Next Level Bassist Musicality Issue

| musicality | 

Groove and inspiration 

John Patitucci 

The Pittsburgh 

Symphony Orchestra 

Double 

bass 

section 

NOV/DEC 2013

Contents 

Nov/Dec 2013 

Feature Story 

5 Spotlight: The Pittsburgh 


7 Double Stop Strum 

ranaan meyer 

8 Musical Development 

Sarah Hogan 

12 Groove and Inspiration 

JOHN PATITUCCI 

Contributors 

Ranaan Meyer 

publisher / founder 

Brent Edmondson 

editor / sales 

Karen Han 

Layout designer 

2 NOV/DEC 2013 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST

Publisher’s Note 

Asking a musician to sit down and write about musicality... 

on paper it does not look like the epic task that it really is! 

Looking at that instruction, it seems like a job that every 

one of us, especially legendary players and teachers, should 

be able to do effortlessly. Try to define what musicality is, 

I challenge you! It is elusive and it changes every day. We 

can talk about why we play, or what we do to make Mozart 

sound different from Brahms, but we are only scratching the surface of what 

musicality really means to us. 

When I get up on stage with Time for Three, there is a sensation that washes 

over me which seems like a mixture of excitement, nerves, energy, confidence, 

fun, and many other things. I know that it is my job to find a way, through my 

bass, to send those wonderful and strange sensations to the people out in the 

audience. I am lucky to have a lot of opportunities to improvise in a Time for 

Three show, but there are great musicians in the pages to come who have their 

entire performance scripted and laid out in advance. Somehow, we are all carrying 

out this magical task night after night, moving people to feel things they 

were not aware of with vibrations and silence. 

I could not be more excited about the information that you are about to take 

in, the perspectives you will gain from reading about these titans of the bass. 

John Patitucci’s approach to the groove is something that no bass player should 

ever be without. Sarah Hogan provides a template for a life of musical growth 

and evolution. I hope that sharing the fun and inspiration of the members of 

the Pittsburgh Symphony bass section provides a motivation to any musician 

hoping to make it big and work with talented colleagues. 

At the end of the day, we are not aiming for careers as the best unaccompanied 

double bass player, we are preparing for careers of collaboration! Musicality 

should color every single moment of your bass playing, whether it’s the high 

pressure of auditions or the backyard BBQ jam session. I encourage you to 

look past the competitive world of auditions and gigging, and put yourself in 

that moment when the lights go down and it is time to play. That is the world 

we all hope to live in, and I hope that the articles here make it that much more 

rewarding for you. 

- RANAAN MEYER 

johnson 

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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 

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The Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra 

Double Bass Section 

For classical bass players, there are few pleasures greater than 

playing with dedicated and inspiring colleagues. Being able 

to surround yourself with great musicians is one of the great 

motivations of solitary practice. An amazing bass section can alter the 

sound of an entire orchestra. For the first Spotlight column of Next 

Level Bassist, we’re very excited to recognize the Pittsburgh Symphony 

double bass section as one of the strongest and most impressive in the 

United States today. We spoke with the regular and substitute members 

of the section to get a 360 degree perspective on sitting in with 

one of the best bass sections around. 

The PSO section is an impressive array of veteran bass players of many 

of the nation’s great orchestras. Coming from legendary orchestras like 

the Detroit Symphony, Atlanta Symphony, and San Diego Symphony, 

every member of the section plays with both strength and wisdom. 

According to Principal Bassist Jeffrey Turner, “it is a daily privilege to 

get to work in a section filled with such wonderful bassists, musicians, 

and people. Every single member of our section is an asset 

to the orchestra.” 

One of the rare advantages possessed by the PSO is its relatively fresh 

bass player roster. Since his appointment to the orchestra, Mr. Turner 

has been present in the hiring of each other member of the bass 

section. Imagine being able to craft your own all-star team of players 

based on your experience and the incredible support of a great orchestra! 

Having a team made up of highly experienced members in the 

peak of their careers is the perfect environment to collaborate. 

“We all set good examples for each other,” says Turner. “Working in 

our section is one of the great joys of my life.” Section member John 

Moore likes to think of it as “driving a very smooth and powerful 

sports car.” 

It’s easy to hear this in the recent Manfred Honeck Mahler series by 

the orchestra, where the bass section shines through extremes of dynamics 

and color. “We play big and we play together” is the Pittsburgh 

Symphony motto, according to regular substitute Brandon McLean. 

“Dynamic range in this group is way beyond that of many other ensembles.” 

McLean’s first experience as a substitute underscores one of the unique 

qualities of the Pittsburgh Symphony itself. Mclean said his feedback 

from the section was “to feel free to play out and get into the sound 

of the section a bit more. They weren’t interested in someone coming 

in and just hiding within the group. That was after a week in which I 

was already convinced that I was playing as big and bold as I possibly 

could!” 

When you listen to a recording of the orchestra, the bass section has a 

presence that is only possible through total unanimity. It was surprising 

to find, when asked how they adapted to the playing style of the 

section, that each player approached the group with a highly individual 

voice. According to Jeff Turner, “I don’t like the word ‘blend.’ It 


5

is essential that each player feel he or she is 

making an audible and meaningful musical 

contribution.” As John Moore puts it, “players 

will bring something out and the others will 

catch on and follow. There is almost never any 

discussion.” The excitement that comes from 

this spontaneous music making underscores 

the trust and confidence that runs through 

each member. As part of a profession where 

people may sit next to the same person for 30 

years, it’s remarkable to know that colleagues 

can still bring inspiration to the workplace 

every day. 

In an era of increasing financial difficulties 

and uncertainty in the nation’s orchestras, 

the Pittsburgh section remains excited and 

enthusiastic. According to Jennifer Godfrey, a 

frequent section guest, “each time I sub here, 

I wonder if I’ll be fired for smiling too much 

during rehearsals.” It’s this attitude of “professional 

playfulness” that gives each member a 

sense of ownership and pride. In professional 

music settings, it’s easy to feel like your voice 

isn’t being heard - in fact, in some groups this 

is almost the goal of the ensemble. Not so in 

Pittsburgh, according to Micah Howard: “We 

all give 100%. We have great respect for each 

other. We share ideas and grow musically 

together.” In fact, this was a response received 

from every member of the bass section, where 

collaboration far outranks ego. 

Speaking of Mahler, nearly every member of 

the bass section reported that their favorite 

repertoire to play was the big romantic works 

of Mahler and his contemporaries. Sure, it’s 

little surprise that musicians are attached to 

and affected by the emotional outpouring and 

total immersion of this composer, but it boils 

down to the musical philosophy of the bass 

section as described by Jennifer Godfrey: 

“To (F-ing) Rock It!” ■ 

Selected viewing 

Complete performance of 

Mahler 5 with the Pittsburgh 

Symphony and Manfred Honeck 

at the Berlin Philharmonie 

(Great bass soli shot at 12:34!) 

http://www.youtube.com/ 

watch?v=Rv6gKituIfY 

Mahler 2, Movement 1 

conducted by Sir Gilbert Levine 

(with an absolutely riveting opening 

passage by the bass section) 


watch?v=6C1htRMKtlQ 

Ein Heldenleben conducted 

by Manfred Honeck at the 

Berlin Philharmonie 

(the work begins at 23 minute mark) 


watch?v=yyeR-gPakWo 

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7

Musical 

Development 

By Sarah Hogan 


What does it mean to play musically? How does one become a 

musical player? Since music is an art, it is so widely subjective that it 

is hard to know the right answer. As a student, I remember being told 

to play something “more musically,” and going home and not getting it, 

and therefore not really working on it. This is what I have seen happen 

with my students, so I have really begun to think about a few things: 

How did I develop my own sense of musicality? And most importantly, 

how can I teach that? 

First and foremost, like most artists, this sense of being musical is 

constantly being developed. Also, as with other types of artists, it is the 

art itself that drives the quest. These days, listening and playing with my 

colleagues is what most inspires me and is what continues to drive me. 

After listening and thinking “that was freakin’ awesome!” I try to get 

down to the details of WHY it was awesome, and WHAT that person 

did technically to make it that way. 

First, let me just put on the record that I was a lucky bass kid. Thankfully, 

I had parents who listened to my high-energy and unrelenting strings 

teacher about me playing the bass and also about me needing lessons 

from the best teacher around. In her opinion, that was the former principal 

bassist of the St. Louis Symphony, Mr. Henry Loew. My parents 

drove me weekly to lessons with him, and to other various extra-curricular 

orchestra activities. For that, I am most grateful. 

Mr. Loew taught me many great things, but it was because of his enthusiasm 

and smile that I often think he could have taught me anything, 

and I would have been just as hooked. The most important thing he 

taught me about the bass was to always, always play everything “like you 

mean it.” Make music with everything. He taught me out of the Nanny 

etude book because, as he explained, I could learn the bass and make 

music at the same time. The melodies are fine, certainly better than other 

etude books, but he was able to improvise piano accompaniment that 

brought those exercises to life. I still remember which exercises I loved 

most, playing them over and over again even after we had long passed 

them. I regret that my piano skills are less than adequate because I can’t 

provide the same lively accompaniment for my students. I try to show 

them the music that can be made within each exercise or piece and hope 

that my excitement is just as contagious. 

I once heard someone say that all music making is just a creation of tension, 

and then finding a way to release it. I think there is some truth to 

this. I often think about a masterclass I was lucky enough to have with 

Mr. Ed Barker in which he diagrammed on a blackboard the dynamics 

of an excerpt. It is that kind of analytical approach I think of when 

finding this idea of creating and then releasing tension. Where does the 

height of the tension occur? Where is it released? Most importantly, 

what technically do you have to do to both build and then release it? 

For a concrete example, I have found this idea to be particularly evident 

in the first movement of the Eccles Sonata. In my opinion, each half 

of a movement has a clearly defined moment where the tension is at its 

highest (in this case coinciding with the high point in the range) and 

then is released. On a personal note, my favorite moment in the movement 

is when the second half starts in the major key. What a relief, and 

always bring a smile to my face. With my students, I try to highlight 

these moments, and what we can do to make them more evident to 

the listener. 

Another piece where I frequently find myself saying to my students, 

“You’re playing this like an etude. Make some music with it,” is the 


9

Koussevitzky Concerto. I am always boggled when I have to 

say that in the first place, since I can’t remember NOT making 

music with it. I’m sure Mr. Loew said the same thing to 

me, which is why I remember the beautiful story he told me 

to conjure up an image so that I WOULD play it musically. 

He helped me realize the piece is a sad, angst filled love song 

that drives the melodies. This is another tool I try to teach 

my students - if the music inspires them to imagine a story 

“I find that singing a phrase can often 

help with the fluctuation of time that can 

be effective in creating a musical line.ˮ 

or an image, the musical point will be more clear. For lack 

of a better phrase, “Paint me a picture.” 

In my analytical view, there are a few big technical tools 

one can use to help create the above mentioned tension and 

pictures. Dynamics, the variance of tone, vibrato, and the 

fluctuation of time are a few techniques that we can use to 

help create a sense of music within a piece. Dynamics are a 

pretty cut and dry tool to use. Luckily, many composers and 

editors give us the general direction for these. For example, 

a change in dynamic can signal increasing or decreasing tension 

or the beginning of a new phrase. That is when those 

above mentioned diagrams can become particularly useful. 

Mapping out exactly what you as the musician are hoping to 

achieve as you change the “volume” level can be extremely 

helpful. The next and most important step is to find out if 

what you are doing is audible to the listener. This can be 

done most efficiently by recording yourself and finding out 

if what you are doing can be heard. In my experience, as the 

player you must always be more dramatic and exaggerated 

than you think with dynamics for them to be evident to 

the listener. 

Varying the tone you produce on the instrument can be 

quite helpful in creating a sense of musicality as well, and 

is often done in conjunction with dynamics. When I think 

about the point when the first movement of the Eccles Sonata 

goes from the minor into the major key, I think about 

warming up my tone. This is a great metaphor, playing 

something “warm” or “cold,” but what does it mean? In that 

case, when I go from minor to major, or cooler to warmer, 

not only does my dynamic increase to start the phrase, but I 

also am trying to use more bow, and more bow hair to create 

a fuller, rounder sound. In addition, it is important to think 

about playing the same dynamic with contrasting tones. 

You can play a passage forte in a myriad of ways. To play an 

aggressive forte sound, the player can create a harsher sound 

by playing closer to the bridge. To play a big, hearty Brahms 

passage, the player would think about using more bow and 

not playing quite as close to the bridge in order to find that 

sweet spot where the instrument sings. For the opening 

phrases of Mozart’s 35th Symphony, we want to create a forte 

sound that is strong, but somehow lighter than Brahms, 

most likely by playing with a bit less hair and slightly closer 

to the fingerboard. The same discussion can be had for all 

the different ways to play softly, with varying amounts of 

hair and bow speed. 

Vibrato is a great asset to us as musicians. I like to tell my 

students that using vibrato is like using glitter. You can use 

a little or a lot, in as many ways and colors are imaginable. 

Slow or fast, wide or narrow. Creeping in, or immediate. 

None or very intense. I truly started listening 

to vibrato when I was told mine sounded “odd.” 

I hadn’t given it much thought until that point. I 

thought bass vibrato was, well, bass vibrato. I try 

not to let my students fall into that hole, as well 

as not letting the cumbersome size of our instruments 

get in the way of our music. I often try 

to think of a singer or wind player playing the 

same melodic line, to make sure that a technical glitch on 

the bass isn’t getting in the way of my vibrato. For instance, 

if a note occurs most easily as a harmonic, that doesn’t mean 

the vibrato should stop or sound different when we land on 

it. In addition, shifting can also create problems for vibrato. 

It is important to remember that shifting and vibrato are two 

different motions and we can do them independently, and 

that shifting doesn’t require the vibrato to stop. Most importantly, 

I try to listen to other string players and how they use 

their vibrato to “decorate” their musical lines. When practicing 

the Vanhal Concerto, I think of listening to my friend 

play Mozart violin concerti. When practicing the Koussevitzky, 

I think of another playing the Elgar Cello Concerto. It 

is truly by listening to others play that I have learned how to 

enhance my vibrato to use the “glitter” appropriately. 

I find that singing a phrase can often help with the fluctuation 

of time that can be effective in creating a musical 

line. It was a friend of mine who plays the french horn who 

unknowingly taught me this technique through very thin 

practice room walls. If you can sing and conduct it, probably 

the acceleration or ritard you are trying to make will 

sound more organic. In the right context, it is appropriate 

for the musical line to push or pull, but most often we want 

to do that in a way that pleases the listener, rather than 

jars them. The Recitative excerpt from Beethoven’s Ninth 

Symphony is an excellent example of this. We all know that 

there are more ways than we can count to interpret this excerpt. 

When playing it in an audition, it is most important 

to play this excerpt musically, in a way that will please rather 

than raise eyebrows. The idea is that if you can conduct and 

sing this excerpt, it is more likely that the conductor and 

other musicians on the committee will be able to imagine 

doing the same while you are playing. 

It is the thrill of making music with my friends and colleagues 

that I find most exhilarating. We are bass players 

because we love to play with the whole orchestra and collaborate 

with our friends. So, listen to them and try to break 

down what it is they did that sent shivers down your back, 

and hopefully you will soon be doing the same. ■ 


PHOTOGRAPHY: JEFF GRASS 

ORCHESTRAL INSTITUTE 

May 30 – June 28, 2014 | For college and young professional musicians (ages 18–30) 

All participants receive a fellowship covering tuition, housing, and meals. 

2014 REPERTOIRE HIGHLIGHTS 

Bartok | Suite from The Miraculous Mandarin 

Britten | Sinfonia da Requiem 

Brubeck | Travels in Time for Three 

Mahler | Symphony No. 2 

Nielsen | Symphony No. 4 

Shostakovich | Symphony No. 10 

Wagner | The Ring Without Words 

COnduCTORS 

Mei-Ann Chen 

Daniel Hege 

Franz Anton Krager 

Carlos Spierer 

GuEST ARTISTS 

Cynthia Clayton, soprano 

Melanie Sonnenberg, mezzo-soprano 

Participant Winner, Mitchell Young Artist Competition 

Time for Three 

Houston Symphony Chorus 

FACuLTy 

Violin 

Emanuel Borok 

Andrzej Grabiec 

Frank Huang 

Lucie Robert 

Leon Spierer* 

Kirsten Yon 

Jun Zuo 

Viola 

Wayne Brooks 

Helen Callus 

Susan Dubois 

SEASON 

Cello 

Norman Fischer 

Brinton Smith 

* 

Week 2 guest concertmaster 

Double Bass 

Paul Ellison 

Eric Larson 

Dennis Whittaker 

Flute 

Leone Buyse 

Aralee Dorough 

Oboe 

Robert Atherholt 

Anne Leek 

Clarinet 

Randall Griffin 

Michael Webster 

Bassoon 

Richard Beene 

Elise Wagner 

Horn 

Robert Johnson 

William VerMeulen 

Trumpet 

Mark Hughes 

Jim Vassallo 

Trombone 

Allen Barnhill 

Tuba 

David Kirk 

Harp 

Paula Page 

Percussion 

Ted Atkatz 

Matthew Strauss 

All programs, faculty and guests are subject to change. 

www.tmf.uh.edu 

UH is an EEO/AA institution 

Join today’s rising stars at the TMF 2014 Orchestral Institute 

NOV/DEC 2013 NEXT LEVEL BASSIST 11


Groove and Inspiration 

How does one begin to think musically? What is at the foundation 

of musicality? And how do we as bass players tap into that, especially 

when our role is most often to support other lines in the music? 

Sound 

Sound is the starting point of our whole discussion. If our sound isn’t 

beautiful and singing, then we’re going to have a hard time selling 

everything else. You need to tailor your sound to the music you’re 

making - you’ll have times you need to be robust and step out, and 

you’ll have times to be really intimate and quiet. 

I tell my students to write down what things make up a “beautiful 

sound” in their own opinions. Draw on singers and other instruments 

that have beautiful sounds and incorporate them into your bass sound. 

Think about what you want to sound like. A lot of people never even 

take the time to do that. They think it’s only in the strings or the setup, 

or “I’ll finally get that great bass and sound good.” It’s not about the 

right mic, or the right amp - it’s in your hands, your heart, your soul, 

your mind, your ears before it ever gets to your hands! 

A lot of this has to do with your ability to just pull sound out of the instrument. 

I always say, “Don’t go for expediency, go for sound.” If you 

have to shift to get the lyrical phrase you want, do that instead of going 

across the strings to make it easier. If you have to play rapidly, find the 

fingering that’s going to make it happen with a great tone! Learn all the 

different ways to finger things but make sure that sound is the first priority. 

If you’re playing in a group where you need to pull a big sound, 

you may need to bring the strings up to be able to pull a little harder, 

rather than going for the easy way out. Make all your decisions based 

on getting the most out of your instrument. 

Today, there is a big move in the direction of lower and lower string 

heights. I run into a lot of players whose setup is really low, and I have 

to ask them what would happen if they had to play really loud - the 

top just doesn’t vibrate as much with lower string heights, and with 

pizzicato it’s particularly hard to get that big sound. The sweet spot is 

different for every single bass out there too! Experiment at different 

heights and see how this affects the quality of your sound. Make the 

decision of how your bass should be set up on what your musical 

needs are - you should always be able to pull a robust sound no matter 

what - and find what makes you most capable of playing your best. 

I think any serious discussion of sound could take weeks, and it’s 

something that will need constant attention, especially as you grow 

more aware of rhythm and harmony. As bass players, it can be easy 

to lose sight of the fact that we are musicians first and foremost! The 

more aware you become of the total musical picture around you, the 

more decisions you’ll make about your sound. This is one of the most 

important perspectives I think a double bassist of any genre can adopt. 

Think like 

a composer 

It’s important for bass players to avoid getting too “into the bass” - one 

of the reasons we spend all this time practicing is to build our technique 

and to learn how to play anything we want. Technique isn’t just 

about speed, or about playing more notes faster. You need to have the 

taste to know when to use it, how to use it, and how to use it expressively 

rather than mechanically. There are a lot of people that can really 

get around the bass, but all the flexibility in the world doesn’t add up 

to anything if you can’t tell a story and move somebody. When you 

don’t concern yourself with executing notes, you can make choices 

and start to express ideas and feelings. We have such a great power as 

bassists - our input can change the direction of the music within one 

beat or one pitch. It’s quite a responsibility. 


