Contrabass Conversations

Latest Episodes:

384: Dennis Tobenski talks careers, business, composing, and podcasting Aug 16, 2017

Show notes

Dennis Tobenski is a composer of acoustic new music whose work has been described by Anthony Tommasini of The New York Times as "distinctive and engaging". He is also a vocalist and a strong advocate for new music and for the interests of living composers.

Dennis also hosts two music business-centered podcasts aimed at helping composers and performers to learn more about the practical aspects of their careers: the Music Publishing Podcast, a weekly, hour-long conversation with other professionals in the field of concert music, and The Composer's Guide to Doing Business, where he answers questions and discusses current issues the new music community.

Links to check out:

Music Publishing Podcast
Dennis' website
The Freelancer's Survival Guide (book recommendation from Dennis)
Jason's appearance on MPP
episodes of MPP to check out:
- episode 1 - Alex Shapiro - thinking of your carer as a business
- episode 7 - Dale Trumbore - taking a methodical approach to your career, being strategic in your career
- episode 12 - Thomas Deneuville - social networking, email marketing - the why and the how
- episode 35 - Scott Tegge - diversified income streams

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

The Upton Bass String Instrument Company. Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

Bass Violin Shop - Offers the Southeast's largest inventory of laminate, hybrid and carved double basses. Whether you are in search of the best entry-level laminate, or a fine pedigree instrument, there is always a unique selection ready for you to try. Trade-ins and consignments welcome! Check out what people are saying about the Bass Violin Shop on Facebook.

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383: The Orchestral Dream is Dead with Matt Waters Aug 14, 2017

Show notes

Earlier this summer, I read an article from Matthew Waters that caught my attention. Titled The Orchestral Dream is Dead, it outlined Matt's experiences going through school at UCLA and trying to develop a career in Los Angeles.

I posted this article on Facebook, and it got a lot of thoughtful comments from orchestral musicians, students, and others. I thought that it would be great to chat with Matt for the podcast and dig into these topics.

Must-read posts from Matt:

Additional resources on this topic:

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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382: standing vs. sitting - the double bassist's dilemma Aug 10, 2017

Show notes

This episode takes a look at the benefits and drawbacks to seated and standing approaches to playing the double bass.

Part 1 - sitting
Part 2 - standing
Part 3 - transitioning from sitting to standing

We feature highlights from past podcast guests:

Dr. Randy Kertz - specialist in musician's health
Max Dimoff - Cleveland Orchestra principal bass and University of Michigan faculty
Alex Hanna - Chicago Symphony principal bass and DePaul University faculty
Bruce Bransby - Indiana University faculty
Greg Sarchet - Lyric Opera of Chicago and Northeastern Illinois faculty
Michael Hovnanian - Chicago Symphony
David Grossman - New York Philharmonic and Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra
Paul Ellison - Rice University faculty
Ju-Fang Liu - Indianapolis Symphony and Butler University faculty
Dennis Whittaker - Houston Grand Opera and University of Houston faculty
Szymon Marciniak - soloist and chamber musician
David Allen Moore - Los Angeles Philharmonic and University of Southern California faculty
Ira Gold - National Symphony and Peabody Conservatory faculty

Check out more "best-of" episodes like this at contrabassconversations.com/highlights.

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

The Upton Bass String Instrument Company. Upton's Bohemian model is not about excess. With its simple lines, Gamba-style cornered and deep booming tone, its form is defined by purpose without ornament. Hand-built, with the same ergonomics and playability found in all of our models, the Bohemian double bass is being offered in four levels of build styles and price points, each carefully designed to meet unique requirements of its owner.

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381: developing bow strokes Aug 07, 2017

Show notes

This episode is a deep-dive into developing bow strokes on the double bass.

Part 1 - bow stroke overview
Part 2 - developing spiccato
Part 3 - bow stroke deep-dive

We feature highlights from past podcast guests on this topic:

Matthew McDonald - Berlin Philharmonic
Lloyd Goldstein - former member of the Florida Orchestra and a longtime Francois Rabbath student
David Allen Moore - LA Phil and USC
Ed Barker and Lawrence Wolfe of the Boston Symphony
Michael Hovnanian - Chicago Symphony
Ira Gold - National Symphony and Peabody Conservatory
Lawrence Hurst - former Indiana University bass professor

Recommended resources:

Strokin' by Hal Robinson (order it from Robertson & Sons)
Ira Gold's Orchestral Bowing Workshop

Check out more "best-of" episodes like this at contrabassconversations.com/highlights.

