Contrabass Conversations

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…

 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 …

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, …

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 h…

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, Yousso…

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'Addar…

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 Co…

Stuart Pearce is an engineer by trade.  

Three years ago, he sent his youngest child off to college and did a "rest of life" evaluation.

Golf and fi…

What's it like being a double bass student these days... and what's it like being a female bass student?

These are two topics that should have come up a lot sooner on the podcast.

Even though I've pu…

Playing outside of Aspen's Paradise Bakery was both a low-stakes and high-stakes affair for Louis Levitt and his friends.

Low-stakes because... well, it was playing outside of a bakery.

High-stakes b…

As a married guy with no children, the thought of even one kid makes me break into a cold sweat.

For bassist and educator Jennifer Bradbury, it wasn't just one kid coming her way.  It was triplets...…

I've been meaning to chat with Gahlord Dewald on the podcast for years.  He is forging new ground by fusing double bass playing with modular synthesis and is a unique voice in our community.

He and I…

Kieran Hanlon is Assistant Professor of String Bass and Jazz at The State University of New York at Fredonia. In addition to his teaching, Kieran is a first call performer in both the classical and j…

John Davis is a great example of how musicians in smaller markets can create a vibrant career.  John runs his own business, providing string instrument rentals and repairs.  He also restrings tennis …

Jon Liebman is the founder of For Bass Players Only, which recently published its 500th interview.  Jon is also the author of several titles for Hal Leonard and has a series of online bass lessons.

J…

Rick Jones started Acoustic Image to solve the problem of hauling around a bulky amplifier that artificially colors the acoustic sound of the bass.  As an engineer, he came up with unique methods of …

Curtis Burris has taught bass for many years at the Chautauqua Institution.  I was with Kate Jones and ran into Curtis as he was chatting with Virginia Dixon on the streets of Ithaca.  Kate is a form…

Gaelen McCormick was heading up the Young Bassists Program for the 2017 International Society of Bassists Convention.  Gaelen is a past guest on the podcast, and we were able to find a few minutes to…

David Neubert was one of the early champions of the International Society of Bassists. He hosted conventions at UT-Austin (1986) and Interlochen (1993). He was the Principal Bass of the Springfield S…

David Gage opened his shop in 1978 in New York City.  He has played an integral role in the double bass world ever since.  David has served on the International Society of Bassists board of directors…