have brought the topic of “no-hire” auditions out for another run around the track. I blogged about this last year in regards to the Alabama Principal bass audition, and already there has been considerable commentary on TalkBass regarding the recent scene in Chicago. In this case the situation

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-48831766969556887372010-11-15T11:36:00.001-05:002010-11-15T11:39:25.383-05:00

Here's the rest of my interview with Ira Gold:If you could go back in time and tell your 18- to 22-year-old self something, what would it be? Take a break! I worked diligently during those years, almost obsessively, perfecting my craft and giving up social opportunities to practice as much as possible. However, there is something to learning about the world, what is happening in your

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-83929707739424272472010-10-29T10:25:00.002-04:002010-10-29T10:29:00.860-04:00

p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 12.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica; min-height: 14.0px} p.p3 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 12.0px Helvetica} span.s1 {letter-spacing: 0.0px} I’ve been meaning to blog for awhile about our newest Peabody faculty member, Ira Gold. Ira has been teaching some of our orchestral repertoire

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-19794630824943309792010-08-24T19:50:00.006-04:002010-09-10T21:06:06.396-04:00

Is it true? Has Summer actually ended? Are we actually starting the Fall Semester at Peabody? It would appear that it's actually happening... While details are hazy, I do distinctly recall hearing four hours of ensemble auditions the other day... and my teaching calendar does seem to have actual lessons scheduled on it. Alright, I'm a believer - let's do this thing!This year is going to be an

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-70782508649092715732010-06-30T23:14:00.009-04:002010-07-01T10:42:21.026-04:00

It’s been awhile since I’ve had a chance to post! My apologies....In the first part of this series, we looked at things that might keep us from asking ourselves the following very challenging question:Do I have what it takes to be a professional bass player?In the second part, we moved on to considering how and from whom we might collect information that could help us answer this question.So....

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-75220407737396290382010-04-22T23:49:00.007-04:002010-04-22T23:58:03.771-04:00

In Part 1, we looked at fears that keep us from asking ourselves the toughest question that we all must face as musicians looking to have a professional career:Do I have what it takes? In this part, we’ll look at the next step in the process: After we ask ourselves, who else should we ask this question? I think that the best way to start looking at this is to flip it over and look at it from the

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-40273777817598908712010-04-20T23:50:00.003-04:002010-04-21T00:00:43.115-04:00

I had actually just finished the next segment of the "Toughest Question" series when I read this incredible post by Jason Heath. This post is a must-read for aspiring musicians at almost any place in their careers - deciding whether to be a musician, in the midst of their studies, or even an old wizened professional like me! Check it out.... I'll post my new stuff in a couple of days.

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-89192847372512046902010-03-13T18:04:00.004-05:002010-03-13T18:16:25.167-05:00

I’ve addressed a variety of topics here on PBDB, and almost all of them are based on conversations with bass students that I have had over the years. People ask me for advice on music school choices, technique questions, instrument purchases, teacher options, and almost any other question that could possibly seem relevant to a young bassist who is looking for ways to grow and improve as a

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-13254155789454527832009-12-30T14:15:00.009-05:002009-12-30T23:57:29.233-05:00

Any music student of even a moderate degree of seriousness ends up spending some time in orchestra rehearsals. In fact, usually they end up spending a LOT of time in orchestra rehearsals. There’s lots of very good reasons for this. Many bass players are drawn to orchestra for the artistic pleasure of playing the great orchestral repertoire. Others are “made” to play in orchestra for a

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-42871692835055096972009-11-14T23:32:00.007-05:002009-11-14T23:39:59.179-05:00

Okay, so you’ve analyzed your teacher type and you’ve studied the owner’s manual. Things are going great with your teacher now, right? Everything’s humming along nicely? What, you say things aren’t perfect with your teacher? You feel some vague dissatisfaction? Or perhaps it’s more than that; perhaps you even feel like your teacher may be failing to help you achieve your goals? Not sure

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-421327172405082792009-11-12T20:47:00.003-05:002009-11-12T20:53:49.292-05:00

OK, so as always with my blogging goals, I have failed utterly.... In this case I’ve dropped the ball on my efforts to create a weekly report on what’s going on at school. Life events intervened and kept me from keeping up with my pledge. So, in time-honored fashion, I’m gonna play catch-up by doing a catchall midterm report now and then try to get back on the horse next week with regular

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-87790267520519137722009-10-25T23:52:00.003-04:002009-10-25T23:59:10.463-04:00

I had the pleasure of finally speaking live on the phone with bass blogging overlord and PBDB aficionado Jason Heath this week, and he went and made a lovely Contrabass Conversations episode out of it! It was a lot of fun, and I think I did a pretty good job of fulfilling my two primary goals in this interview: - Don't say anything so outrageously stupid that it gets me fired, arrested or beat

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-67237174494278294252009-10-19T23:19:00.008-04:002009-10-19T23:32:42.178-04:00

Regardless of which teacher type you have acquired, now you have to figure out what to do with it. Teachers have lots of complicated features, and often we just throw our hands up in the air, press the start button, and hope that they work. This is unfortunate, because we can get a lot more out of them by understanding some basic principles. By far the most important of these is what I refer