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

A440 Violin Shop - An institution in the Roscoe Village neighborhood for over 20 years, A440's commitment to fairness and value means that we have many satisfied customers from the local, national, and international string playing communities. Our clients include major symphony orchestras, professional orchestra and chamber music players, aspiring students, amateur adult players, all kinds of fiddlers, jazz and commercial musicians, university music departments, and public schools.

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380: Jonathan Glawe on landing jobs, delegation, and the state of music education Aug 03, 2017

Show notes

I've followed along with the incredible career of Jonathan Glawe for many years.

Jonathan has established himself as one of the rising stars in the music education world. He is the current Director of Orchestras for Pioneer High School in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and he is in demand across the country as a clinician.

Glawe has played an important role in the their return to the GRAMMY Signature School list, in which the Pioneer Music Department was honored as one of the top 3 music programs in the nation in 2010 and 2015, and earned the honor of being the National GRAMMY Signature School in 2011.

Glawe was recognized as MSBOA District 12 Orchestra Director of the Year in 2011, 2013 and 2015. He was a finalist for the Michigan Orchestra Director of the Year in 2012.

Jonathan also attended and represented the US in a symposium of Music Education in Stockholm, Sweden with a quartet from the Pioneer ensemble.

We dig into this and much more:

Part 1 - Finding your place in the music education world

transitioning to a new director in an established program
spending time each day practicing violin, viola, and cello to hone chops
the importance those early teachers - the beginning string teachers are the giants whose shoulders we stand on
Jonathan's journey
Strategies for landing a job

Part 2 - Managing your time

putting in the long hours required (70-80 hour weeks)
strategies for managing your time
getting parents and students involved in a helpful fashion

Part 3 - The State of Music Education

the Midwest Clinic Journey
the global state of music education

Links to check out:

Pioneer Orchestra website
Road to The Midwest Clinic-- A Blog From The Podium
ASTA Michigan - Jonathan runs the blog for MASTA

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

The Upton Bass String Instrument Company. Upton's Brescian model is a custom 3/4 double bass handmade in their Mystic, Connecticut workshop. It is a modern instrument with roots in the 16th century inspired by our favorite historic double basses. While Upton Bass has referenced these classic instruments before, the Brescian directly mirrors those archetypal double basses in its design — large shoulders, violin corners, deep ribs, dramatic top arching and pronounced canted backs. These qualities combine to create a larger air mass with great resonance and rich harmonics, packaged with the the ergonomics, geometry and accessibility that modern players expect from Upton Bass.

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379: Dennis Whittaker on opera life, endurance, and career paths Jul 31, 2017

Show notes

Dennis Whittaker has had a fascinating journey through the music world.

After his studies in music education at Baylor University and a masters degree with Jeff Bradetich at Northwestern University, Dennis found himself teaching middle and high school orchestra in Texas.

After seven years of teaching in the Waco and Houston public schools, a series of events occurred that propelled him into the professional performing world:

he landed the principal bass position for the Houston Grand Opera
he was hired to teach bass at the University of Houston
he began subbing regularly in the Houston Symphony

We dig into the events surrounding this transition and much more!

This episode is divided into three parts:

Part 1 - life in an opera orchestra

what the season looks like
why Dennis likes Handel's Julius Caesar Overture for auditions
how to audition for an opera orchestra

Part 2 - staying in shape for the long haul

standing for opera performances - why Dennis decided to go in this direction
what's freeing about standing
power playing and sitting
how to get through a massive section like the end of Loenghrin
Dennis' three types of technical workouts on the bass

Part 3 - the paths of our lives

Dennis' journey through the music education world and into performance
playing the Karr-Koussevitzky bass
key takeaways for teenagers looking to music as a career

Links to check out:

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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378: how wood choice affects tone with Seth Kimmel Jul 27, 2017

Show notes

I'm so pumped to bring you today's episode covering the tonal differences of various woods with Seth Kimmel!

