Next Level Bassist Left Hand

| Left hand |
Up and Comer
Tim Dilenschneider
Jordan Morton
A balanced
approach
Jordan Anderson
finding your
own path
Paul Kowert
exercises
& interview
Nicholas Walker
Cleveland Orchestra
bass
section
summer 2014

Contents
Summer 2014
Feature Story
5 A Balanced Approach
jordan anderson
9 Spotlight: Cleveland Orchestra
Bass Section
10 Up and Comer
tim dilenschneider
13 Exercise Piece
nicholas walker
18 Up and Comer
jordan morton
21 Finding Your Own Path
Paul Kowert
26 Interview with Nicholas Walker
Contributors
Ranaan Meyer
PUBLISHER / FOUNDER
Brent Edmondson
editor
Edward Paulsen
SALES
Karen Han
Layout designer
2 NOV/DEC SUMMER 2013 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

Publisher’s Note
It is no secret in the bass community that there have been a lot of innovations in
left hand technique. It seems that in the past decade, the double bass has shed
the stereotypes of being the clumsy and slow moving grandfather of the string
section, and stepped into the spotlight. Developments in string technology, bass
setup approaches, and the expanded use of thumb position all over the bass have
allowed us to explore new possibilities in all styles and genres.
Among the most innovative bass players in the 20 th century, few have shaped so
many minds as Francois Rabbath and Edgar Meyer. In Nicholas Walker’s expansive
article, he seeks to incorporate the highly structured teachings of Rabbath and the
still-mysterious but infinitely intriguing thumb position concepts that Edgar Meyer
has been teaching to a select few in recent years. Given that there are only a few places
to find this information, I think this article and the additional materials on our website
might be one of the most important resources for double bass in the last 100 years.
As a student at the Curtis Institute of Music, I consider myself very fortunate that Jordan
Anderson was one of my colleagues and an incredible influence. His chocolate-like tone,
his incredible consistency, and great attitude towards working hard encouraged me to
play my personal best. In addition to his principal position with the Seattle Symphony,
he has an incredible track record as a teacher - sending student after student on to study
at the Curtis Institute of Music and other conservatories and the music of the future.
His perspective on practicing and technique is a must-read for aspiring conservatory
students, orchestra professionals, or anyone looking to create music at the highest levels.
Paul Kowert has enjoyed a rare and singular career to date as the bassist for the
Punch Brothers, and part of the trio Haas Kowert Tice. His in-depth exploration of
Edgar Meyer’s technique as well as his incredibly brave decision to embrace a career
in bluegrass and folk music are an inspiration to anyone who has ever felt the pull of
a non-classical career within a conservatory setting. His open-eyed and inclusive
approach to practicing should be experienced by every classical player.
We are also extremely pleased to feature the incredible bass section of the Cleveland
Orchestra, one of the most venerated orchestras in the world. The glory of playing with
a group of that caliber is evident in the comments submitted by the wonderful section
members. Finally, we are instituting a new “Up and Coming” column, featuring the
talented and hard working Tim Dilenschneider. Tim recently graduated from the Curtis
Institute of Music, was accepted to the New World Symphony, and is an A-list substitute
for the Philadelphia Orchestra. Tim was a student of mine in high school, and has been a
participant in two years of Wabass Institute and Wabass Intensive.
I hope that in reading this issue of Next Level Bassist, you will be filled with inspiration
to experiment and innovate. We are in the dawn of a new era of discovery, and every
single one of us can take part. This journal is all about open minded sharing of knowledge,
and I would like each and every one of you to share your thoughts as we all head to the
Next Level.
Ranaan Meyer
Publisher Next Level Journals
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST
3

CARLO CARLETTI WILLIAM TARR PAUL TOENNIGES SAMUEL ALLEN DANIEL HACHEZ
PIETRO MENEGHESSO LORENZO & THOMASSO CARCASSI PAUL CLAUDOT GIOVANNI LEONI
ARMANDO PICCAGLIANI GAND & BERNARDEL STEFAN KRATTENMACHER JAMES COLE
FRATELLI SIRLETTO ALASSANDRO CICILIATTI AKOS BALAZS SAMUEL SHEN G.B. CERUTI
PAOLO ROBERTI CHRISTIAN PEDERSEN PAUL HART CHRISTOPHER SAVINO JAY HAIDE
ANDREW CARRUTHERS GUNTER VON AUE BARANYAI GYORGY CARLO CARLETTI WILLIAM TARR
PAUL TOENNIGES SAMUEL ALLEN DANIEL HACHEZ PIETRO MENEGHESSO LORENZO &
THOMASSO CARCASSI PAUL CLAUDOT GIOVANNI LEONI ARMANDO PICCAGLIANI GAND
& BERNARDEL STEFAN KRATTENMACHER JAMES COLE FRATELLI SIRLETTO ALASSANDRO
roBertson reCital Hall
2013 Bass ColleCtion
partial
4 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST
www.RobertsonViolins.com
Tel 800-284-6546 | 3201 Carlisle Blvd. NE | Albuquerque, NM USA 87110

Jordan Anderson
A Balanced Approach
Like a lot of people from my generation and before, I started
learning to play bass using the Simandl method. However, I
found this approach to learning the bass musically stale and
unrewarding. Not too much later on in my studies, I was introduced
to the Rabbath method by my private bass teacher Nancy Bjork.
Immediately, I felt a musical connection with the exercises and noticed
a fingering system that allowed for many more left hand options that
Simandl never explored. Nancy then introduced me to Paul Ellison
and sent me off to Domaine Forget, a camp where he was teaching.
At Domaine, Paul continued to emphasize the Rabbath philosophy of
having fewer positions by anchoring the thumb. This could encompass
a range of notes by extending above and below the typical Simandl
position. Paul also stressed the importance of drawing the sound
starting from your back, pronation in the bow hand and learning
to torque the bow into the string at the tip.
I also met Hal Robinson at Domaine Forget,
and he started showing me some of his own
approaches to the Rabbath method and use of
the left hand pivot. He also opened up my
approach to vibrato, as well as his approach
to drawing a big, round and focused
sound, always with musicality in mind.
One of the big impressions Hal left on
me was to never forget about the musical
side of practicing. He said even during
slow practice one should be aware of the
phrasing and expression at all times. Hal
also brought to light some fresh applications
for my thumb in the left hand and the
right hand. Eventually I started to come
up with my own concepts. When Edgar
Meyer came on the scene, he really blew the
lid right off standard, traditional bass technique.
His approach allowed a lot of people to re-imagine
what they could do with the bass from a technical
and musical standpoint.
The Rabbath books were very useful as a student.
I went through the Simandl and Storch-Hrabe books, but I don’t use
them any longer. I don’t feel like they offer any new information to me
as a professional or have much bearing on the technique I promote to
my students. If my students are required to play excerpts from those
books at auditions, we usually change most of the fingerings that are
printed. Perhaps the most important book-based resources I recommend
are Boardwalkin’ and Strokin’ by Hal Robinson (available from
Robertson and Sons Violin Shop). However, probably the one thing
I use more than books is plain, old, meat-and-potatoes scales and
arpeggios. That’s the foundation of my bass playing. I know there are
scale books out there that offer fingerings but I have a routine that
I have customized for myself. As far as etudes, I don’t have any real
reference books. So after scales and arpeggios, my advanced students
look to the Bach cello suites for their technique building and my
beginning and intermediate students look to scales, arpeggios, and
isolated excerpts from the solo literature.
Practicing
On a day with a lot of practice time, I start with long bows, metronome
set to 60. I try to sustain each bow as long as possible - maybe 6 clicks
per bow. I go back and forth on each string to really see how long I
can sustain notes. I whittle it down to 5, 4, 3 clicks per bow before
changing up. When I’m down to 2 clicks each, I’ll subdivide the bow
into different segments. I’ll try to draw a down bow for 2 clicks and
then an up bow that stays in the lower half of the bow. I then move this
exercise further out to the tip for the same effect in the upper half of
the bow. My goal is to control the bow through the most basic, simple
legato strokes. Then I’ll go down to one click per up bow and one click
per down bow. This time I break the bow into lower
third, middle third and upper third. My next step
is string crossings, using the same basic system
as the long tones. I don’t go much faster than
1 click per bow. I’ll start with a quarter note
down bow on the E string, slurred to a
quarter note on the A string. Then a legato
up bow quarter on the A string, slurred
back to the E string. I’ll repeat this 2-string
exercise between A and D, and D and G.
I will then repeat the whole series in the
upper half, but starting up bow on the G
string and slurring to the D string,
eventually working my way back to the E string. I even
try the same exercise attempting to slur E string to D
string by temporarily rolling the bow over the A string
and back as well as A string to G string and back. This
exercise can be reversed as well to start up bow on the
G string slurring to the A string and back while staying
in the upper half of the bow. At this point, my right arm
is feeling very good, my body is feeling prepared, with my
feet grounded and my back engaged. Finally, I’ll start to add
the left hand.
With scales and arpeggios I like to relate the keys of the pieces I’m
working on to the scales I practice each day. If the piece I’m working
on involves E minor, then I’ll practice that scale/arpeggio as well as
the relative major (G Major), and the parallel major (E Major). I start
these with the metronome still set to 60, and I always begin without
using vibrato. I usually start with 2 clicks per note (half notes). I’ll
work my way through the scale, and then go back afterwards and add
vibrato. Then I begin to slur two notes in the scale at one click per
note, and finally move to separate bows on each quarter note. I can’t
always make it through all the scales every day, because I usually have
time constraints on what I need to practice for the day. In a perfect
world, I would have enough time to start my scales in half notes, and
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST
5

get down to sixteenth notes or sextuplets,
separate on/off the string and slurred, at the
fastest, every day. In a nutshell, the object is
to start out slowly and work your way up to
a routine where you’re playing very quickly
and effortlessly through any key.
When it comes to students, I don’t like to
force them to try and do what works for me.
I show them what I do, but it is always with
the information about why I arrived at that
particular practice solution to solve a problem
I had, or to tackle a concept I wanted to
master. What really matters is identifying
what works for an individual, because everyone
is different. That said, there is a common
thread amongst warm-up routines. It’s all
about being loose, being warm, being agile,
and being strong. I like to push my students
to do what I do only if they don’t already have
a good warm-up system of their own. For
example, I have more trust in an advanced
student preparing for a college audition than
a beginning student who is having position
problems. I’ll push my philosophy and
routine more strictly on a student with
remedial needs than someone who already
has strong concepts.
I’m also an advocate of extremely slow practice
for both new material and repertoire I’ve
known for a long time. Any orchestral excerpt
that has consecutive fast notes, such as the
March at letter K in the 4 th movement of
Beethoven’s 9 th Symphony, is a good example
of repertoire that will benefit from extremely
slow practice. Besides hooked bowings in the
middle, it is mainly characterized by constant
eighth note motion, which you can slow
down to make the practice meditative and
careful. Other candidates for slow practice are
the Trio from Beethoven’s 5 th Symphony, the
Badinerie from Bach’s 2 nd Orchestral Suite,
the outer movements of Mendelssohn’s 4 th
Symphony or Mozart’s 35 th Symphony. Mozart
35 has some slurs in the 4 th movement, but
because of the extreme tempo this can still be
achieved at half tempo. The same can be said
of the 4 th movement of Brahms 2 nd Symphony.
The D minor triplet section from the first
movement of Koussevitsky is a good solo
example that works for ultra slow practice.
This is in contrast to orchestral excerpts like
#40 from Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, and
Verdi’s Othello where excessively slow
practice makes the bowings challenging
and complicates the issue.
In terms of preparation for the day of
an audition, recital, or any other sort
of performance, I have a physical and
mental warm-up as follows:
If you know what you’re going to play that
day, or if you’ve just been given a list of
material to play and have 30 minutes to warm
up before performing, I recommend starting
with the last piece, excerpt or movement
you’ll be playing in the presentation. I will
then work backwards, starting with the last
movement or excerpt at half tempo (or
whatever is practical based on the piece).
Slow movements and excerpts don’t necessarily
benefit from this approach, so one must use
common sense to determine how best to
practice in a relaxed and focused manner.
Work through the repertoire backwards with
the intention of timing your warm-up to end
very close to the moment when you will be
heading out on stage. The last thing you do
should be the beginning of your program,
so your mind is on the beginning of your
presentation, and you are focused completely
on the task at hand.
My mental warm up involves being able to
clearly visualize myself in every aspect of the
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6 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

eventual performance. I try to imagine holding the bass and preparing
to walk out onto the stage. (Or whatever setting I know I will be in) I
feel my nerves relaxing as I place the heavy bass and end pin securely
into the floor. I imagine getting the stool into position. I ask myself
some questions: How does the bow feel in my right hand? How does
my left hand lay into position on the board? I then create in my mind
a confident performance while all along breathing in a controlled
manner and enjoying the unfolding phrases. Finally I will see the
finish of my performance and feel the satisfaction of ending on a good
note, including hearing the audience applause and then walking off the
stage. This mental exercise can be very powerful in relieving yourself
of any anxiety from what is about to happen.
Every time I pick up the bass, I am attempting to manage the challenges
in my playing. I think that if you have a strategy for dealing
with them, you are much less likely to view them as challenges. It’s all
about body management. A good example is nerves. Everyone out
there deals with nerves. If you have a plan to deal with them, there’s
a much better chance you can control them. Whether the problems
manifest mentally or physically, or both, being clearheaded, being
focused on the task at hand, and having lots of preparation are vital.
As a young player in high school, playing bass came easy to me, and
like a lot of professionals it spoke to me early on. But at a certain point
in everyone’s career, you eventually hit a wall. This is usually because
you’ve seen someone else do something incredible with the bass and
you want to do what they’re doing and find that you can’t. Hearing
Hal Robinson or Edgar Meyer play often left me wondering how they
do that!? The light bulb moment comes when you realize that they
worked their asses off, they had a strategy, and went through a lot of
preparation to get there.
Having an organized approach to daily practicing is the most
important thing. There is dumb, bad, excessive practice, but for the
most part people simply need to practice to grow. They need to learn
the notes, have something to say with the music and ultimately be
prepared to present that music in a setting outside the practice room.
That was a big challenge I overcame as a high school and college
student, trying to get to the next level where I could start taking on
the traits of what we call a “seasoned or professional player.” In other
words, having control in as many out-of-the-practice-room situations
as possible.
One of the things that has really helped me with intonation is working
with a drone. In high school my orchestra teacher told me that I needed
to work on my intonation. She used to hammer a single note out on
the piano while I played my scales against the pitches she played. She
would yell, “Flat!” Or “Sharp!” at the top of her lungs until I adjusted
properly. These things hurt to hear, but I took it as a challenge. I
worked and worked until I got it so she would never have to say that
again. Nowadays, I’ll play a pitch on a tuner that is relevant to the key
I’m playing in. Sometimes I have to change it as the piece modulates.
If you really want to geek out you can have two tuners playing tones a
fifth apart to strengthen that key foundation. It’s especially important
in playing scales and really learning what playing in tune sounds like.
Not only do you train your ear, but you hear the tendencies of where
certain notes want to lie in a given key. When you start applying that
to pieces, you begin to contemplate which step in the scale you are
playing in a melody and what instrument you are accompanying (or
being accompanied by). Having a drone on is basically recreating the
effect of playing with another instrument, and when I started to do
this I would find my ability to adjust pitch in ensemble playing was
much stronger. That is one thing I really push on my students - it’s not
just about playing the notes, it’s about knowing what’s going on around
you. If you reduce bass playing to “1 on the D string in first position is
E,” and you ask 10 students to execute that, it could potentially sound
like 10 different pitches. Put on an E drone (or an A or a B) and given
that you have decent pitch to begin with, you can find exactly where to
put that note. The students of mine that have a good ear can solve a lot
of intonation issues this way. The other advantage is teaching one how
to play in tune when your strings go out of tune, because you’re not
always basing your idea of a note on its distance from the nut or some
other landmark on the fingerboard. It helps train your left hand and
your ear simultaneously.
Approach to a good position is so crucial. My goal is to make playing
the bass as easy as possible. Even at its easiest, playing the bass can be
uncomfortable and problematic. The human body wasn’t meant to play
the bass. Starting with stance - if you stand, find a comfortable stance
with feet shoulder width apart and knees not locked. If you are sitting
on a stool, position your butt towards the edge of the stool on your sit
bones. Stool height at the highest should allow your right leg to place
the entire sole of your shoe on the ground comfortably without cutting
off blood circulation to your feet. Knees should be 90 degrees apart
with left foot grounded like the right foot or grounded comfortably
on a foot stool or well-placed rung. Begin relaxing your body piece by
piece - relax your shoulders, neck, chin, tongue, eyelids, chest, even
your butt. I think a lot of people carry stress in their butts. Let your
arms hang and analyze what you look like in this resting moment. I try
to point out to my students the gentle curve in the fingers, slight bend
at the elbow, relaxed wrist, thumb that isn’t actively bent or straightened
- these are the features of a healthy approach to the bass. If you
can keep your thumb relaxed when you put it behind the neck, or onto
the frog of the bow, keep curves in your fingers and joints so you’re at
least starting at zero tension. I know people have wildly different bow
grips but I think a good starting point is the same relaxed posture as
your resting hand.
I always have my students thinking of ways to make bass playing
easier. What’s easier than the body at rest? Take what our body does
naturally and lay it on top of the bass. Control over the bass and
consistency all stem from this sense of relaxation - from there, the
priority can now become practicing. These are simple concepts that
perhaps add up to a philosophy. The students I’ve had with a lot of
success have listened to these ideas, but the work they put in and
rewards they have received were really their own.
Someone who plays completely relaxed like Francois Rabbath is an
inspiration as well as virtuoso, but may have trouble doing orchestral
work exclusively. The fundamental of relaxation is not practical in all
settings - you couldn’t play a true orchestral fortissimo spicatto stroke
with spaghetti arms. If you aren’t approaching the stroke with extra
tension, you can activate the muscle where necessary to make the
sound you want. This is where Hal Robinson is such a great example
- he has eliminated any extraneous tension and can also provide as
much power as is necessary for a particular passage. I would never call
Hal’s playing rigid in any regard, but there are certain parts of his body
that at the moment of a stroke become firm, and then release when
they’re no longer needed.
Figuring out how to torque into the string, using the rotation of your
forearm along with hand and index finger (pronation), applying your
bow and arm weight to the string, using your left hand and forearm
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST
7

to pivot - these things should not cause you
to tighten your neck, your face, or any other
part of your body. You have to dissect the
motion and see what is helping you execute it
and what isn’t. Good players are able to adjust
their body to the needs of a passage, a bow
stroke, or a musical requirement - they aren’t
“tense” or “loose” all the time. You have to be
able to turn on and off the mechanisms.
Searching for a bass
My hunt for an instrument took a long time. I
had a nice English bass that was a wonderful
tool as well as being in beautiful condition.
It helped me through college and helped me
win a couple of auditions. After 8 years in a
professional orchestra I wanted to take that
step up to a higher caliber instrument, so I
sold the English bass on the assumption that
I would find its replacement quickly. It took
me 3 years to find the bass that I’m playing
now. I played a lot of different basses along
the way. Aaron Robertson is a dear friend of
mine, whom I met around age 18 at Domaine
Forget, about 19 years ago. After I sold my
English bass, Aaron graciously allowed me
to play on his very fine Italian bass while I
searched. It was very, very good but at the
same time I got a bit spoiled. In a world of
incredibly expensive instruments, it makes for
some frustrating times. The market for fine
basses is very tight because everybody owns
them and no one wants to sell them. Every
once in a while, there will be the miraculous
“sleeping beauty bass in a closet” that surfaces
but mostly they are few and far between.
There are always buyers ready and waiting for
something to become available.
3 years went by waiting and trying various
instruments. Then Aaron contacted me to
let me know he had something I might want.
He sent it up to Seattle and when I opened
the shipping trunk I knew it was the one. At
first this fine Italian bass sounded good, but
Aaron and I knew we could get more out of
the bass. I could tell that some small adjustments
would let it get there. Robertsons had
done a fabulous job on it. The bass looked
beautiful and sounded good. The bass bar
needed adjustment, and Aaron had suggested
a different bridge size. It turned out to be only
a few tweaks away from humming the way we
thought it would. It was a really long search,
but in the end it was completely worth it.
My advice in a bass search is that patience is
your greatest virtue. The end goal is to find
the bass that will thoroughly satisfy. Aaron
helping me be patient and find the instrument
was a huge asset to me in that time.
The takeaway
I’ve been doing long bow open string exercises
since my senior year in high school. I
went into great detail about practicing the
open strings since then. That is one thing I’ve
been doing every day for the last 20 years or
so. Take the time at the beginning of every
practice session, even if you don’t have time
to do your full hour of scales and things will
do so much for your playing. If you think
of your right arm as your voice, the priority
becomes clear. The left hand then can add to
that expressive capability. The first question
an audition committee asks is “What type of
voice does this person have?” It’s the vehicle
for communicating your expressive ideas. I
prioritize right hand first, left hand second.
It’s not a matter of the right hand being more
important, but it gets more attention at the
beginning my daily practicing to be sure.
Going from really slow strokes to progressively
faster, only focusing on the open strings
without the left hand, will set the tone for the
whole practice session. Having a controlled
right hand and clear sound production allows
you to then devote more time and attention
exclusively to the left hand. You need to have
a voice before you start moving the notes
around. ■
Faculty
terell Stafford, Chair,
Instrumental Studies Department
Eduard Schmieder,
L. H. Carnell Professor of Violin,
Artistic Director for Strings
luis Biava*, Music Director,
Symphony Orchestra
Double Bass
Joseph conyers*
John Hood*
Robert Kesselman*
anne Peterson
*Current member of
The Philadelphia Orchestra
PRogRamS
B.m.: Performance
B.m.: composition
B.m.: music Education
B.m.: music History
B.m.: music theory
B.m.: music therapy
m.m.: Performance
m.m.: composition
m.m.: music Education
m.m.: music History
m.m.: music theory
m.m.: String Pedagogy
m.m.t.: music therapy
D.m.a.: Performance
Ph.D.: music Education
Ph.D.: music therapy
Professional Studies certificate
EnSEmBlE oPPoRtunitiES
> temple university Symphony orchestra
> opera orchestra
> Sinfonia chamber orchestra
> contemporary music Ensemble
> Early music Ensemble
> String chamber Ensembles
For more information, please contact:
215-204-6810 or music@temple.edu
www.temple.edu/boyer
8 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST
Philadelphia, PA

Spotlight
cleveland Orchestra Bass Section
The Cleveland Orchestra is in many ways a peerless orchestra in the
United States. As the smallest city to maintain a “Big Five” orchestra
(a fabled rank that also includes Boston, Philadelphia, Chicago, and
New York), it is also notable for sustaining an extremely high level
of musicianship and artistry in spite of extremely trying economic
realities in its community. Forever indebted to the legacy established
by George Szell beginning in the 1940s, the Cleveland Orchestra
continues to produce definitive recordings and scintillating performances
heard in Cleveland and at many performances that the
orchestra undertakes on tour throughout the world.
Speak to any bassist from the Baby Boomer generation, and they
will likely cite recordings by Cleveland and Szell as some of the most
influential and impassioned they have ever heard. More specifically,
they may say, the recordings of Mozart, Haydn, early Beethoven
are almost unique in their clarity. Section bassist Derek Zadinsky
identifies some of the advantages of the orchestra’s home venue,
Severance Hall: “It is very easy for us to hear every player in the
section onstage, so any discrepancies always become immediately
clear.” At a time when the Philadelphia Orchestra made recordings in
gymnasiums, TCO was finely tuning the most delicate inner workings
of the ensemble. “The blend of sound in this ensemble is part of what
makes the Cleveland Orchestra so unique,” says Zadinsky. “Playing in
this orchestra can sometimes feel more like playing chamber music
because our principal players are so easy to follow.”
• Maestro George Szell carefully crafting the end of Beethoven
Symphony 5, Mvmt 2
There is a tremendous range of color and dynamics in this orchestra,
which many have attributed to Severance Hall. Some whispers even
implicate the practice rooms at the nearby Cleveland Institute of
Music, where the live acoustics of the rooms help attune aspiring
students to the resonant and intimate nature of Severance. As a
graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Derek Zadinsky certainly
noticed a transition. “I quickly found that the kind of playing that
works best in Severance Hall is different from what I had been familiar
with. The smaller size and resonant acoustics of the hall allow the
section and orchestra to effectively play down to the quietest whisper.”
While many auditioning bassists may take pains to attempt to recreate
or simulate the playing style of a committee they are playing for, it
is important to note Zadinsky’s heritage and current employer. No
amount of second-guessing can substitute for confident and wellprepared
playing, which Derek brought to his 2011 audition.
That said, the fundamental philosophy of the section, according to
Zadinsky is to “pay very close attention to all the composer’s markings,
and frequently discuss exact strokes and rhythmic placement.” When
tackling the immense complexity of Mahler or the deceptive simplicity
of Mozart, Cleveland’s bass section places the highest priority on
rhythmic unity and precision. Veteran player Scott Haigh says, “I think
our section is committed to playing a vital function within the orchestra,
but not a dominating one. Clarity, beautiful intonation, good
rhythm, and balance with the other section is our style, yet we can
rock out a section solo when called for.” Haigh also enjoys the variety
of repertoire the orchestra plays, which allows them to maintain their
flexibility. “Over the past few years I have enjoyed Baroque music in
a more authentic style, but still using a modern orchestra setup. The
conductors who specialize in this style are so much better than they
used to be in working with modern orchestras. They seem to get the
right string sound without having to change to gut strings, etc.” While
many orchestras deal with uncooperative or difficult acoustics in their
home concert space, the Cleveland Orchestra has developed its unique
sonic pallette from playing in one of the best acoustics in the world.
Severance Hall is certainly not the only ally of this venerable orchestra.
The Cleveland Orchestra is notable for one of the most extensive touring
schedules of any major orchestra, especially from a city the size
of Cleveland. While local citizens have much to be proud of, patrons
from New York to Nebraska have opportunities to see performances.
The orchestra also performs several weeks in the winter in Miami
(no small benefit to musicians in notoriously cold Cleveland!), which
Zadinsky describes as “coming to feel like a second home. The world
is our oyster!” The orchestra’s challenge on these tours is to maintain
the standard of precision while accommodating the huge variety of
halls in which they play for perhaps one night only. Says Zadinsky
“We are able to perform concerts that are equally musically compelling
in a wide range of acoustics, from Carnegie Hall in New York to
the Musikverein in Vienna.” Each concert is unique and exciting from
many perspectives.
No article on the Cleveland Orchestra bass section would be complete
without some links to videos. While there are not many videos of the
orchestra performing live, the immortal recording legacy of the group
is preserved well on the internet.
• Interview with Max Dimoff over a recording of
Bach Cello Suite 1 - Minuets 1 and 2
• The Cleveland Orchestra playing Richard Strauss’ Ein
Heldenleben - this video begins just before the famous #77
excerpt. Minute marker 1 has a great shot of Peter Seymour,
frequentsection guest and founding member of the Project Trio
playing all over the bass! 1:25 is a great section shot as well.
• A more complete rehearsal of Beethoven’s 5 th Symphony with Szell.
The information and process on display here are incredible
resources to anyone aspiring to be an orchestra player
or a conductor.
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST
9

Tim Dilenschneider is a 2014 graduate
of the Curtis Institute of Music and a
newly appointed fellow of the New World
Symphony Orchestra. He is a substitute
bass for the Philadelphia Orchestra and
a Wabass Institute alum.
UP &
COMER
Tim Dilenschneider
10 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

Describe your background
My teachers, who have supported me throughout my career, have
been instrumental in my development as a musician. Hal Robinson
and Edgar Meyer at Curtis, Ranaan Meyer during high school, and
even my elementary school teacher Mrs. Zoshak, have all helped me
so much.
I started playing the bass when I was eight years old. My third grade
teacher Mrs. Zoshak started me on bass and encouraged me, even
after I broke the first school instrument I was using. Fortunately, she
replaced it right away so I could keep playing! I remember the day in
third grade when my parents and I first learned about the Curtis Institute
of Music, a school we’d never heard of before. Mrs. Zoshak saw
something in my early playing and mentioned Curtis to my parents
and me. She’s followed me throughout my musical career, and I’ve
really appreciated her continued support. She recently saw me perform
with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Carnegie Hall and even came to
my final performance at the Curtis Institute of Music. These types of
relationships are really important.
At this point in my career, I consider Ranaan Meyer, Hal Robinson,
and Edgar Meyer to have been my life changing teachers. They have
driven me to be a better musician, and seeing them perform, teach,
and continue to learn themselves, gives me perspective on what being
a musician is all about. Growth comes not only from experience, but
also sharing the experience with others. Without their knowledge
and support, I wouldn’t be half the musician I am today.
Do you have specific memories of
breakthrough moments as a musician?
Three major moments come to mind as highlights of my career. As
part of Curtis On Tour, we opened for the Dresden Music Festival
in Germany in May 2012. We performed an all-Brahms program in
Die Frauenkirche, the only church to survive the shelling of Dresden
in World War II. It was amazing just to play in this historical church.
Playing Brahms Academic Festival Overture, the Double Concerto,
and the Symphony No. 2 under Robert Spano was an incredibly
powerful experience. That trip was my first time leaving the country,
which makes it very memorable. I remember vividly being on stage
playing Brahms 2, looking out into the audience which was only a
few feet away. I was looking out while we were playing, smiling at
someone and seeing them smile back. The audience was on the edge
of their seats listening intensely to the music. It was great to see the
musical appreciation that is so strong there, and it made playing so
much more fun.
The other memorable experience was back in 2007 at Interlochen,
when I was in high school. This was the moment that I realized that
playing in orchestra could be so much fun. I was playing in the World
Youth Symphony Orchestra under Jung-Ho Pak, and the repertoire
was Mahler’s Symphony No. 2. It was my first time ever playing a
major symphony, one that I spent a long time preparing the bass part
and making sure I had the music down cold. Usually at Interlochen
you rehearse something for two weeks and perform it, but for this
work we spent four weeks rehearsing. It was a lot of hard work that
really paid off. I remember a moment when there was a Grand
Pause and everything echoed through the hall. I thought that was so
awesome and I knew then that I wanted to do that forever. This took
my personal enjoyment to a whole new level. The fact that you can
have a career playing incredible music still excites and motivates me.
My final and most recent memorable experience was my first
performance with the Philadelphia Orchestra. Performing with the
Philadelphia Orchestra has always been a goal of mine ever since I
started playing the bass. I grew up in the area and have been going
to see them since I was a young child. I was really excited to work
alongside all the talented members of the orchestra especially my
teacher, Hal Robinson. It was truly an unforgettable experience and
I learned a lot in the process. I was fortunate to play under the baton
of Yannick Nezet-Seguin, performing Bruckner’s 9th Symphony and
Barber’s Adagio for Strings, which really showcased the unbelievable
string sound of the Philadelphia Orchestra.
Describe your warm-up routine
Personally I’m not really one to have a set warm-up routine. I was
never really big on scales, never too fond of etudes, and neither were
my teachers growing up. When I first pick up the bass for the day,
many times I will just experiment on the bass. I’ll throw on a drone,
or use my open D string, and warm up my fingers. I improvise a bit,
get the blood flowing. It’s nice to walk into a practice room without
feeling like you have to be completely serious right away. Once I start
to open up my excerpts or solos, whatever I’m working on at the time,
I first attack those sections or moments I know that I struggle with. I
like to start off my practice sessions breaking trouble spots down to
their simplest forms, just the left or right hand to start, maybe playing
a passage on one note, working on the bow stroke, or slowly adding
speed. I don’t have a set time for my warm-up, and it changes day to
day based on the way my practice went the day before. If I discovered a
new trouble spot the day before, where perhaps my right hand isn’t as
clear as my left, I’ll break it down at the beginning of the next day and
make sure I separate hands to work it back into context.
Any specific thoughts on left hand
approaches? Thumb position or otherwise?
I have messed around with Edgar Meyer’s concepts in thumb position.
I have found it helpful in a lot of situations and not in others. I found
that if I zoned in on the idea that you need to use some strange fancy
fingering to impress people, it was counterproductive. I remember
when I came to Curtis, and I would always feel like I needed to play a
certain way or incorporate the “thumbage” as Hal and Edgar call it. I
found that sometimes I was making it harder on myself to try and do
complicated fingerings when a simpler solution existed. Everyone will
play a passage differently based on hand size or body build. “Thumbage”
is a great tool to have, and sometimes it can solve tricky problems.
I think it’s a personal thing and as you develop your technique you
learn when and how to use techniques to get the best outcome.
What do you hope to be doing
10 years in the future?
It’s my dream to play in a high caliber professional orchestra. I’ve
always loved being in orchestra, playing on stage with a big section
and having a great time playing music. There’s nothing as rewarding
as working with extremely gifted friends and colleagues. On top of
playing in an orchestra, I would really enjoy giving back and helping
the next generation of bass players by teaching. It’s something I’ve
always wanted to do and I’ve been very lucky to have such great
teachers in my life helping me. I feel like I need to give back by
creating another generation of students who will pass that good
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 11

Essential excerpts from the
Orchestral Literature
Meticulously edited with fingerings, bowings, and
philosophical concepts from Hal Robinson, Principal
Bass of the Philadelphia Orchestra. On Sale Now.
Honed and refined
for 25 years in
Robinson's studio
Available
exclusively through
Ranaan Meyer
Publishing
The Quad
Volume 1
Edited by Hal Robinson
© 2014 Ranaan Meyer Entertainment
Featured in
Volume 1:
R. Strauss
Don Juan
Mozart
Symphony No. 35
Beethoven
Symphony No. 9
Orchestral Solos
Smetana
Bartered Bride
will on as well. It still blows my mind to think that I can make a
living performing. I feel so lucky when I have the opportunity to
“go to work”.
How have you chosen
which auditions to take?
I’m still relatively new to taking professional auditions. I’ve only
taken a few professional and/or substitute auditions. Now that I’ve
graduated, I’m looking at all the positions as they become available. I
make sure before deciding to take an audition that I have an adequate
amount of time to prepare. If it’s right in the middle of a lot of
obligations that I can’t move or eliminate, I would rather not take the
audition. When I choose to take something on, I like to give it my all
and not cram it into an already busy schedule and hope for the best.
That’s not a good formula for success.
What’s your approach to
dealing with nerves?
Nerves are something I continue to struggle with to this day. I’m
not sure they’ll ever entirely go away. Since I’m new to professional
auditions, I’m sure there are more struggles ahead, but each experience
helps me grow and learn more about my tendencies. One way I work
on this issue is putting myself out there by volunteering to play for
other people in bass classes, or performing a piece on a collaborative
recital, or asking fellow musicians to listen in the practice room. The
most important thing is to play the repertoire you’re struggling with
for others so you have some experience. With experience comes
confidence, and I believe confidence is the key to settling nerves.
The auditions I’ve had the most success with, tend to be less formal.
When the committee is visible, and perhaps talking to you before
you play, I feel much more comfortable. I feel like being able to speak
to someone before playing has always helped me. Even answering
simple questions like where I went to school, what instrument I’m
playing on - talking helps me shake out the nerves, and allows me
to feel more like myself. This isn’t the case with most professional
auditions so getting more experience with these will be important.
I’ve already learned a lot in the first few I’ve taken.
Do you want to discuss beta blockers?
I have tried beta blockers, and I definitely don’t see anything wrong
with people using them. I have used them in settings like recitals or
concerts for which I’m particularly stressed. I don’t think that they
create a performance advantage. I think that they help more with
settling nerves and giving you the opportunity to perform at your
own personal best. It’s not a musical steroid that allows you to play
10 times better than you do in the practice room, it just makes you
capable of showing what you can do. I’m all for them!
When it comes to auditions, are there
any solos or excerpts you hope
you’ll get to play?
I love being able to play pretty much any excerpt where I can express
myself as a musician, rather than being a simple metronome. I like
the excerpts that I can mess around with musically, and make my
own. The Beethoven 9 recits, Bottesini Concerto No. 2, Otello soli -
12 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

Exercises in Shifting Hand-Settings and
Raising Awareness of Non-Playing Fingers
Major and minor triads: move symetrical Major and minor triad fingerings by half steps.
Maintain the structure of hand-setting trough the friction of shifting. Practice these ascending
and descending in various combinations: low-mid-high-mid; HMLM, etc.
3
+
1
3
+
1
Nicholas Walker
Shifting chromatic Major and minor triads.
Major triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
Major triad
1
I
+
II
3 +
Major triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
Major triad
1
I
+
II
3 +
Major triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
Major triad
1
I
+
II
Major triad
3 + 1 + 3
I
II
+
Major triad
1
I
+
3 + etc.
II
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3 +
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3
+
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3 +
minor triad
1
I
+
II
3
minor triad
+ 1 + 3
I II
+
etc.
Dominant Harmony: diminished seven symetrical fingerings. Maintain
the structure of hand-setting trough the friction of shifting. Also play these
exercises in close position (chromatic position), with 2 in place of 1 and 3
in place of 2.
(alternate fingering:)
2
+
1
I
II
3
+
2
I
II
2
+
1
I
II 3
+
2
I
II
2
+
1
Variation I: Shift: + replaces 2 ascending, 2 replaces + descending. Match pitch on the same string with a new finger.
+
I
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2
+ 1
II
+
I
2
2
+ 1
II
+
I
2 +
Variation II: Shift: + replaces 2 ascending, 2 replaces + descending. Match pitch on a different string with a new finger.
1
II
+
I
2
I
II
+
3
+
2
I
II
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
2
I
II
3
+
2
+
I
II
1
II
+
I
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2 +
1
II
+
I
2
+
+ 2
+ 1
II
+
I
2 +
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2 + 1
II
Variation III: Shift: + replaces 2 ascending, 2 replaces + descending. New pitch (with +) after shift.
+
2
+
1
+
2
+
1
+
2 +
1
+ 2
+ 1
+ 1
+ 2
+
1
+
2 +
1
+
2
+
1
+
Variation IV: Shift: + replaces 2 ascending, 2 replaces + descending. New pitch (with 2 ascending and with 1 descending) after shift.
2
2
+
1
II
+
I I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2
+ 1
+
1 + 2
II I II I
Copyright © 2010
+ 1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2
+
1
II
+
I
2 +
Continued on Page 15
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 13

these are all great examples of what I hope I’ll get asked to play in an
audition because everybody plays them differently. It’s a great opportunity
to show what I’m capable of as a musician. Additional excerpts
that I enjoy playing are Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4 movements 1
and 4, Brahms Symphony No. 1 movement 1, Mahler Symphony No.
2 movement 1, and Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra Variation
H. Right now I’m working on the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra list.
I’m really enjoying learning and working on some opera excerpts that
I had never known before.
How about excerpts you really don’t like?
Some of my least favorite excerpts to play would include the Haydn
88 4 th movement, and Symphonie Fantastique movement 1. Those
are some of the excerpts that I don’t enjoy playing as much. Lists of
complete works still terrify me a bit, because there are no specified
excerpts and I feel like the committee may be trying to throw a few
curveballs. I get concerned that the committee is trying to cut people
from the audition rather than encouraging people to do their best. I
hope for an audition environment where people are rooting for the
candidates that will add to the quality of the section.
How do you find a great teacher?
Branch out through summer festivals - I went to Interlochen, BUTI,
Aspen, PMF, Wabass Institute, and Strings International. Cast a wide
net. I took lessons from as many teachers as I could. This process lasted
from the end of middle school through high school. Once you find
someone you like, don’t be afraid to approach them about your desire
to work with them, or get more lessons from them. You have to put
yourself out there sometimes to find your way into someone’s studio,
but the guidance and the bond you form can shape your career.
Final thoughts?
Take in everything you can from your teachers. They’re your best
source of information and should be your best friends. Supportive
parents make things possible and great teachers develop you as
a musician. ■
Ranaan Meyer Publishing
Hal Robinson The Quad Volume 1
Available Now
Harvie S 10 Duets
Tchaikovsky/arr. Timothy Pitts Souvenir de Florence
Ranaan Meyer Originals, including Just One Dance,
Emily, and My Irish Mother
Coming Soon: Transcriptions, originals, and chamber
music for double bass and other instruments.
14 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

2
Tonic Harmony: minor seven/major six fingerings. Maintain the
structure of hand setting trough the friction of shifting.
3
minor triad
+
1
3
1
Major triad
+
3
+
2
4-3 triad
3
2
4-2 triad
+
Variation V: Shift: + replaces 3 ascending, 3 replaces + descending. Match pitch on the same string with a new finger.
+
1
+
3
+
1
+
3 + 2
+
3 + 2
I II I II I II I II I
I II I
Variation VI: Shift: + replaces 3 ascending, 3 replaces + descending. Match pitch on a different string with a new finger.
+
3 3 + 2 II
+
2
3 +
+
3
+
1
II
+
I
3
+
1
II
+
I
1
+
3
+
1
+
3
+
2
+
3 + 2
II I II I II I II I
I
Variation VII: Shift: + replaces 3 ascending, 3 replaces + descending. New pitch (with +) after shift.
+
3
+
1
+
3
+
1
+
3
+
2
+
3 + + 3 + 2 II
+
3
+ 2
+
+ 2 + 3
+ 2
3 + 2 +
II
I
+
3
+
3
+
Variation VIII: Shift: + replaces 3 ascending, 3 replaces + descending. New pitch (with 2 ascending and with 2 or 1 descending) after shift.
1
+
1
II
+
I
3
+
3
1
+
+
1
II
3
3
I
+
1
II
+
I
3
+
1
II
+
I
3
+ 2
II
+
3 + 2 + 2 +
I II I II I
3 + 2
II
+
+
3 + 1
I II I
3
+
1
II
+
I
3
+
Dominant to Tonic Harmony: diminished seven symetrical fingerings resolve to tonic hand setings. Remember to prepare the new hand-setting
arrival finger on/in the string within the current hand-setting before the shift to the new hand-setting. Note this is the same diminished arpeggio
as that on the previous page, though here requires a different spelling.
dim triad
2
+
1
Listen for this scale
minor triad
3
+
1
dim triad
2
+
1
Major triad
3
+
1
dim triad
2
+ 1
4-3 triad
3
+
2
dim triad
Variation IX: Shifting dominant to tonic hand-settings - LMHL (low mid high low). The lowest note of each triad forms the scale).
Also play these variations LMHM, HMLH, HMLM, MHML, MLMH, etc. and experiment with mixing them together in one variation.
dim triad
1 + 2 1 1 +
II I II I
dim triad
minor triad
3
minor triad
1 + 2 1 1 +
II I II I
4-2 triad
dim triad
3 + 2 3 2
+ 1
II
I
3 +
II
II
+
II
dim triad
1
etc.
+
I
dim triad
1
+
I
I
4-3 triad
3
Major triad
dim triad
2 1 1 + 3 1 1 +
I II I
+ 2 1
+ 2
II
II
+
I
I
II
I
2 1
II
4-3 triad
2
Major triad Major triad dim triad
1 + 3 1 3
+ 1 3 2
+ 1
dim triad
2
Major triad
I
+
I
dim triad
3
2
II
2
+ 1
dim triad
1
1 + 2 3
+ 1 + 2
+ 1
II I
II I II
II
I
+ 2 1
I
minor triad
II
4-2 triad
3
+
2
4-2 triad
2
+
I
3 2
2 3 + 1 3 2 + 1
+
I
minor triad
3
+ 1
II
+
I
I
2
dim triad
dim triad
+ 1
II
II
+
I
II
2
I
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 15

Exercise in Estabishing Three Different Hand-Settings Centering on Each Pitch of a C Major Scale: Be certain each hand-setting is
fully prepared before continuing to the second note of each slur. Experiment with playing the slured pitches with measured, separate bows,
as well as a grace note flourish around the target pitch. Match the target pitches from one grouping to another between hand settings.
Play this exercise in all keys. To augment this exercise, add diatonic pitches on the 3rd string as well.
3
1 + 1 3 + 1 3 1 + 3 1 + 1
-2 1 + 1 2 + 1 2 1 + 2 1 + 1 2
-1 + 1
3 + 1 3 1 + 3 1 + 1
-+ 1 3 + 1 3
+ 3 1 + 1
1
1 + 1 3 + 1 3 1 + 3 1 + 1
-3 1 + 1 3 + 1 3 1 + 3 1 + 1 3
-1+
1 3 + 1 3 1 + 3 1 + 1
-+ 1 2 + 1 3
+ 2 1 + 1
1
1 + 1 2 + 1
2 1 + 1
3 1 +
-3 1 + 1 3 + 1 3
+ 3 1 + 1 3
1
-1+
1 2 + 1
2 1 + 1
3 1 +
-+ 1 3 +
1 + 1
1 3 1 + 3
1 1 3 +
1 + 1
+ 1 3 1 + 3
-2 1
+ 1 2 + 1
2 1 + 1 2
-1
2 1 +
1 3 +
1 + 1
+ 1 3 1 + 3
-+
3
+ 1
1 + 1 3 1 + 3 1
1
1 3
-+ 1
+ -+ 1 3 1 + 3 1
-3 1 +
1 3 +
1 + 1 3
2 3 2 + 3
-1+ 1 3
-+ 1 3 1 + 3 1 -+ 1
-+ 1
(* use 3rd or 2nd finger)
+ 1 3 + 1 + 1
3
2
3
2
2
1
1 + 1
3
2
+ 1 3
2
1
+
3
2
1 + 1
-3
2
1 + 1 3 -+ 1 3 1 + 3 1 -+ 1 3
2 2 2 2
-1+
1
3
2
+ 1 3
+
3
2
1 + 1
2
1
-+ 1 2 + 1
2 1 + 1
2 1 +
1
1 2
+ 1
+ 1
+ + 1 2 1 + 2 1 -3 2
1 1 3 2 1 + 3 2
3
2
+
1
+ 1
3
2
-1+ 1 2
+ 1 2 1 + 2 1 + 1
-+ 1 3 + 2
1 3 2 1 + 3 1 2
+ 1
1
1
3
2
+ 1
+ + 1 3 1 2
+ 32 1
-2 1 + 1
2 +
1 + 1 2
1 2 1 + 2
1 3
+ 1
-1+ 2
+ 1 3 2 1 + 32 1
-+
1 3
2
+ 1 3 2 1 + 32 1 + 1
16 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

4
Ex. A Rabbath's Crab Approach
xxxx
Nicholas Walker
& Rex Surany
+ 1 2 3 +
1 2 3 +
1 2 3 +
1 2 3 +
1 2 3 +
1 2 3 +
1 2 3 +
3 2 1 + 3 2 1
+ 3 2 1
+ 3 2 1
+ 3 2 1
+ 3 2 1 + 3 2 1 + 3
2 1 + 3
2 1 + 1
Ex. B, 2-2 , +-+
+ 1
2 -2 +
x xxxx
1 2 -2 +
1 2 -2 +
1 2 -2 +
1 2 -2 +
1 2 -2 +
1 2 -2 +
2 1 + -+ 2 1 + -+ 2 1 + -+ 2 1 + -+ 2 1 + -+ 2 1 + -+ 2 1 + -+ 2
1 + -+ 2
1 + -+ 1
Ex. C, 1-1
xxxx xxxx
+ 1 -1 2 +
1 -1 2 +
1 -1 2 +
1 -1 2 +
1 -1 2 +
1 -1 2 +
1 -1 2 +
2 1 -1 + 2 1 -1 + 2 1 -1 + 2 1 -1 + 2 1 -1 + 2 1 -1 + 2 1 -1 + 2
1 -1 + 2
1 -1 + 1
xxxx x
Ex. D, +-+ , 2-2
+ -+
1 2 +
-+ 1 2 +
-+ 1 2 +
-+ 1 2 +
-+ 1 2 +
-+ 1 2 +
-+ 1 2 +
2 -2 1 + 2 -2 1 + 2 -2 1 + 2 -2 1 + 2 -2 1 + 2 -2 1 + 2 -2 1 + 2
-2 1 + 2
-2 1 + 2
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 17

UP &
COMER
Jordan Morton
18 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