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-54397229959769342322009-09-30T23:23:00.009-04:002009-09-30T23:46:37.127-04:00

Congratulations, you are the owner of an official authorized bass teacher! This may be your first real bass teacher. You may have owned several teachers before and are just now acquiring a new model. Or perhaps you have owned this teacher for awhile and are simply checking the owner’s manual out for the first time to make sure you’re getting the most from your teacher. Or maybe you’re

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-28914039393726273162009-09-26T17:14:00.005-04:002009-09-29T22:17:53.105-04:00

Whew! We definitely win the prize for Hardest Working Bass Program in the Biz for the last 7-10 days of frenetic activity. It's been quite a show - hard to know where to begin.That's not true actually - it's pretty easy to know where to begin. Hal Robinson's first visit to Peabody in his new capacity as Artist in Residence was a complete and total success. He brought so much to his day here

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-14927467667104954402009-09-18T12:49:00.007-04:002009-09-18T12:57:26.289-04:00

Here at Peabody Bass Central Command we are in final countdown to our first day of lessons and classes with our new faculty artist in residence Hal Robinson. Hal needs no introduction to most readers of this site - he’s one of the top players and pedagogues in the country. Paul Johnson and I are both former students of his and he has played a big role in both of our lives and careers. It is

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-25718586118500111032009-09-15T20:22:00.001-04:002009-09-15T20:24:14.363-04:00

Week 2 at this Fall has brought that realization that his most college students before long: It’s a marathon, not a sprint. We all get excited and wound up for our school “firsts” - first lesson of the year, first orchestra rehearsal, first new bass student that we meet in the hallway, first night out with friends. Then week two arrives and we realize that those were indeed firsts - the first

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-89543060749175088992009-09-06T10:10:00.003-04:002009-09-06T11:27:09.085-04:00

First, a brief intro: As I mentioned in a recent post, I need to get my blogging game in gear and stop letting weeks go by between posts. Therefore, gentle reader, I hereby commit to a weekly post that will sum up any interesting goings-on at Peabody; said post will appear on Sunday. School started officially on Wednesday, but Bassland was already fully in motion by the previous Saturday. On

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-30128699730242101152009-08-28T15:05:00.003-04:002009-08-28T15:13:55.489-04:00

I’d be pretty shocked if there were any readers over here who didn’t also read Jason Heath’s Bass Blog, or partake in some other form of his vast media empire. Between blogging, podcasting, and ISB convention-ing, the guy is pretty much the Supreme Ruler of the Bass Intertubes. He’s also been kind enough to have me as a guest blogger for some time now, which I very much appreciate.Over the

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-8122154604109466842009-08-28T13:18:00.006-04:002009-08-28T13:26:15.311-04:00

It’s the mobs and legions of Peabody bass students arriving for the Fall semester!I’ve been enjoying my summer break to no end, and it’s been incredibly relaxing and refreshing, but I’m also tremendously excited about beginning of this year at Peabody. We have one of our largest incoming classes in years, and are looking forward to a year of great work, music-making, and hopefully a fair amount

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-8048605582028688922009-07-21T09:56:00.002-04:002009-07-21T10:05:35.847-04:00

In my last post, I defined what "outlier" means and how it applies to bass playing. In this post I'll make some comments on how we all can cope with, and learn from, outliers - whether we are one or we are learning from one.If you are a student, you need to seek out the views of lots of teachers and players and notice when a teacher or fellow student seems to have very unusual ideas about how

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-62440544508538168372009-07-09T00:14:00.004-04:002009-07-09T00:18:10.869-04:00

Outlier: a data point that falls far from most other points; a score extremely divergent from the other measures of a set.I first became familiar with the concept of “outliers” when my brother came home from his new job wearing T-shirt of the company softball team - it was their team name! (This job was at a DC policy think tank so I suspect that a fairly high nerd factor went into the name

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-91001245719660692422009-04-23T14:19:00.003-04:002009-04-23T14:29:21.662-04:00

As I mentioned previously, Ira Gold, my colleague in the National Symphony, is teaching some of the Peabody bass students of Paul Johnson while he recovers from some surgery. He is also teaching Paul's orchestral repertoire classes, and the students have really enjoyed all Ira has to share in this area. Ira is an excellent auditioner and has had a great deal of success on the audition circuit,

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-84178460767986388572009-04-13T23:19:00.001-04:002009-04-13T23:23:11.366-04:00

I’ve certainly hit a nerve with my post on “no-hire” auditions - it’s produced more comments and traffic here and at Jason Heath’s site than anything I’ve written in some time. I’ve even gotten attention from some big-time symphony bloggers, such as my former Peabody classmate Charles Noble, former ICSOM Chairperson and Milwaukee Principal Violist Robert Levine and arts consultant Drew McManus.

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-32700565049295221692009-04-05T10:33:00.005-04:002009-04-05T13:54:31.812-04:00

This morning, I saw a post on a discussion thread at the site www.talkbass.com regarding the recent audition for principal bass of the Alabama Symphony. I was seeking out information about this audition because I know two of the finalists - one is a former Peabody student, and the other has subbed with my orchestra, the National Symphony. At this audition, despite having four finalists, the

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-23450291820670087382009-02-17T23:47:00.003-05:002009-02-20T10:37:59.362-05:00

- I wish I had eaten more oatmeal in the morning as we didn't have any meal breaks this year. - One of the applicants had a really nice grey pinstripe suit, which I coveted. - 2008 was a big Eccles year; 2009 marked the resurgence of Koussevitsky Concerto. - Everyone started the scherzo from Beethoven 5th upbow this year. - I would say I didn't start to really lose my mind until the 5th hour.

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-73434592027772775432009-02-16T22:51:00.005-05:002009-02-16T22:56:35.956-05:00

Tomorrow is a big day for myself and my fellow bass faculty - We’ll be hearing bass auditioners all day and into the night. Some of you reading this blog may be among those we hear tomorrow. Or perhaps you once auditioned for Peabody or are planning to to sometime in the future. Even if you never auditioned for Peabody, the odds are good that a large percentage of readers of this blog either

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-38470496553764922252009-02-12T15:30:00.003-05:002009-02-12T15:32:13.921-05:00

How Equal Temperament Ruined Harmony (and Why You Should Care) by Ross DuffinW. W. Norton, paperback“Don’t even start thinking about this stuff,” said my friend, an excellent musician who does a lot of period performance work. “It’ll ruin your ability to enjoy most music that you hear - anything with piano.” The forbidden topic under discussion: the art and science of temperament and the tuning

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-26353284102142225212009-02-11T23:39:00.002-05:002009-02-11T23:42:30.089-05:00

Hello all - I’m back from the (blogging) dead and ready to finally get some new posts up. My reasons for not posting recently are varied but center mostly around lots of other activities which kept me busy recently. As some readers know, I did a big recital at Peabody this past week, and rehearsals and prepping for that took a lot of time. In particular, organizing and scheduling two quintets

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-938065206599984802008-12-28T01:22:00.003-05:002008-12-28T01:27:17.896-05:00

Here is the official announcement from our Peabody website:Peabody is pleased to announce the appointment of Harold Hall Robinson, principal bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra and instructor at the Curtis Institute, as Peabody Artist-Faculty in Residence. Beginning in Fall 2009, he will join current Peabody double bass faculty faculty Paul Johnson and Jeffrey Weisner in this newly created

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-6758167546549804052008-11-25T09:51:00.003-05:002008-11-25T10:04:45.324-05:00

This is a question that is always rattling around out there in Bassland. Many students stress out about the role that the teacher’s bowhold should play in their choice. Many parents of students seem to stress out about it even more than the students!As with so many questions of this sort, the answer.... depends. However, I will certainly say the following with great certainty: You don’t have

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-7583268654554433202008-11-15T11:00:00.000-05:002008-11-15T11:54:42.165-05:00

Last year, I did some posts about auditioning and how to approach it. You can read them here and here, but to recap the main points: - Auditions are standardized tests like the SAT. - Like any standardized test, they don't just test your skills and musicianship, but they also test your skills at taking that particular type of test; just as a very smart person can do poorly at the SAT because it

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-51788285799028534592008-11-02T22:21:00.003-05:002008-11-02T22:26:26.779-05:00

Pittsburgh Symphony Principal Bassist Jeffrey Turner will be at Peabody on Sunday, Nov. 9 to present a master class from 1-4 pm in the Cohen Davison Family Theater. Jeff is one of the best players and teachers out there, and has built a fantastic program at Carnegie-Mellon University, as well as Duquesne University. I did some guest teaching there earlier this year and blogged about it here.

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-72468813526891274122008-10-22T23:49:00.001-04:002008-10-22T23:51:26.351-04:00

Most of the issues that music students face when applying to graduate school are the same ones that undergraduate students face - researching teachers, figuring out what you want from the programs, learning about ensembles at the various schools, etc. But there are some issues that are more unique to grad school applicants, and certainly some issues are far more important to grads than to

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-84377133601014847512008-10-13T21:21:00.007-04:002008-10-14T21:46:49.309-04:00

Around this time I like to point readers to the series I wrote about looking at music schools - the various parts are here, here, here, and here. Many seniors in high school and college are looking at their school choices and planning research trips around now, and hopefully some of the ideas I mention in these articles might help.Upon rereading the series, I've decided to add some new chapters

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-74270718722831839492008-09-29T10:27:00.015-04:002008-10-05T09:40:37.641-04:00

I am a hopeless political junkie, and especially in this election season, I manage to waste astonishingly large amounts of time reading a huge array of political blogs and websites. I pore over polls, read analyses and insider reports, and watch video clips of candidates and pundits. (What can I say? I guess living in DC gets to you after awhile.) Beyond just following the latest news and

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-76573484817208555882008-09-11T12:20:00.004-04:002008-09-11T12:30:26.648-04:00

Sound in Motion: A Performer's Guide to Greater Musical Expression. By David McGill. Indiana University Press.Having introduced everybody to the influential and important American pedagogue and oboist Marcel Tabuteau in my last book review, I thought I should review a couple of the books that focus on his teaching and playing methods. Certainly one of the most informative and entertaining of

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-36574815858013168242008-08-28T09:41:00.006-04:002008-08-28T16:51:18.540-04:00

I just read this post by Anthony McCarthy on the blog Echidne of the Snakes - a (lefty) political blog in general, but with some occasional fascinating bits of cultural commentary as well. I love what he has to say about the worst part of being a classical musician:... there is, in fact, a snob audience for classical music who consider it their property, or at least their exclusive franchise.

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-60271009831529834692008-08-23T21:07:00.002-04:002008-08-23T21:09:37.292-04:00

So who the heck is this guy? Why is this book worthy of any bassists' attention?If you are interested in anything related to woodwind playing, string playing, phrasing, music education, orchestral performance, musicianship, the history of American orchestras, rhythm, sound, or the Curtis Institute, the name and teachings of Marcel Tabuteau are worth your attention. Marcel Tabuteau was one of

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-20928030808483115052008-08-23T14:07:00.003-04:002008-08-23T14:13:05.349-04:00

Hi all - PBDB is slowly waking up from its summer semi-hiatus. We're putting some coffee on and getting some new posts set up for the new school year. We're gonna have a busy year at school, with a big and talented incoming class of freshmen and some good recitals and special events in the offing by both students and faculty. We'll be blogging all of that, plus whatever else may cross our

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-28893238278063351672008-07-20T13:47:00.003-04:002008-07-20T14:20:02.966-04:00

Hello PBDB followers! I apologize for the unannounced summer blogging hiatus. I've been neglecting the blog, but my teeny brain has been churning away with new blog ideas for the Fall. There will be some new posts coming soon, including a book review and more ideas on double bass socialism....However, as soon as I saw this incredible video on Jason's blog, I had to get it up here ASAP. What

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-27265853516190437002008-05-27T23:41:00.003-04:002008-05-27T23:48:01.691-04:00

by JWIn my last post I looked at the systemic problem: Having great instruments and bows can help you become a better player, but to have the income to afford those instruments, most folks have to already be great players (or independently wealthy). So, what is the young or not-so-young bassist of modest means to do? Over the years, I’ve tried to notice the little things that folks do to their

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-67408541450578647372008-05-08T16:34:00.000-04:002008-05-08T16:36:07.728-04:00

The trees of Baltimore are leafy, the cars covered with a thin coating of pollen, the weather is balmy and delightful. This can mean only one thing – the Spring semester is almost over! Which can also mean only one thing – it’s once again time for Peabody Mock Audition Day and juries! It feels like the orchestral classes have really flown by this semester for some reason.Here’s the list of

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-5431481456631267942008-05-02T22:11:00.004-04:002008-05-02T22:21:16.509-04:00

(crossposted at DBB.org)I am often most frustrated as a teacher not by anything about my students or about myself, but by my students’ instruments and bows. Sometimes my students fail to do the things they need to do, and sometimes I don’t manage to communicate what I think to my students. But sometimes the magic happens: I manage to give them a great new concept or musical idea, and the light

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-91381369072339275972008-04-17T08:29:00.001-04:002008-04-17T08:30:40.934-04:00

For some, it happens when they’re very young. For others, it may not happen until they’re teenagers. For many, it happens in college. For some, it may not happen until graduate school or later. For a rare few, it may never happen at all. It’s rarely a pleasant moment (at least at first), but it’s one that shapes all of us forever once we experience it.What am I talking about? That moment I

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-25756908711284343182008-04-07T22:01:00.003-04:002008-04-07T23:53:57.121-04:00

Peabody Senior and guest PBDB poster Lee Philip contacted the ISB and arranged to have the legendary Karr-Koussevitsky Bass loaned to him for his upcoming performances of the Bottesini Concerto with the York, PA Symphony. It's a thrill to have such a great and historic instrument visiting us at school. It's a tiny bass, and incredibly easy to play. The sound is amazing, and it looks good too!

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-53146601152405136592008-03-21T22:18:00.003-04:002008-03-21T22:43:21.280-04:00

Writings relating to gear and setup in the bass world are usually of two categories. One is the standard "Here's what I like" variety. In this sort of article or blog post, the writer basically lists what equipment they use and describe why they like it. This question is often also asked in interviews of bassists. I'm not a big fan of these, and here's why: I'm not that person, I'm not

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-88545929573448327232008-03-21T18:20:00.002-04:002008-03-21T18:24:08.468-04:00

I'm doing a multipart series at DBB.org about what we can all do to help create new music for our instrument. Check it out if you'd like here.

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-6667094186238021712008-03-16T12:52:00.003-04:002008-03-16T13:09:16.562-04:00

Peabody Writes for BassA Recital of New Music for and with Bass by Peabody ComposersJeffrey Weisner, Double Basswith fellow Peabody double bass faculty Paul Johnson and Michael Formanek, and Peabody students Kyle Augustine and Lee PhilipMcGregor Boyle: Yahanney Inlet (world premiere)Evan Rogers: bass quartet no. 1 (world premiere)David Witmer: Bass Quartet (world premiere)Michael Hersch:

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-58644483867649645912008-03-14T13:34:00.002-04:002008-03-14T13:50:15.110-04:00

Yes, it's that time of year again... As the year draws to a close, Peabody bass students are preparing their graduate recitals. There will be great bass playing, some cool music that you may not have ever heard before, and lovely receptions afterwards. Come on down and check them out! Angela HamiltonSunday, March 30, 3:30 pm, Cohen-Davison Family TheatreBach - Cello suite No. 1Bottesini -

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-35170360227059940122008-03-10T20:19:00.002-04:002008-03-10T20:21:54.101-04:00

The things one can find out trolling the internet... Casey Middaugh, BM '07, student of Paul, went off to study at the Guildhall School in London last year. It turns out she's been blogging it the whole time!

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-66160895234177901272008-03-07T09:49:00.004-05:002008-03-07T12:01:33.441-05:00

by JWOne of the struggles of being a young bass player is that we're so popular. I don't mean this in a personal sense (although I do of course find bassists to be an altogether superior group of human beings in every way!). Rather, I mean that there are always too few bass players around to meet the needs of your average school, youth, or community orchestra. In most youth orchestras, there

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-73396484735306070822008-02-28T16:13:00.003-05:002008-02-28T16:29:59.466-05:00

I know that many PBDB readers may already be aware of it, but one of the finest classical music blogs out there is Hella Frisch. Calgary Philharmonic bassist Matt Heller's musings on all things bassistic are fascinating. Matt has blogged through both sides of the audition process, from being in New World through to his current gig in Canada, and he's a great writer. Plus, any bass nerd who can

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-52011429303002047712008-02-19T19:33:00.008-05:002008-02-24T21:48:48.474-05:00

by JWPeabody Audition Day 2008 for bassists was this past Monday, Feb. 18. First of all, thanks to all the Peabody bass applicants - everyone played well and we enjoyed meeting you all. Second, I want to apologize for my failure to do two things I had hoped to accomplish on this blog - doing a pre-audition photo or video tour of Peabody Bassland, and doing some liveblogging on Audition Day

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-22063472002459266902008-02-11T12:50:00.000-05:002008-02-11T12:56:17.501-05:00

- of bass blogging, at any rate. Bass blog overlord and PBDB inspiration Jason Heath has kindly invited me to do some guest posting on doublebassblog.org. I'll be posting over there on a variety of topics, plus perhaps crossposting some stuff from here. My first post is about a great touring program my orchestra does - feel free to check it out, and while you're there enjoy the immense amount

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-82956049975347176932008-02-11T12:46:00.000-05:002008-02-11T12:50:43.281-05:00

by JWI thought I might expand on this post I wrote awhile ago about my audition analogy:Auditions : Being a good musician :: The SAT : being a smart personIn other words, like the SAT, auditions are standardized tests, and like the SAT, they are not a complete picture of what they claim to test. One can be a great musician and struggle with auditions, because auditions do not test all aspects of

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-36540428480641433242008-02-08T19:20:00.000-05:002008-02-08T19:27:45.395-05:00

Last week, I had the pleasure of being a substitute teacher. While substitute teaching can be a nightmare if you’re talking eighth grade math, it’s a blast when you’re subbing for the amazing bassist and teacher Jeff Turner. Jeff invited me to teach his students at Carnegie-Mellon and Duquesne Universities while he is on tour with the Pittsburgh Symphony for a few weeks. I drove up to

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-59757298586108587502008-01-26T23:53:00.000-05:002008-01-30T08:36:37.310-05:00

by JWI have never been a double bass gearhead. Even in the times of my life when I was thinking about music and bass 24/7, I was always more interested in talking about phrasings, musical ideas, technique pointers, fingerings, and bowings than I was in talking about rosin, strings, setup, string action, bows and basses. In my student days I was often dismissive of the gearhead crowd. "Why

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-90744973991272041242008-01-16T20:08:00.001-05:002008-01-19T09:39:47.266-05:00

by JWFor my first PBDB book review, I thought I'd alert readers to this fascinating description of the little-understood world of exactly what is happening inside our heads when we hear music. Perhaps an even more interesting (and less understood) element of this book is author Dan Levitin's discussion of the "Why" of music: what, if any, purposes has music served for human beings in our

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-80725795134467151912008-01-10T09:36:00.000-05:002008-01-10T09:51:56.994-05:00

by JWI recently discovered this great post by violinist and blogger Holly Mulcahy about the experience of giving her first "Talk" to a student. I remember how strange it felt to go from "Talk" recipient to "Talk" giver...The next stage for me after the one Holly describes so well has been actually seeing some of the students that I gave the "Talk" to going out into the world and making their way

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-86991952380545850982008-01-07T10:28:00.000-05:002008-01-10T09:52:16.098-05:00

by JWHappy New Year to all! PBDB is back from our holiday hiatus. We've got some good stuff coming for early 2008, including some photo and video posts, book reviews, and maybe even some liveblogging of Peabody Audition Week in all its awesome glory. For now, here's my final post on Mock Day.After all of the What and How of Mock Day, it's time to look at the Why. What's the point of all this

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-37067989457290581172007-12-23T15:19:00.001-05:002007-12-23T17:52:17.690-05:00

Courtesy of The Jingler, here's a holiday treat for all of you:Christmas Concerto for Bass: Gerd Reinke soloist.Who knew Koussevitsky could sound so festive?Enjoy!