Seth is an awesome luthier located in Eugene, Oregon. I had the chance to play some of his basses at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention and was blown away.

Seth uses a wide variety of woods for his basses, including:

maple
walnut
myrtle
spruce
pine
cedar
redwood

We dig into the tonal characteristics of these various woods today. Totally fascinating!

I took notes on everything that Seth covered and put them all into a PDF.

If you have our Contrabass Conversations app, the PDF is included with this episode in the bonus content.

There's a link to download this at contrabassconversations.com/sethkimmel as well.

Check out all luthier episodes at contrabassconversations.com/luthiers

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

The Upton Bass String Instrument Company. Upton's Bostonian was conceived at the 2009 International Society of Double Bassists convention at State College, Pennsylvania, while world-renowned jazz bassist and Professor of Jazz Studies at the University of North Texas, Lynn Seaton and Upton Bass String Instrument Co. President and Founder, Gary Upton Birkhamshaw were playing and discussing the various instruments Upton Bass had created for the convention. They started with a blank sheet of paper, and together began jotting down Lynn's preferences and suggestion with each model. The result was a rough outline of what would become the UB Bostonian Concert Double Bass.

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377: Alexis Cuadrado on technique, composition, and 21st-century careers Jul 24, 2017

Show notes

Barcelona-born Alexis Cuadrado is one of New York's most sought-after musicians.

In addition to performing as a sideman with Kurt Rosenwinkel, Mark Turner, Grammy Award winner Angélique Kidjo, Youssou N'Dour, Dianne Reeves, Omara Portuondo, Steve Wilson and Seamus Blake, Alexis maintains a thriving career as a composer and educator.

I had the chance to see Alexis at the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention, and it was great to catch up with him for this deep dive into his craft.

This episode is divided into three parts:

Part 1 - discovering François Rabbath
- starting to play upright in Barcelona and developing severe tendinitis
- trying to "start the house from the roof instead of the foundation"
- meeting Barry Green - the link to Francois
- the benefits of "starting from the beginning" with Rabbath
Part 2 - the language of jazz
- improvisation
- composition
- approaches with students
- work habits
Part 3 - 21st-century careers
- multiple income streams multiple skills sets how you present yourself to the world - what's your outlook?
- moving to New York

Links to check out:

Check out all jazz-related episodes at contrabassconversations.com/jazz

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

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376: how strings are made with Lyris Hung Jul 20, 2017

Show notes

What's the deal with strings anyway?

We all play them, yet we often don't give much though to them.

What, exactly, goes into a string? What's inside those metal windings?

Our chat today with D'Addario Orchestral Product Manager Lyris Hung answers these questions and much more!

Our episode is divided into three parts:

Part 1 - the mystery of strings
- eliminating confusion
Part 2 - how strings are put together
- core
- damping
- winding
Part 3 - caring for your strings
- how strings are damaged
- how to prevent this damage
- ways you might be actually wrecking your strings despite your best intentions

Links to check out:

Contrabass Conversations is sponsored by:

The Upton Bass String Instrument Company. Upton's Concord model is the first truly authentic New England double bass that they've made. Beautiful sloping shoulders (the same upper bouts as their Gary Karr Upton Double Bass), Busetto corners, Prescott ff-holes, flat maple back and sides (many grades available) with deep ribs (lined outside) and a deluxe spruce top combined with a finely detailed scroll, button and hand-cut tuners that pay homage to Prescott while keeping with their own highly-revered and uniquely New England tradition of instrument building.

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375: Jessica Valls on improvisation, emotion, and finding your voice Jul 18, 2017

Show notes

Jessica Valls has created a fascinating career as a double bass performer, educator, and free improvisor.

She performs regularly with the Austin Symphony, San Antonio Symphony, and the vocal group Conspirare. She also plays chamber music, jazz gigs, and solo performances.

Jessica teaches at Southwestern University, Austin Community College, and Huston-Tillotson University. She is also the founder ad director of the Austin Bass Workshop.

Jessica is a dedicated free improvisor, incorporating singing, bass playing, and other elements on a regular basis into her performances.

This episode is divided into three parts: