Contrabass Conversations

it would be sacrilege to use capital letters when writing about auditionhacker founder rob knopper.

rob plays percussion in the metropolitan opera orchestra. which is quite cool.

but rob also started…

Seth Hanes is a horn player, digital marketing consultant, and the author of the new book, Break into the Scene: A Musician's Guide to Making Connections, Creating Opportunities, and Launching a Care…

Spread and focus.

That’s what Trevor Davis thinks about as he makes his basses.

It’s all in the arching. That’s what makes an instrument sound great.

But Trevor didn’t just magically know this from t…

The first Royal College of Music International Double Bass Festival will be taking place on October 16, 2016.  Gabriele Ragghianti, Dan Styffe, and Alberto Bocini discuss this exciting new event on t…

Our teachers shape us more than we realize. Having the right teacher is critical for achieving our goals.

Sandor Ostlund has had a staggering set of quality teachers throughout his life journey.

Firs…

Most musicians don’t have a day dedicated to them in their hometown.

Shinji Eshima does. In 2011, the city of Berkeley, California named the day December 6th Shinji Eshima Day, in his honor for his c…

Jazz is Frank Proto's native language.

Growing up in Brooklyn, Frank spent his days studying with Fred Zimmermann and his nights hanging out at Birdland.

I love hearing Frank describe what it was lik…

Craig Butterfield loved Edgar Meyer's bass playing ever since discovering it.

Lately, he has been following in Edger's footsteps. Performing American roots music with mandolinist Jesse Jones is now a…

Corey Brown started out on the "traditional" music school path.

Starting out at the University of North Texas, Corey left and became a graphic designer. He began developing on the web in the early 19…

Nina DeCesare's creative musical quest is inspiring.

First, she won the 14 and under International Society of Bassists solo competition. Then she won it again for the 15-18 division.

She studied at R…

Hans Sturm isn’t afraid to reinvent himself.

Everything changed for Hans when he first met François Rabbath. Before he knew it, he was in Paris soaking up these new concepts.

Fast forward many years,…

Diana Gannett might be the most thoughtful double bass teacher I’ve ever encountered.

Her approach to teaching is comprehensive and nuanced. She incorporates everything from group warm-ups to Aikido …

Hugh Sung is the ultimate musical entrepreneur.

After years spent teaching at the Curtis Institute of Music, Hugh co-founded AirTurn, a company that produces pedals designed to turn pages on a tablet…

Teaching improvisation is like Fight Club.

That’s Project Trio’s approach, and it’s totally compelling.

10 years ago, P…

Danny Ziemann couldn’t find a book on bass lines that worked for him.

Now he’s released his second volume, and he’s looking to expand way beyond that.

Danny is committed t…

Lauren Pierce started out on the typical music school path.

In the midst of grad school, Lauren decided to quit. She struck out on her own and asked herself a cr…

This is Emilio Guarino. He plays bass.

But that’s not all he does. He makes music with computers. He also teaches and performs in many musical styles.

Christine Hoock is a tossed salad of musical genres.

Maybe she’s playing Phillip Glass.  Perhaps she’s performing Arvo Pärt.  She could even be playing tangos or jamming with a DJ.  

But regardless o…

Pablo Aslan breaks bow hairs.

A lot of bow hairs.

In fact, he rivals the guys in the Met for most-frequent rehair at his NYC bow shop.

He also makes killer bass lines.  He’s truly the Ray Brown of bo…

Sam Suggs calls himself an omnivorous musician.

I feel like I’m eating at a fantastic fusion restaurant when I hear Sam’s music.  I'm not expecting these flavors to work, but the…