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-47432095629470860842007-12-18T14:24:00.000-05:002007-12-21T21:14:11.374-05:00

OK, my blood sugar has stabilized a bit and I'm ready to report in more depth on Mock Day. I think that some may not have any idea what happens at a conservatory mock audition of this type, so I'll cover the proceedings in some detail.The auditions took place in the acoustically and visually lovely Griswold Hall, pictured above. We sat at a table on the left in front of the seats - not on

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-16462679469439686762007-12-17T18:17:00.000-05:002007-12-17T18:19:34.566-05:00

Mock Day for Fall 2007 is history! Lots of great bass playing was heard, and more than one cookie was eaten by your hardworking bloggers here at PBDB. The cookies themselves were courtesy of Peabody senior Angela Hamilton, and were characterized by their uniform deliciousness. For the record, no special consideration was given to her in return for these cookies, other than our gratitude and an

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-84074825575329466342007-12-16T17:40:00.000-05:002007-12-16T17:41:47.065-05:00

by JWIt’s the eve of a big Peabody bass holiday – Mock Day. Tomorrow, our students will do their mock auditions, which function as the final exam of their orchestra excerpts class. Peabody runs its orchestra excerpts class on a two year curriculum, which you can see here. As the end of each semester approaches, we take this large list and produce the dreaded “short list,” a somewhat smaller

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-78612810553605327772007-12-08T12:41:00.000-05:002007-12-08T12:44:25.159-05:00

For those of you in our neighborhood, Northwestern University faculty and former Minnesota Orchestra principal bass Peter Lloyd will be giving two master classes tomorrow, Sunday the 9th at Peabody. The first will begin at 5:30 and focus on orchestral excerpts; the second will begin at 7:45 and will focus on solo material. Both classes are in East Hall and all are invited. Please contact us if

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-21303863383275920372007-12-07T14:09:00.000-05:002007-12-08T12:35:23.608-05:00

As I write this post, the temperature is hovering around freezing here in Washington DC, where I live. A delightful freezing rain and sleet mixture is falling - Washington is famous for its "wintry mix" and today is a classic example. But fear not! I'm toasty warm here in my house. My radiators are working great and the place is nice and warm. Unfortunately, these radiators are also reducing

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-60784974219155627002007-12-06T09:30:00.000-05:002007-12-06T09:30:51.097-05:00

by MFQ: How important is bow technique?A: Bow technique- Very important if the student wishes to explore all of the facets that double bass playing has to offer. Learning to play with the bow is an indispensable part of building a strong technical foundation whether or not the student wishes to play “jazz” with the bow. It’s better to begin early to develop bow technique, rather than waiting

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-15210660728585240062007-12-04T15:07:00.000-05:002007-12-04T15:08:24.600-05:00

by JHThe bow traveling in a straight line, perpendicular to the string is an excellent point of departure. We practice for hours looking in the mirror trying to achieve this. As we become more advanced, we may realize that what appears to be perpendicular in the mirror, sometimes is not. Because the fingerboard is an arc, and the nut is narrower that the bridge, the strings are more like lines

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-12300344600289865092007-12-01T23:12:00.000-05:002007-12-01T23:13:28.589-05:00

by MFBefore I start posting a lot of specific things about the bass, and spewing forth all of my opinions and philosophies, I thought that I should first introduce myself to this blog community. My name is Michael Formanek, and I am the jazz bass teacher at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore, Maryland. I’ve been here since 2001, and a full-time member of the faculty since 2003. One of the main

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-78898343514726991072007-12-01T17:59:00.000-05:002007-12-01T18:01:14.726-05:00

by MFQ: What qualities do you listen for when hearing a young bass 
 player for 
 the first time?A: The qualities that I listen for in a young bass player are: Time feel, Sound, Ears, Good technical foundation, Desire and Enthusiasm (Yes, you can hear that!), and a Sense of listening history, Jazz vocabulary, and context. I’m less concerned about whether the student executes everything

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-75950810167936424292007-12-01T13:14:00.000-05:002007-12-01T17:59:11.673-05:00

by JWWe at PBDB are happy to welcome Peabody jazz bass faculty Michael Formanek to the blog. Mike is an important part of Peabody Bassland, and we're glad he'll be contributing some posts here. Mike is one of the major engines behind Peabody's fantastic Jazz Department, and I'm looking forward to learning from his many years of experience and teaching.Having him here also illustrates an

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-10943065033435544132007-11-27T22:47:00.001-05:002007-11-27T22:53:18.414-05:00

by JWThanks to Lee Philip for his post from Singapore. We should have also pointed out that we at Peabody have enjoyed meeting Emily Koh from Yong Siew Toh Conservatory this semester - she is Lee's "exchange" for the semester. We haven't had a chance to see her in bass classes because she is a composition major, but she's been playing in orchestra and is a talented bassist. She is also a

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-31568535065669131652007-11-27T09:57:00.000-05:002007-11-27T11:06:12.505-05:00

by JWVia the omnipresent Jason Heath, I just discovered this wonderful blog by psychoanalyst Mike Jolkovski examining the psychology of musical groups and of musicians in general. This topic fascinates me and I definitely plan to keep reading this blog. Check out especially this post comparing entrepreneurs and musicians, and this Venn diagram, which pretty much says it all.I especially like

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-30841695873219034582007-11-25T13:31:00.000-05:002007-11-25T16:59:02.960-05:00

Hi, I’m Lee Philip, a 4th year double bassist at Peabody. I’m the lucky guest-blogger here because I’m writing from Singapore, where I’m studying as an exchange student at the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music. The Singapore exchange is a new feature at Peabody this year, and they intend to continue offering it for the next several years. It turns out, they are offering their students the

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-30516898384764644432007-11-22T08:02:00.000-05:002007-11-22T08:06:48.321-05:00

by JWAs the three of us prepare to celebrate (American) Thanksgiving, we want to wish a happy Thanksgiving to all our readers, wherever they may hail from. We've been having a lot of fun getting the blog rolling this year, and we're certainly thankful to all of you for reading our thoughts, posting the occasional comment, or hitting us with a link. With each delicious forkful of mashed potatoes

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-1016184705438441722007-11-18T09:54:00.000-05:002007-11-18T10:37:33.585-05:00

by JWI’m often surprised by the lackadaisical and unfocused way that some bassists tune their basses before playing. We all devote enormous amounts of time to training our ears, minds, and bodies so that we can play in tune. If our instrument is not well in tune, we make our task of good intonation much more difficult. Why spend countless hours learning the proper spacing and placement of the

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-11749870392904847272007-11-13T22:50:00.000-05:002007-11-13T22:57:47.327-05:00

by JWBob Oppelt, the principal bass of my orchestra (National Symphony Orchestra), has been building himself a great website with some interesting thoughts and insights about playing bass and being an orchestral musician. I especially wanted to point readers of this blog to this fantastic set of photos he took of himself demonstrating various German bow grips and commenting on what he considers

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-88047829431776699002007-11-08T18:25:00.000-05:002007-11-08T18:26:58.420-05:00

by JHWhile a student at the Interlochen Arts Academy, I attended a guest master class given by Bernard Linden, then a violist in the New York Philharmonic. His daughter Louise was a student at the Academy. In that class, he inspired a journey for me that continues today, that of understanding tonality and intonation. Mr. Linden demonstrated that he would practice the intonation of a passage by

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-28635103828376622062007-11-06T20:02:00.001-05:002007-12-03T22:26:42.978-05:00

by JWIt occurred to me today that I should clarify a few things about the blog. - While it is a collaborative effort, we each post on our own and are responsible only for the content of our own posts. No post by any one of us should be considered the opinions of anyone but the writer (always credited by initials at the top of each post). - This blog is not affiliated in any way with the

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-52444206043604418742007-11-03T12:00:00.000-04:002007-11-06T23:36:18.826-05:00

by JWNo one doing any bass blogging can escape the influence of our acknowledged master, Jason Heath. His bass blog is the best and most comprehensive around, a clearinghouse of all that is noteworthy in bass on the Internet. His posts describing life as a freelancer and teacher, and his comments of the business of music in general, are thought-provoking, informative, and often hilarious. Jason

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-30379649077213200672007-10-28T18:36:00.000-04:002007-10-28T18:37:45.751-04:00

by JWMany bass students worry about getting a good instrument, but I see more students whose progress is hampered by their bows than by their basses. When you are working on developing your technique and mastering bow strokes, a bow that is poorly balanced or too stiff can make progress difficult at best. Even worse, many students with inferior bows wind up internalizing bad habits as a result

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-59264436995094558472007-10-25T16:50:00.000-04:002007-10-25T16:51:30.384-04:00

by JHThe cooler weather is upon us, and with this, we need to warm up well to prevent injury. Many people have a regimen of whole body stretching which they employ before they touch the bass. I will only deal here with the warm-up that involves the bass.The first thing that I do when I sit down with the bass is shifting exercises. I typically begin on the E string, shifting between the two

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-55411821271535192512007-10-23T08:35:00.000-04:002007-10-23T08:41:12.650-04:00

by JWI have a theory to describe orchestral auditions – more of an analogy, actually. Some have called my analogy cynical and bitter, but I truly think they’re mistaken. On the contrary, my analogy was born from the desire to make auditions a more positive experience for myself, my friends and my students. Here it is, expressed in the classic old-school SAT analogy format:Winning auditions:

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-83185875645474337132007-10-16T08:50:00.000-04:002007-10-16T08:53:01.706-04:00

by JHThere is nothing like the resonance of an open string, our longest string length stopped securely at both ends. In the orchestra, we use many open strings, even for long sustained notes. Not all players tune in exactly the same way, or sometimes excessive humidity or dryness can cause the pitch of open strings to change during performance. Sometimes another section or solo wind player is