Jordan Morton
I try to come from a sincere place. There are
plenty of career paths that a bassist can take,
but many of them never felt like the right
fit for me. My influences and skill sets are
very diverse, and I’ve been frustrated at times
because I don’t see a clear line to follow.
It feels like I have to bushwhack a path
for myself, as a freelancer, composer, and
performer, and the music world seems to be
rapidly evolving even as we speak. That can be
daunting. But at the center of my aspirations
lies this solo project for double bass and voice.
It is my anchor. I have just finished recording
a full-length debut album of entirely original
pieces for voice and bass, and am really eager
for it to land upon open ears! It’s something
that not many people are doing, perhaps. The
sound palate is unique as well, and I’m still
developing my concept of this quasi solo-duet
as an entertainer and artist, as a singer and
classically trained bass player.
I grew up in Syracuse, NY - mostly with my
nose in a book, and fascinated by a bow on a
string since childhood. I started on the violin
very young, and even after switching to bass
in middle school, continued playing violin in
a more improvisatory way. For several years
I took fiddle lessons, learning a tune by ear
each week from a great fiddler in Syracuse
named Joe Davoli. I feel like that was very
helpful in developing my ear and melodic
sense, long before studying theory in school.
I also played electric in a ska band for three
years, which is where I learned to rock out. I’d
say my musical background is an eclectic mix
of church hymns, punk ska, folk music, jazz,
and classical.
My high school orchestra director always let
me hang around after class to use the school’s
fat Wilfer bass to practice, write and jam.
Before college, I did not own a bass and was
primarily self-taught. That meant that I had
a lot of technique work to catch up on once I
arrived at Ithaca College, and probably to this
day. But in some sense, I think it freed me up
to develop a very personal relationship with
the instrument from the beginning, and to
never feel limited to one school or genre of
playing. I didn’t even know about different
schools of playing. All kinds of music were
fair game. Bass is versatile like that!
I’m grateful to Nicholas Walker for inviting
me to join his studio at IC and getting me
up to speed over the course of four years. It
turned out to be an excellent match, not just
because of his clear, balanced and effective
pedagogical presence, but because he made
a point to help cultivate my own creative
voice. Nick seeks to make music at the highest
possible level and in the freshest and most
genuine voice. By sharing these priorities,
challenging me and being a great mentor and
friend, he’s done amazing things for me, and
for so many other young bass players. I think
everyone that comes through his studio can
attest to that. He’s also helped to line up many
of the opportunities I’ve had since graduating.
He’s got a great mind for making connections
between people and voices, he’s constantly
learning and evolving himself, and he cares.
I consider him a lifelong guru and only hope
that I can pay it forward someday.
I also spent a semester studying at the Conservatorium
van Amsterdam, which really
rocked my world and opened my eyes. I met
people from so many different countries who
were leading their own musical projects. They
weren’t all trying to fit into the same mold.
They nurtured their distinct voices and ran
with their ideas, and I’m so glad to have been
exposed to this and to have collaborated with
some of them. It was in Amsterdam that I
started to write and improvise more in the
specific combination of voice and arco bass.
If I had to describe it, I’d call it throughcomposed
vocal lieder with pop and folk
sensibility. The first time I performed an
original in this style was after returning to
Ithaca from Amsterdam. I premiered a piece
on my senior recital called How Blue The
Hills. That tune will be the final track on
the upcoming album.
Though I am grateful for the thorough
education I received at Ithaca College, that
semester abroad was so special. Being away
from such an intensely structured curriculum
during my undergraduate years was liberating,
invigorating, and gave me a lot of crazy ideas.
I encourage students to study abroad if you
can! Leaving your comfort zone can teach
you volumes about yourself and what you’d
like to do.
After graduating, I moved to Paris under
an independent scholarship, where I had
the great opportunity to study with François
Rabbath. That was the fall of 2012, and I
stayed until the following summer. It was an
incredibly challenging and formative year for
me. I spoke very little French at first, and was
often very homesick. It was a slow adjustment
to city life and the French culture, and also it
was my first year out of school, which is a big
change no matter where you are.
Working with François was amazing, but also
very challenging. He demanded a high level of
maturity and musicality from my playing that
I couldn’t always produce. It took me a long
time to put my ego aside and learn from him
effectively. And it wasn’t always an intellectual
or even describable process. Sometimes, the
best parts of lessons were when I arrived a
little early and he was still practicing and
paid me no attention. To be in the physical
presence of his sound was, in and of itself, a
priceless lesson, and the reason I had come
there. That sound is unparalleled. So resonant!
Full and colorful, brave and captivating. He
has an unbelievable command of the bow,
which he developed in response to his eerie
sensitivity to the full harmonic potential of
this instrument. For me, the most exciting
thing about playing the bass is it’s crazy
potential to resonate. You can coax a whole
orchestra out of this instrument if you hear it,
and if you know how! Studying with François
helped me to begin to do both, and I feel so
fortunate to have had that time with him.
Because I had so much free and unstructured
time in Paris, and was exploring a new and
very personal sound concept on the bass, a
lot of songs began to write themselves. When
I feel and hear the bass singing in my hands
like that, finally, I can’t help but sing too.
Between a harmonic, a pitched note, and my
voice, I had three notes at my disposal at any
given time, and three is more than enough
with which to create. I spent so much time
improvising in Paris, so much time pacing
and muttering lyrics, meditating on a sound
on the bass, trying new things.
Also, in comparison with previous years, I
felt fairly isolated musically. That can really
help you get to know yourself, force you to
confront truths about yourself. I had time
to explore what I had to say on the bass. Not
to mention that composing and improvising
was a cathartic necessity. That very frustrating
year was the energy and food for over 15
pieces for voice and bass, many of which were
first performed in Paris in the spring of 2013.
I remember a reaching a breaking point in
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 19

January, when I was exploring a new motif and the combination
of sounds gave me goose bumps! I realized that this was deeply
important to me – that I couldn’t not pursue this!
Moving home to upstate New York last summer was almost as
challenging as leaving. It was hard to regroup and figure out what
was next. I knew I had to record an album, and was so blessed by all
the people who supported my Kickstarter last December. Since then
I’ve been working at Electric Wilburland Studio in Newfield, NY with
my amazing sound engineer and friend Dana Billings, and we just
finished up the final track of the album a few weeks ago. The project
has evolved significantly since we started, and my sound and concept
has matured as well, so it took much longer than initially expected.
But this means that the finished product will be something I’m really
proud of and excited to share with everyone!
and learn with 47 other talented and innovative young musicians.
Immediately afterwards I attended the Wabass Institute with a smaller
but similarly inspiring line-up of students and teachers. I am writing
suspended in the afterglow of these two incredible experiences, full of
hope and excitement and new ideas. I can’t thank everyone enough for
the support and encouragement in response to my solo work. It really
means a lot to me, and gets me really amped to share the full album
with everyone in a few months time. Until then, here is a private link
to a track from the album:
The Tracks The Bells
Enjoy! ■
This year, in addition to working on the album and playing some live
solo shows, I’ve been teaching private lessons at Cornell University,
and at the Opus Ithaca School of Music in downtown Ithaca. I really
love teaching, perhaps because I’ve had such great teachers! I’ve also
been playing with a group called Ljova and the Kontraband in New
York City, and have had other gigs and opportunities there as a result.
For a while, it seemed like taking auditions for a masters degree or
other program was the next step. In each case, I realized on the day
of the audition that this wasn’t the right move for me. I’m not ready to
go back to school, nor does the music I’m trying to play right now call
for that. I took some time off from working on the album to prepare
for these auditions, which I was really torn about. In the end, the
experience was important in that it revealed once again where my
priorities and dreams lie right now, and helped me to embrace the
uncertainties and risks of what I’m most excited about, which is
building a solo project and exploring the potentials of voice and bass.
I feel like I’ve barely scraped the surface of my personal musical idiom,
and am looking forward to diving into some new ideas and sounds
after releasing this album.
I often get comments about how new or different my music sounds,
but a lot of the raw materials of these songs are very traceable, and
even the combination of bowed bass and voice is already out there. I
got to work with a very intense bassist, vocalist and improviser in Paris
named Joëlle Léandre, who provoked me to be me. And I encourage
everyone to check out Nat Baldwin, the bassist of the indie rock group
the Dirty Projectors, who has a hauntingly beautiful solo project of his
own. Everything anyone ever does is rooted in history and culture, in
the scene. We’re not islands!
A note on improvisation – I can’t live without it. It has the power to
draw from you what you didn’t know was there. It’s coming from
somewhere deeper than music. It’s coming from the pure and raw
intention behind the music. When I’m deeply improvising, I’m not
trying to create something, its just happening because I get lost in a
sound. An essence gets channeled. The original ideas for tunes often
emerge from this state, and the real work begins when I have to sculpt
it into a coherent piece of music. It takes me a long time. Any one
of the pieces that will be on my album took at least 3 or 4 months to
coalesce into what it is now - some of them were even a year in the
making. Things need to be quality, they need to be genuine, and they
have to be lived in.
This past month, I spent three weeks at the Jazz and Creative Music
Workshop at the Banff Centre in Alberta, Canada, where I got to play
20 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

Finding
your own
path
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 21

Ranaan Meyer: What’s it been like to be with the Punch Brothers?
Paul Kowert: To talk about the last 5 years is tough to summarize, but
overall it’s been really great. It was kind of a quick change of pace for
me because they were a touring band already, with a couple records
under their belts. I was a big fan of them and listened to their music.
Their first concern was getting a bass player on the road to play these
gigs that they already had, and then after that seeing if it would work
as a permanent solution. It was a quick change because the Punch
Brothers had tours lined up and I went straight from the practice room
to a 15 passenger van!
R: You were at Curtis at the time right?
P: I was in my 5 th year at Curtis, which is the final year for many
students. My teachers, Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer, the administrators,
everyone was ok with me taking off early in the year, and they
made it work around the school. It was something I really couldn’t
pass up. Even though I had just begun the 5 th year, they gave me the
green light to leave.
R: How did you develop yourself as an artist to that point?
P: I started on the violin, because my sister was 3 years older and was
playing. There was a strings program in my elementary school that
I wanted to take part in, but I didn’t want to play an instrument that
I had already been playing for 6 years, so I started the bass. It was a
more social instrument. I started the electric bass at the same time
as the upright. I joined a rock cover band and I was playing in jazz
groups before too long on the upright. All those things tend to be
more social than an orchestra for a 9 year old! It was important for me
to do something that involved other people my age, rehearsing and
playing on our own terms. I was also perhaps more special on the bass
than on the violin. I play fiddle tunes on the violin now.
I started listening to Edgar Meyer when I was in high school. This was
around the same time that I met this band, The Knob Hill Boys, who
came to my high school as part of a Music In Schools program. The
banjo player from Punch Brothers, Noam Pikelny, actually started
playing banjo the same way I got into bluegrass - we both saw bluegrass
players play at our schools through this program. In my high
school in Wisconsin, the Knob Hill Boys came, played, and taught the
instruments to the kids in the orchestra. Just seeing the way the fiddle
was playing, the aggression and the power of the high instruments,
really got me going. I started playing mandolin then, and around
that time also started listening to Edgar Meyer. I liked the music
and I respected his playing, but it coincided with this new interest in
bluegrass because he was making all these records with mandolin and
banjo players, etc. It was a lot of the same individuals I was listening
to outside of bass - Sam Bush, Jerry Douglas, Strength in Numbers. I
found a couple kindred spirits for this music in Wisconsin. We would
get together and play what we could - some of the tunes that those
guys recorded are challenging to pull off in a jam setting. It was a good
learning experience to push ourselves, trying to play things even when
you don’t exactly know what’s going on. It’s a good way to get comfortable
improvising and become a solid ensemble player. I was jamming
a lot before I went to Curtis, but I went to school there because I knew
I wanted to make a life in music. I didn’t know how to do that, but I
knew that getting a good conservatory education would be as good as
NOW
AVAILABLE
SOLO
TUNING
Strings Handmade in Germany
Photo Credit © Pöllmann
22 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

anything if I wanted to play the bass for a
living. I didn’t know for most of the time
I was at Curtis if I would be playing in an
orchestra, or what I might do. I always kept
on playing with fiddles, mandolins, banjos,
and guitars because I loved it so much. The
more I did it, the more I could tell I was
doing something I really enjoyed, as well as
something other people didn’t do, and there
was maybe something unique there that
could be a source of identity for me. I loved
the creativity, unique voices, writing, and
aural tradition I found in making music with
those folks.
At a certain point, I started to feel like I was
spread too thin because I was practicing
excerpts - I wasn’t really the best orchestral
excerpt player, and I knew that because I went
to school with some really great players on
that path. It wasn’t really the thing I was the
best at, but I was still trying to do it all the
time, and get better. One summer I attended
the National Orchestral Institute, and I met
Jordan Tice, who I’ve been making music
with ever since. We were making music in the
practice rooms there around the orchestra festival.
I told Ali Yazdanfar, who was one of the
guest teachers there, that I love making music
in a variety of styles on the bass. I really loved
the classical repertoire, but I also really loved
this other thing I was doing. It was starting to
feel like if I were to take an orchestra audition,
I would have to really buckle down and focus
on that 100 percent. Ali’s advice to me was
“Do everything you love and do it really well.”
Eventually, he said, something would come
along that I wouldn’t be able to pass up.
R: I felt the same way, that I was the square peg
trying very hard to fit myself into a round hole.
It wasn’t natural to me and I had to just bust
my butt to go in that direction, but I felt like
there was something really important that I
was taking away from preparing for auditions.
Do you believe that it was beneficial?
P: Probably. I sometimes spent all day
practicing orchestral repertoire and I didn’t
seem to make much progress. Some of my
classmates at Curtis had great advice for me.
They would tell me that putting those hours
in wasn’t going to hurt my playing, it was
going to help. The fact that I was working
hard and practicing was going to have long
term benefits. Sometimes it’s frustrating to
spend a large portion of your day in a
practice room slugging away at rudiments
and excerpts. You can feel like you’re wasting
your time, and it might be true that you’re
wasting some time, but overall it had a good
impact on me as a bass player - working and
expanding my usage of the instrument in
general has been useful.
R: What sort of music has given you the confidence
and security you have when playing
your instrument? Was it Bach, études, scales? A
combination of many things?
P: 3 different things come to mind. First of
all, the way I play now is really closely related
to the way I played when I was 9 years old. I
stand up, I play with a high endpin, standing
on the side of the bass. I look a little weird
compared to the mainstream bass pedagogy.
The familiarity with the instrument and the
connection with the string that you cultivate
by playing for a long time has helped me.
Secondly, working on a lot of music and
developing a vast variety of repertoire
(which excerpt playing does) gave me a lot
of different tools. You get familiar with a lot
of different pizzicatos, dynamics, the range
of the instrument, playing across the strings.
That’s partially how the audition repertoire
is designed - they want to hear you cover
the breadth of the instrument, so they pick
different techniques for you to display.
As I was going through college, a lot of people
had a sense that I was restrained, because I
would be playing and trying to execute things.
There was a sense that I wasn’t making as
much music as I was capable of. That leads
me to the 3 rd and most important point, which
is feeling unrestrained and feeling like I’m
making music helps me to have confidence
on the instrument. I think I’ve found that in
greater magnitude when playing music that
I had a closer relationship to. Feeling like
you’re lost in creating music, and that music
is what matters allows you and your ego, your
perfectionism to drip away. You get taken
over by the music. Playing with people, enjoying
the musical heritage and process are what
really allow this to happen.
R: If I could summarize, it sounds like playing
with people was a strength for you.
P: Yeah, absolutely, it is about playing with
people. The bass as a solo instrument puts a
lot of pressure on you, but there’s a great way
to be a solo voice within music that I really
cherish. It can be more flattering for me, and
takes some of the pressure off. It helped me
turn my sights toward the music.
R: I’ve tried to write a lot of stuff for solo bass
over the last decade, which is something I feel I
need to do because it’s so far outside of my real
musical identity, which is being a team player.
To me, playing with others is the whole point.
P: My technical approach is an amalgam
of how I grew up playing, techniques I
developed at Curtis working on a variety of
music, a whole lot of Edgar’s influence, and
also a whole lot of influence from bluegrass
bass playing, mostly when I’m playing with
a band. It’s hard to say what my technique is
because it’ll change depending on what I’m
playing. For instance, to make my strings
sound like gut or just have the consistency of
a bluegrass bass, I kind of grab and mute with
my left hand in a way that a classical pedagogue
would cringe at. But that’s the sound.
Studying orchestral repertoire makes you
stronger because you are forced to learn how
to make huge leaps when playing something
like Strauss, holding down a machine gun
rhythm through Beethoven, and so forth.
When I was working on this repertoire, I
diverged a lot from the way I started playing
the bass - I would sit down to play, raise my
string action - and I think that I incorporated
some of this technique into my current
playing. I’ve always had this split between
how I played solos and how I played excerpts.
In retrospect it seems silly to have tried
changing so many things!
My first teacher was Rosemary Petzel, and
she would come teach me and my next door
neighbor for private lessons. She is a sweet
lady who likes to tell jokes, and she made sure
she wasn’t putting a pressure on us to only
focus on music, and that we could continue
to be normal kids. On the bass, she put an
emphasis on being well rounded. I don’t know
that a lot of teachers do this, but she taught
me how to play boogie woogie bass lines
while accompanying me, and then made me
play my Bach piece. After working on that,
we would switch to playing a blues, always
keeping it fun. I studied with her for about 5
or 6 years, from age 9 to around 14. She was
an angel of a lady. I jumped around through
several teachers after that. I got into the
Disney’s Young Musicians Symphony
Orchestra, which opened my eyes to a
community of people in the state and really
the world, playing music and doing what I do.
I was a home body, I didn’t go to orchestra
camps over the summer. I went to a few jazz
camps in Wisconsin that were a week or two
long. After the Disney orchestra experience,
I started doing concerto competitions, and
taking lessons from virtuoso bass teachers like
Catalin Rotaru who was located in Wisconsin
then. I studied with Richard Davis for a year.
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 23

24 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

There was a period of time when I would even drive to Chicago to
take a lesson from Brad Opland, and took a couple lessons Catherine
McGinn in the Milwaukee Symphony. I didn’t have a regular teacher
for a long time.
Rosemary did some Simandl work with me, but most of it was trying
to get me to be comfortable, and play in a way that was sustainable.
It wasn’t very dogmatic.
R: What’s your warm-up routine like today?
P: The lifestyle I live now as compared to when I was in college has
snapped me into reality, especially in terms of some of my practice
ticks. I’m can be more pragmatic now - I try to fix what I need to fix
and look for other things to work on. I also mess around on the bass
a lot when I’m at home and have time. I play music, I play nonsense,
I play with recordings. There’s not much of a routine. I’m usually
looking to solidify the trust I have in my abilities, and further them.
I’m trying to keep my mind in a state of plasticity. I take long breaks
some times because I’ll have a tour for several days and then spend a
day traveling - it takes some time to get back to your life. Before you
know it, it’s been a few days since you touched the bass! Those can be
really great opportunities, when I take the bass out and may realize
something I never realized before. While I wouldn’t want to always
have that lack of strength on the instrument, I do always want access
to that open-eyed approach where I’m not desensitized to the bass and
its sound. That’s a big part of how I practice now.
R: What are some more unique components of your technique? What
did you have to develop personally that not a lot of other players do?
P: There are some things about my technique that I do while making
the same kind of music as other bass players, and there are things I
do when I am doing things that no other bass players do (that I know
of). Sometimes unique techniques come about because I’m looking
for something I’ve never heard before, like a way of playing a certain
rhythm pizzicato with the right hand, in an order of the strings that I
haven’t heard. I sometimes use three fingers on my right hand to get
the phrase I’m hearing in my head.
I also play the same repertoire that other people play a bit differently
as well. There are a lot of bass players out there doing special things.
I feel like I haven’t talked about Edgar Meyer enough! When I found
out about Edgar, I got all the records I could. A friend of mine in
high school was also way into Edgar’s music, and had some of his old
recordings that you can’t get any more. I got super obsessed and got
all the videos I could. The Music for Two and Appalachian Journey
videos were really important, especially before Youtube. I checked out
how he did what he did, which had a profound influence on the way
I approach the bass. I really can’t talk about the things I’ve mentioned
before without including that.
P: Well, I’ve definitely thought a lot about Edgar’s mechanics. When
it comes to performing and being in the moment, how can you really
micro-manage things like the way your fingers move? You have to let
them happen when you’re listening to the music and allowing yourself
to change. Don’t think you’re controlling everything. While performing,
I would find that distracting if I thought about that very much,
and I think I make better music when I’m not thinking about things
like that.
I think the best way to understand the rudiments is to approach the
bass like a child, like you’re hearing it for the first time. How can you
really micro-manage things like the way your fingers move? You have
to let them happen when you’re listening to the music and allowing
yourself to change. Don’t think you’re controlling everything.
The idea of managing the movement between your notes seems
distracting to me.
R: Would you say your approach to the bass boils down to hearing
something and then finding a way to do it, versus thinking about the
fingerings/bowings/technique necessary to execute?
P: Of course, definitely! There are some good bullet points
for doing that.
• Memorizing the music
• Knowing the other parts of the music
• Get to the point of hearing music in your head without
seeing it on the page
• Connect what you’re hearing in the head with what you’re playing
That’s playing music! It’s a really important concept to me. Yesterday
I was working up the Courante from Bach’s 1 st Cello suite, which I
haven’t played in a really long time. I couldn’t find the music, so I
listened to Edgar Meyer’s recording. Maybe it would have been
better to reference the sheet music, but I didn’t have it at the time.
Some of the most musical bass players I’ve known have operated that
way. I’d like to have players take their eyes off the page and listen to
the instrument.
Do what you love. There’s really no point in playing music unless
you love it. That love can look like a lot of different things. Some
of the most inspirational musicians to me sometimes seem tortured
by music, but to me that is a part of loving it. You can find that in
so many different kinds of music. Play great music, and don’t let
someone else tell you what that is. ■
R: Talking about your technical approach to the bass, what do you think
of Edgar Meyer’s concept of the left hand never being locked down? It
seems like he is always preparing for the next note even as he arrives at
the one he is playing.
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 25

Interview with
Nicholas Walker
Rex Surany just won a job with the Metropolitan
Opera Orchestra. Was he a student of yours?
He was for five years, long ago, but now I think I’m a student of his!
How do you mean?
Some of the most exciting bass learning for me since I got the job at Ithaca College has come through interactions with Rex. Rex had been
studying at Curtis, working with Hal Robinson and Edgar Meyer. Rex basically began to teach me what he was learning with Edgar. I’ve not had
a chance to work closely with Edgar personally, so I’m not clear how much of this information comes from Edgar through Rex and how much
of it is Rex’s own ideas. I’ve spent a lot of time going frame by frame looking at Edgar videos and trying to understand how he’s using his hands
and fingers, when he’s releasing a given finger, how he’s using the thumb, and how he might be balancing the structure of his left hand.
Probably because I didn’t have any direct
access to Edgar and little one -on- one time
with Rex, I would take little moments of
insight and follow them out quite passionately.
For example, at one point, I heard that Edgar
had been interested in piano technique and
had applied that to his left hand approach.
David Allen Moore, professor at USC, told
me about these Dorothy Taubman/Edna
Golandsky piano videos. There are 10 DVDs
worth of technical approach to piano. Watching
those helped me understand a lot of what
I was sensing in Edgar’s approach. Concepts
like forearm rotation, how to put a lot of
contact weight into the fingers from a very
low altitude, how to hold the grid-framing
of the hand without tension but be able to
put a lot of weight into any finger at any time,
using the awareness of non-playing fingers
to develop a better sense of where a playing
finger might be engaged, having a consistency
of left arm and wrist shape and angle, contact
with the bass through shifting, etc...
All of this began to open a whole new world
to me, and that’s where I’ve been for several
years now. I’ve been calling it “Edgar stuff ”
but of course it’s just my interpretation of
whatever I am able to glean watching and
listening to his technique; it’s based on no
direct contact with him. It is rooted in my
interpretation of Rex’s impression of Edgar’s
approach, and some shared impressions with
other bassists I admire who are interested
in unwrapping this approach: David Allen
Moore, Shawn Conley, Ted Botsford, DaXun
Zhang, and others. You asked what I’m into
these days, and I have to say, I find Edgar’s left
hand approach amazingly exciting and really
stimulating to my musicianship, especially as
an improviser.
Can you give some examples?
Sure. There are several things that changed
my world when I started actively learning
from Rex. One
thing is not being afraid to
shift. Instead of holding onto a position
desperately and playing across three or four
strings to make phrases, I started to see the
benefit of playing musical constructs (I call
them sense- constructs) in one hand setting,
and being able to move that hand setting
around with impunity, up and down the neck,
even rather large distances. The more that I
became clear about the grid-framing of any
one hand setting, the easier it was to move the
thumb to any note on the bass. (I understand
Hal calls this Thumbage, though I’ve not had
the chance to work with him in quite a while).
The second concept I got from Rex was
playing on two parts of the thumb: the
knuckle and the nail. This opens up a huge
number of possibilities because you essentially
gain a capo in thumb position, and that
capo can be placed on any “fret” of the bass,
even as low as first position.
If you think about the homunculus chart,
which shows how much brain connection
there is to any one part of the body how much
“real estate” that part of the body has in our
brain – we see a huge amount of connection
to the hand and the thumb in particular.
By having an awareness of where the other
fingers are, you’re creating a clearer, more
repeatable, and recognizable construct in
your mind for any one note. In other words,
when a pianist plays a C # with the third finger,
the third finger is never played in isolation.
It is maybe part of an A Major triad, or a
B b minor triad, or A augmented. Whatever
the case may be, the non-playing fingers lie
contextually over the relevant notes. That C #
is going to have a framing around it, a context
that is built by habit. When playing a C # in
A Major, the other fingers will fall over the
white keys in that key, while feeling it as a
D b in B b minor will cause the player to place
fingers over more black keys because they
belong to that particular key. It doesn’t have
anything to do with the current note, but the
grid-frame context in which it appears.
But we as bass players tend to play notes in
26 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

isolation – at least I did, for many years. “Here’s F # !” What is the context
of that F # ? Where is it in the grid? Is it F # as part of D major? Is it F #
as part of D # minor? There’s a difference. We often place the F # based
on some other non-musical criteria, such as the technique we learned
growing up, or the shape of the crook of the neck: “Simandl taught me
that F # is always 4 th finger on the G string.” Or maybe we’ll just use the
location of a nearby harmonic: “F # is 3 rd finger on the D string with my
thumb on the D harmonic”. By developing a sense of context on the
bass, a grid for the bass, each of those F # s have a different meaning
to the hand, and a different sound when listening.
What do you mean by “grid”, or “grid-frame”
hand-setting?
By “grid” I mean an innate awareness of all the notes on the
fingerboard, as internalized as the lines on the tennis court for a tennis
pro, or the white and black keys for a pianist (even a blind pianist) –
nothing in isolation. I’m talking about an ingrained context to
distinguish an F # from a G, no matter which fingering is in use.
When I say “grid-frame”, I’m talking about a left-hand setting with the
fingers poised over the relevant note on the fingerboard. It’s not a rigid
thing; it’s more like a liminal zone in which any finger could come into
play immediately and efficiently. Maybe it’s like the feet of a tennis pro,
who is waiting for a serve: she could go right, left, forward, backwards,
crouch, jump, whatever. She’s balanced and loose, but not “relaxed” (an
often misunderstood concept). It’s being more ready, and free, even
powerful, than not. That’s what I mean by “grid-frame”. The default
alignment of the hand that brings all relevant notes over two strings
into play.
sense of grid, a grid based on the naturally occurring nodes of the
harmonic series.
Fretted instruments for hundreds of years have had markings on the
fingerboard to help people easily sense where to put fingers. Pianos
have a pattern of different colored keys to guide the eyes, and build a
sense of grid. Even though these keys have different sizes and shapes,
they’re still different colors. Imagine a piano that is all white keys with
no pattern or variation in size! Try to find F # among 88 white keys. It
would be very hard to play a keyboard instrument constructed this
way, yet this is how many of us learn to play the bass!
In order to build a comfort level playing in any key (like a jazz guitarist),
I think some type of grid or other organized system for contextualizing
a pattern of notes is really important. François Rabbath is adamantly
against markings on the fingerboards, so he developed positions based
on the harmonic overtones of the bass. That’s his internalize grid, and
all of his music is based on those landmarks. Simandl also had a grid,
or position system; If you look at his positions, at first there seems to
be no logic to it. There’s a first position, a second position, a “second
and a half ” position, but no “first and a half ” position. It turns out that
Simandl is based on the placement of the 4 th finger on the top string:
whenever it lines up with the notes in a C Major scale, you have whole
number positions, and when it doesn’t, you have half positions. The
piano key system is also structured on C major, but the result with
the piano is that every single chord and every single key center has a
distinctive feel and subtly different hand setting.
Like frets on an electric bass?
More like the dots or mother of peal inlays than the frets. The frets
are all alike. It’s the dots that give the grid a context.
I suppose it was inevitable, but the concept of a “grid” on the
fingerboard raises the polemic of whether or not to put dots on the
fingerboard. I have to say that I haven’t reached clarity on this topic
from a pedagogical perspective. I use dots now, but played for 25 years
without them. I’ve seen people use dots or pencil markings on their
instrument in a way that actually shuts them down from attentively
listening to themselves or using the resonance of the instrument, or
other feedback to make their intonation choices; instead of building
a strong internal audited sense of pitch, and “tracing” this intention
with real sound, they just put their finger on the marking and assume
it’s correct. Using the eyes to put your finger in a particular place is
not my purpose for having dots on my bass. I have them on to build a
To me, Simandl’s system is a more arbitrary system; since it hinges on
only one scale, and there is not the same tactile difference between
keys and intervals on the neck that one feels at the piano. Rabbath’s
system, based entirely on the overtones, has a different logic because it
is based on the resonating nodes of open strings. I think Edgar Meyer’s
dots on his bass are spaced a minor third apart in the lower part of the
neck and on the harmonics in the upper register, presumably putting a
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 27

dot in every lower position hand setting, and
on the nodes in the upper register.
Of course, the guitar system of dots we know
from electric bass are also based on playing
in an open string key, and are also a diatonic
system for constructing a grid. This may not be
the place to list the pros and cons of different
dot placement systems, but I would certainly
like to see this clarified and documented some
day. I do think the idea of putting a pencil
mark on an E b because you need to play that
note is a separate discussion from building
an internalized grid.
Do you use dots, and if so,
where do you put them?
I use a system David Allen Moore showed me;
I divide the fingerboard into six equal segments
under the harmonics: roughly, this means
going up the D string I have dots under the 1 st
position F, the A in the crook of the neck, the
middle D harmonic, the A above that, and the
D at the end of the fingerboard. Since I have
a 105 cm fingerboard, this means I have a dot
every 17.5 cm. The first segment is a minor 3 rd
(open D-F), the next a Major 3 rd (F-A), followed
by a Perfect 4 th (A-D), and Perfect 5 th (D-A),
and a Perfect Octave (D-D). So one learns to
divide 17.5 cm into 3, 4, 5, 7, or 12 half steps.
I like the logic of this system, and the fact that
it’s based on the natural resonance of the open
string tuning. With this system I don’t think,
“F is here on this dot”. Instead I have a more
organic sense of grid, something more along
the lines of a pianist thinking, “this is a black
key.” When a pianist plays F # diminished, it is
not the same as F diminished, it’s an entirely
different physiological experience for the
player. It may sound similar sonically, but the
hand-setting and applied touch is different,
and the system that leads you to that chord
is different. When you can achieve that same
contextualization on the bass, you will have
a major advantage in your playing. Nicholas
Walker’s Bass dot positioning divides the string
length into 6 equal segments (D string notes: F
A D A D)
But as I said, I’m still feeling reluctant to build
any pedagogy on any dot placement, and I
want to stress that dots are never meant to
replace the process of hearing the pitch before
execution, and actively listening to how the
execution lines up with the intension, or the
resonance of the instrument, or the other
musicians I’m playing with. Any pedagogy
that distracts from that is a step in the wrong
direction, I’m sure. For what it’s worth, three
28 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

days a week I do my practice on a second bass, which has no dots. The
interesting thing is that when I play that instrument, I still have the
concept of the grid in my mind even though it isn’t there visually.
How has this concept impacted your playing?
Here’s and example that could be easily written down: Suppose you
are playing a Baroque sonata in D major and you get to a cadence
descending from the G harmonic g F # E D. Many traditional bass
players would begin with the 3 rd finger harmonic and play 3 4 4 1 or
3 4 1 1. Or maybe they’d play + 3 1 + with the thumb on the harmonics.
Maybe someone would play 3 2 4 1 down the G string. What I would
probably do now is play 2 1 + 2, ending on the D string. Why? That is
D Major. The descending line fits in that D major hand position –
harmonically it’s a 4 3 suspension resolving to D (F # trill E (short) D).
That makes sense with the fingering, the phrase, the harmony, and the
resonance of the bass. The previous fingering, 3 2 4 1, might be musically
appropriate if the music was more passionately legato and an
expressive inner hand slide from the F # to the E were in order.
Let’s look at the default move that bass players often do: we play the
G harmonic with thumb and play the other notes down the D string.
This often sounds muddy because you have a half step across the
two strings, with an F # sounding against the ringing G harmonic.
Violinists try to avoid half steps in string crossings whenever possible
because it just doesn’t sound good, especially with an open string. It’s
comfortable to put your thumb on the harmonic at first, but with a
little time, it’s just as comfortable
to put the thumb on
the E and B and build your
hand setting down from
the harmonic. With a little
more time after that, it’s just
as comfortable to build the hand
setting down another half step and
play it in D b Major, or any other key.
There is also the component of
strength and balance. The semichromatic
(Petracchi) hand setting I
use in the example above is a strong
hand setting that uses only the top two strings and allows the player
to play any of those four notes and be contextually grounded in the
D major harmony. The brain and autonomic nervous system can put
all of this together in a repeatable, contextualized construct: the 1 st
finger F # will be a pure F # , in tune with the D harmonic under your
second finger. Staying in this hand setting, the C # can be played on
the D string, the E with the thumb on the G string; these build the C #
diminished in D Major. If you then decide to move your hand position
up or down, you can go from the dominant (V or vii) to the tonic
(I), maintaining the harmonic grounding of the hand position all the
while. The applications here are infinite in both written music, where
we are striving to solidify intonation, and improvised music, where we
are seeking expressive approaches to harmonic ideas.
As both an improviser and as an interpreter of written music, it’s
interesting to have a specific physiological context for each harmonic
context I encounter. This approach has helped my ear to improve, it
helped my intonation grow, and my accuracy is better. Of course I
still have lots of room for improvement; it’s a lifelong process, but it’s
no longer “put my thumb on this harmonic and try to play Bach’s 2 nd
Suite!” And we’re not limited to 2 nd finger on the harmonic either (as
in the above example). If you place your 1 st finger on the G harmonic,
maintaining D Major, you now have access to the A on the G string
with 3, and you have the triad in your hand frame. So when I improvise
solos over changes in D, for example, I can access different instinctual
musical language by setting my hand in different hand-settings: by
setting my thumb on D,
1 st finger on D, or 2 nd finger
on D - each of these enable
different ideas to emerge.
Each hand setting lends
itself to different sonic
vocabularies, because it allows
intuitive access to specific notes
and chromatic approach tones,
etc. I think this is really the wave
of the future, at least for myself. It
doesn’t matter whether I’m playing
an accompaniment role, a solo
role, or just thinking about the way a passage could sound beyond the
limitations of the bass. Anyway, these some of the tools I’m using these
days to expand my expressive capacity.
Is there a technique book you recommend
for this approach?
From what I understand, Edgar doesn’t have a pedagogical method
assembled for this, and from what I hear and have seen, he doesn’t
really work any codified pedagogy per se with his students, except
“make it sound great, and be dependable in performance”.
David Allen Moore, who is one of the most comprehensively thoughtful
and observant learners I’ve ever met, has observed Edgar closely,
and also spoken to him about specific technical approaches. (By the
way, Rex also studied in California with David and Paul Ellison).
David and I have talked in the past about developing a flow chart for
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 29

what we observe in Edgar’s fingering
concepts, a chart documenting fingering
decisions, emphasizing strength and balance
of hand setting. Ultimately music is too
context-specific to warrant a chart of rules,
but certain observations can be made: An
example: You’ll never have the same sound
on your thumb as you will with your second
finger, nor will you be able to vibrate these
two fingers in the same way. It doesn’t mean
we don’t work to learn vibrato on the thumb,
or that it won’t be worth putting some energy
into the thumb this way, but it just won’t work
like the second finger. The same thing applies
to the 3 rd finger. After a certain point on the
neck, it just won’t work like the 1 st or 2 nd
fingers; unless we supinate the hand into the
3 rd finger to give it the weight that it needs,
it’s actually a weak finger, with the sounding
point very far from the balance of the arm.
If we do supinate weight into it, then we’ve
gotten ourselves out of the hand setting that
favored thumb 1 2. We have to ask ourselves:
is it worth it? Sometimes it is, sometimes it
isn’t. Sometimes you don’t want a whole step
between 2 and 3 because you have to change
the weight of your hand. Other times it is
worth it for flow and agility.
Rex showed me that there is an ability to play
the thumb on two strings, simply by rotating
the contact point from the knuckle to the nail.
It can be quite a huge tool. Edgar does this,
and so he can easily cover two strings with his
thumb. I often see him playing between the
two strings on videos. I haven’t heard about
a pedagogy that addresses this directly, but I
strongly advocate that people learn to play
on two parts of the thumb, and always be able
to release the thumb, and find freedom and
relaxed balance in the hand through this
release. It gives you a huge advantage in
barring across two strings, and even using the
nail on the upper string gives you an ability
to shift easily. For some it can be painful to
build the nail callous at first, but once it’s
there it is absolutely worth it! Start with very
little contact, and a light bow; it comes with
time, and is a priceless tool for thumb
position playing.
François Rabbath often puts a tremendous
amount of force into the contact point of his
left hand playing finger his entire arm weight
into one finger! Use that with powerfully
weighted and well-balanced bow arm, and
you can create a sound unlike anything else.
It’s very special to hear him. It’s been a project
to blend this idea of the left hand framing
with the ability to put enough weight into one
finger to get that big, resonant (like an open
string) sound.
I’m working to release the weight more
efficiently and habitually, and to be clear with
myself about which kind of hand-shape and
hand setting works for what I’m playing. Just
as we have many ways to hold a bow, there are
many ways to set up the left hand. Sometimes
this kind of grid-frame hand-shape works
well, other times I need something that’s
better set up for vibrato (more like a cellist
with the left palm facing down, and the wrist
high), other times I need something more
powerful, piling multiple fingers on top of
the playing finger – glomming on with the
thumb around the side - in a way that looks
like I have no technique whatsoever! And
then of course we need to be able to drape the
left hand in a lot of orchestral playing (and
funky dead-note groove music too) so that
the non-playing strings are dampened, and
we can really go after the playing note without
creating a racket.
Do you have any “grid-frame”
left hand exercises to share?
Sure, but the danger of writing about these
things dogmatically is that they can be easily
misunderstood. (I’ll include a worksheet I
came up with for my own practice a few years
back.) The key to this technique is experiential
learning, wherein, you have an intension,
execution, observation - something specific
is tried and some knowledge can be gained.
There are a lot of questions you have to ask
yourself about the experimentation you are
embarking on. That’s what we all gain from
one -on- one lessons with the masters.
I would suggest coming up with at least four
(often more) viable fingerings for any passage
before deciding on the working model. Some
of these might require a very light left hand at
first – even too light for real sound production.
Think of the bass like a fretted electric bass
grid, and allow yourself to put the thumb
on any note, and shift freely between any
two musical sense constructs. (These are
sometimes NOT on the bar lines, or beat
lines, and repeated notes can often be played
in two different places on the neck, or with
different fingers.) The best thing is to find a
way to work one-on-one with someone who’s
doing what you aspire to do. I always learn
the most this way – someday, I’ll get the
opportunity to work with Edgar.
You have worked with
François Rabbath?
Yes. I have studied with him for a long time. I
began working with him in 1990, so it’s been
almost a quarter century now!
What were the most important
things you learned from him?
I think that since my work with him has
covered my entire professional career, it’s
difficult to pinpoint precisely which things
I learned from him and which things were
just part of my learning things that came
from other teachers and influences. In a way,
François is always there in my learning process.
To me the things that are absolutely remarkable
about François, to this day, are not the
“crab technique”, pivot, or other left hand
antics. First, it’s his sound! His resonant,
huge, full, gorgeous, free sound is, for me,
the absolute bar. If you have never heard him
live, you’re missing a life changing experience,
in my opinion. (This summer he’ll be at the
Twin Cities Bass Camp, Kansas City Workshop
and Domaine Forget). I’ve never heard
another bassist make a sound like that.
Another remarkable thing is his work ethic
as an artist; he’s always striving to learn new
things, to improve as an artist; he’s never
finished with the journey of self- discovery.
A third remarkable thing is his humanitarian
message of love, about the power of music
and why we play, and the uniqueness of every
human being, to never strive to be better than
another person, but always better than yourself.
This is very powerful stuff.
Another vital contribution is his physical
comportment – have you ever seen a more
easeful, ergonomic approach to bass playing!?
François has found a way to make a huge
sound on the bass without destroying his
body, just using natural body weight and
balance to supreme advantage. Through this
physical approach, he has found a way to
improve and grow into his mid 80s! When
I started with him in 1990, I could expect
to play the bass professionally until I was
perhaps 60 years old. Now in 2014, given his
example, I can expect to play the bass into my
mid 80s. I still have the same amount of time
left in my career now as I did then (And I am
gonna need it!).
He knows how to cultivate the health of the
instrument just by putting free, powerful
resonance into the instrument, and regulating
the balance of the bow and the bridge, and the
30 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

use of the palette sonore, he has a remarkable effect on the health of an
instrument. This is not hocus-pocus. It’s physics and logic. That’s too
much to get into here, but a huge influence on my playing and concept
of sound and technique.
Finally, he helped me learn how to listen to myself while I’m playing.
I still hear him in my mind when I practice:
– “Why?”
– – I stop and consider, “Why, what?”
– “Why you do that?”
– “oh, um . . . why is the sound crushed here?”
– “...”
– “Umm . . .oh. Because I’m making a crescendo with weight
only, and I need to add speed so . . .”
– “So, do it.”
– “Thank you.”
You see? His approach is not dictatorial, but often more Zen, geared
towards my own experiential learning, and self-teaching.
Anyway, those are some of the most meaningful lessons I’ve learned
from him personally. I still get a huge amount from my interactions
with him, and I make time each year to be around him, just to learn
and grow. He advocates that we should each be our own teachers,
embrace the unique qualities in ourselves, and while I don’t do
everything the way he does it, he’s just fine with that. His influence
on me is also very important psychologically: for example, I know
that I feel free to take playing lessons from my former student, Rex,
because François helped me free myself from the idea that I am
supposed to be some fancy somebody now that I’m a college professor
in my 40’s. He helped me feel at peace with having more questions
than answers, and feel open to learning from everybody, even small
children. (Paul Ellison also helped shape this disposition through his
teaching and example.)
Aside from your students at Ithaca College,
will you teach privately?
Sure, I’m always happy to meet bass players if people find themselves
near Ithaca. Also I’ll be teaching (and learning) at Domaine Forget
this summer with François Rabbath, Paul Ellison, Etienne Lafrance,
David Allen Moore, and Scott Dixon. That’s an amazingly special place
for me - such great students and faculty. They put us in a beautiful
old barn looking out over the St. Lawrence, and just let us work for a
month. Perfect. I always emerge from that retreat super inspired, and
excited about what is possible.
I’ll also be at Johnny Hamil’s workshop in Kansas City. Johnny is an
amazing guy who does so much fun and groovy stuff, and teaches
50 60 bass players a week, from age 3 through adult. They do transcriptions
and play Black Sabbath tunes he essentially took the George
Vance young bass player mission and really ran with it. He’s part of
this Next Level concept for sure. We have to be connected at all levels
from young children through high school, into professional careers
and thus back to the youngest of us too. Johnny really understands this
essential bass ecosystem, and he’s doing something of real quality. He
built this studio through grass roots in Kansas City without the help
of a position in an institution. I admire that. This kind of thing is really
the future for us, because it’s where the next generation of great bassists
is coming from. All of the greats I admire play or played an active role
in exchanging information to others, and we all need to embrace a
culture of open collegiality.
Can you tell us a little more about your background
as a bassist?
Ok, but a bio, or abbreviated life story like this tends to sound so
straight forward and easy-peasy when it’s recounted from the present
day looking back. But when you are living it, it never feels that simple.
You take risks. You have setbacks. You deal with discouragement,
and feelings of inadequacy. You make mistakes/screw up/behave in
embarrassing, even shameful ways. You wonder if you’re making the
right choices. I wouldn’t want a young reader to read my story and
think of me as some super talented outlier. We all have to find our way,
and this is just some of what it looked like for me:
I grew up in Rochester, NY, and started playing bass thanks to a great
public school music program where we had great opportunities to
play different instruments and learn about different music traditions.
Without the support of our community, which valued and funded
music for all school children, I probably wouldn’t have played bass or
music at all. My Mom took me to music lessons, orchestra rehearsals,
etc. My story has a very “it takes a village” flavor to it!
My first teacher was Duane Rosengard. But soon after I began with
him, he won a job with the Philadelphia Orchestra, and I moved
over to Mark Foley, who now teaches in Wichita. Mark was a graduate
student who played classical, jazz, and lots of other things. My
stepfather was a jazz pianist who played a lot with bass players too,
and one of his bassists was Danny Vitali - to this day a treasure in
Rochester. Danny plays beautiful arco solos and knows every tune,
just a real seasoned player, who worked a day job – what I call a real
musician. Between Mark and Danny, I just thought that jazz players
played with the bow as well as playing pizz. Their love of jazz music
made it feel very normal to NOT choose one style over the other.
When I would look at sonatas or concertos, even orchestra excerpts
with Mark, he would always discuss the chord changes, and feel of
the passage, and helped foster learning by ear and learning things
“by heart” (not “memorizing”). So this kind of early modeling helped
me connect the music in the Youth Orchestra, the bands with my
friends, and the jazz tunes I played with my stepfather.
I graduated from high school a semester early, and I went to live
with my father and my other family in Houston, where I was able to
take lessons with Paul Ellison, who helped me prepare for auditions
at places like Curtis, Juilliard, NEC, and others. In the course of
working with Paul, it became clear to me what a treasure he is, and
that if I wanted to learn to play the bass, I was already with the right
person. Somehow I got the opportunity to study with Paul at Rice.
This changed the course of my life. I had so much to learn, and he
gave me the opportunity and many of the skills to get to it.
While I was at Rice, I did a lot of playing in town with bands, as
well as the normal excerpts, sonatas, solo Bach and other classical
repertoire at the Shepherd School. One day an older bassist played
me a recording of François Rabbath playing Ma Mère in his car, and
I was never the same. Maybe it was that it just sounded so much like
a saxophone. There was a breathy quality to it that I was striving for,
SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 31

and I had to get around that. I didn’t really learn to hear the power
and depth in his sound until years later.
I studied with François at some summer programs, and after Rice I
got a Fulbright scholarship to study with him in Paris for a year. All
this time I’d been putting off a desire to go to New York City and be a
jazzer, so after my year in Paris I went to New York and I spent about
6 years working as a freelance jazz player. I did some bandleading,
played with some old timers, got inspired by a young group of players
doing Afro-Cuban music. I saved up a nest egg and went back to Paris
for another year of study with Rabbath.
through transcription, and they work to be honest with themselves
about their weaknesses and their commitment to improvement. I learn
new strategies from them for growth and improvement every week.
I am really enjoying my own individual practice time each day, and
find meaning in connecting my own artistic pursuits with like-minded
students and colleagues at Ithaca College. These days I am doing a
better job balancing life as a husband, father, musician, teacher, and
community member, but this is a complex equation for anyone.
Thankfully I have it in the forefront of my life every day. ■
I decided that I wanted a more formal education in classical playing,
and went to SUNY Stony Brook to get a Masters in double bass with
Joe Carver, and then my doctorate degree in viola da gamba. I think
some people probably felt like I was all over the map, but it was all
connected for me. Early music is not dissimilar to jazz in the sense that
you’re playing bass lines that provide the grove and harmonic context
for the solo voice and rhythm section. Understanding the harmonies,
improvising and adding ornaments around predetermined melodies,
creating rhythmically subtle interpretations of the music is all central
to both aesthetic disciplines. The viol didn’t replace the bass for me,
but I felt like I was looking at the ancestor of the bass. It can also be
a really incredible experience being the sole bass instrument in a
chamber ensemble. As double bassists, we’re often doubling the bass
line in an ensemble. I found the similarity between an improvised
setting like a bluegrass trio and an early music ensemble, and I had a
chance to explore that in a huge repertoire of music I hadn’t spent time
in before. It also gave me time to work with gut strings. (Actually, I
think this connects with François Rabbath’s approach on a deep level:
his sound is like a viol approach to the bass, like a bowed, resonant
membrane - across the string, lots of resonance rather than the
violinists’ approach, which is more into the string.)
I’d fallen in love with my wife, and got an opportunity to teach in
a one-year position at Ithaca College, and I was able to secure that
position and start to build a studio in 2005. That’s what I’ve been doing
until this last year, when I spent a year on sabbatical leave in Berlin
learning German bow. I worked with great German bass players,
and learned a lot about yet another approach to bass playing. On the
surface, it might seem very different from what we as Americans
experience, but it is also tied to the viola da gamba approach. The gut
string/flat back/5-string setup that they use in the Berlin Philharmonic
is very much like a viol. They use a lot of bow and move the string with
a huge amount of horizontal motion. It’s a very special sound, and the
underhand bow supplies a lot of contact and “zoom” in the sound.
Of course we all know that the viol is the ancestor to these 5-string,
flack-backed instruments, and the predecessor of underhand bowing.
What are you up to these days?
Today, mostly thanks to my position at Ithaca College, I get to play
lots of different styles of music with excellent musicians in all sorts
of different contexts. I play jazz, solo recitals, and chamber music
all the time. Sometimes I spend a week subbing in the section of
an orchestra. Sometimes I get to play concertos, and do recording
sessions, and compose and perform my own music. Each week I get
to work with kick ass students at Ithaca College, a group of
bassists
who are committed to most of what’s been presented in this interview.
The students in the Ithaca College studio play at a level that is totally
inspiring and motivating for me. They learn most of their repertoire
32 SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

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SUMMER 2014 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 33