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-72259494505698525352007-10-14T13:43:00.001-04:002007-10-15T15:38:23.288-04:00

There is a class that every music student takes. Doing well in this class, and doing extra credit work in this class, is one of the best things any music student can do for their future success. Yet most students avoid this class, endlessly complain about it, and often do anything they can to get out of it. And sadly, many music schools don’t do nearly enough to emphasize this class and make

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-90866720297943765872007-10-09T08:26:00.000-04:002007-10-09T08:27:15.764-04:00

by JHI notice that even in my orchestra, the upper string players rarely if ever vary the color of their pizzicato. The bassists are very active in their use of different right hand placements for different lengths and colors of notes. Try these at home. 1. For the softest notes with the softest attack, find the middle of the stopped string length with the fullest flesh on the string, and

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-62135569151721786322007-10-08T23:10:00.000-04:002007-10-08T23:14:44.053-04:00

After figuring out what you want and doing all this research, what then? Where do you apply? How do you know which factors to balance against the other? Based on my own experiences and on many discussions with students and teachers, I feel like the most important factors are:- Private teacher. Obviously, after all is said and done, this remains a top factor. If you see a great teacher in

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-67307512739784908812007-10-06T08:09:00.000-04:002007-10-06T08:19:30.114-04:00

Amidst all the musings and deep thoughts, we manage to get a little bass playing in as well. Here are a couple of upcoming events for those in the area:Sunday, October 7 (tomorrow!) at 7:30 pm in Griswold Hall at Peabody, our first Departmental Recital of the year. Hear Peabody bassists play music by Bach, Telemann, Bottesini, Dragonetti, Faure, and Hindemith. Free to all.Tuesday, October 9

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-81831853333176121722007-09-29T17:41:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:45:31.762-04:00

by JWAs a music performance student, you’ll probably spend more of your “work” time practicing and working on your private teacher’s assignments than on anything else. The thing you’re likely to spend the second largest block of time on is your orchestra or other ensemble classes. School orchestras are often misunderstood. Students often see their orchestra requirement as:- a “gig,” something

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-27801207826688820812007-09-28T15:40:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:46:24.939-04:00

by JWTruly the Internet is mighty! This morning over coffee I finally made successful Ichat Video contact with Peabody bass student Mr. Lee Philip, who was just preparing for a night on the town, that town being Singapore, where he is spending the semester at our sister school, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory. As his tiny, grainy image appeared on my screen, I thought, "Yes! Finally this damn thing

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-38464550334991398262007-09-25T07:49:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:46:53.989-04:00

by JWI get inspired by music from all sorts of places. I have long been a big fan of Bjork, the Icelandic singer/songwriter, so when I learned of Travis Sullivan's Bjorkestra I knew I had to check it out. This big band plays original arrangements of Bjork songs and has made appearances all over the place. So, I hauled myself down to Annapolis on Sunday night after a long day at Peabody to hear

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-83786782359979611282007-09-19T10:07:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:47:15.754-04:00

by JHA favorite topic of mine is about harmonics. Harmonics are where science and nature meet music. We are lucky as string players and especially as bass player that we are able to see the harmonic divisions occurring. Harmonics help us organize fingering systems. Harmonics also can help us to determine optimal bow placement. 1. The note that is two octaves above any open string is at a

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-68181822520680130352007-09-17T23:25:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:47:50.790-04:00

It is a truism heard by most music school applicants at some point: “Don’t worry about the school, just get the best teacher.” It’s a statement with a lot of truth to it. Music performance is an art that stubbornly resists efforts to turn it into a classroom subject. It is such a complex and all-encompassing discipline that it has to be taught in a one-to-one setting. Your studio instructor

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-56919090500106638972007-09-11T09:33:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:48:17.047-04:00

by JWAround this time of year, we start getting calls and emails from bass students who are interested in Peabody. They have often heard about the school either by reputation or through an alumnus or current student. Or they may know of a particular faculty member in which they are interested. They often want to meet with one of more of us for a lesson or just to discuss their options.A lot of

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-8737331619116025842007-09-05T09:57:00.000-04:002007-09-29T17:48:29.604-04:00

by JWThe first official event of the year for the bass department is seating auditions for the two Peabody orchestras. All the students receive the required list of excerpts over the summer and play them, along with a solo, for the faculty, the orchestra conductor, and the chamber music coordinator. After everyone has played, we consult together and work out assignments for orchestra

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7744723682154066977.post-26414183023249243692007-09-02T12:36:00.000-04:002007-09-02T12:38:19.042-04:00

Hello and welcome to PBDB! This blog is, to our knowledge, the first group blog by the entire bass faculty of a music school. We’re making history! (Well, bass blog history, anyway.) We hope to use this space to share our thoughts, experiences, and views on a wide range of subjects related to bass playing, learning, and teaching. We’ll also be posting about what’s going on bass-wise here at

The Peabody Double Bass Facultyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03539761690557536855noreply@blogger.com0