This applies even in strictly classical music that’s all written down. 

Even with historic traditions and a lot of indications of how you 

should interpret a piece, you’ll have more success in those pieces if 

you’re aware of how your part fits into the greater whole in terms of 

rhythm and harmony. I think you play a lot differently if you know 

the colors that are being achieved by the whole ensemble, rather than 

focusing on trying to play the bass well. 

Rhythm and 

the groove 

One of our most important duties in every ensemble is to create, 

sustain, and control the rhythm of the music. I get my students to play 

some drums. I don’t care what kind of music you play, whether it’s 

in an orchestra, in chamber music, jazz, or funk - if you want to play 

music all the time, you need to spend some time playing percussion, 

where each limb physically keeps time. Too many musicians spend 

most of their lives inside their heads, playing too cerebrally. It’s important 

to have contact in your body with what rhythm is! 

There are different ways to give yourself accountability for rhythm. 

There’s the metronome of course, and setting it to pulse on different 

beats is a great start. Try setting it to play on every different beat in the 

bar. When you’ve mastered that, try to click once every two bars, every 

four bars, even once for a whole chorus of 12 bar blues! That’s a tough 

one, because you have to stay in the pocket with very little feedback or 

information. Playing along with records and working on drums can 

add to the depth of groove understanding. 

Dizzy Gillespie said in every style of music, there’s a quarter note. 

What defines the style and interpretation is what’s inside that quarter 

note. What’s the most important thing in that quarter note? In jazz, it’s 

a triplet, and you need to know that this reaches back to African 6/8 

rhythms. In my teaching, we talk about the abakua rhythm: 

Score 

Score 

6/8 

6/8 

Rhythmic 

Rythmic Independance 

Independence 

Exercise 

Exercise 

Danilo Perez 

Danilo Perez 

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. 

Mastering an exercise like this is still only the 

tip of the iceberg, but it can begin to develop 

the internal rhythm that you really need 

to hold a groove. It has been my experience 

that players of all genres benefit from this. 

After all, if you go through your life learning 

incredibly complex concerti and sonatas, you 

might still get away without spending a lot of 

time on rhythm. When a great classical musician 

plays a Brandenburg Concerto, he or 

she aims to achieve a “swing” in that bubbly, 

dancing way that Bach is meant to be played. 

I think this is why jazz musicians are drawn 

to Bach, Mozart, Beethoven - these composers 

had a certain unmistakable rhythmic drive 

in their music. You have to be able to groove 

to play Mozart 40 in an audition! 

We’re talking about being able to stand alone 

and generate an unshakable rhythm independently, 

and it’s the calling card of every 

great musician out there. There are ways 

to test yourself. Record yourself playing an 

ostinato and check with the metronome 

throughout to see if you’re drifting. Play with 

other people and move through a variety of 

rhythmic feels - 2-step, walking, samba, tumbao 

- and ask them if they feel like they want 

to play along! If you can play a 2 bar phrase 

that makes people want to dance, you’re doing 

it right! 

You should endeavor to make a groove sustainable 

for a very very long period of time. 

In the cultures where jazz came from, like 

African and Caribbean music, musicians can 

keep inside the groove for hours at a time. 

Your attention span needs to grow, and you 

need to learn the concentration skills to remain 

fixated on a groove for a long time. I tell 

students if you can’t maintain a groove and 

make it feel incredible for 10 minutes, you 

don’t have it yet. 

When you really analyze the idea of groove, 

you find that it’s about sound…beauty and 

consistency of sound - if you can’t get that 

from the bow or from your fingers, then you 

won’t have the tools to play rhythms correctly. 

If you don’t have a consistent attack and contact 

point, your rhythm will suffer. The groove 

can get disrupted because you aren’t giving 

the downbeat its proper emphasis, or shaping 

the inner beats, or you’ll trip over a string 

crossing. Being able to create a groove is 

everything wrapped into one - it’s technique, 

rhythm, sound, emotion, concentration, 

focus, patience… 

Part of the time when I ask someone to play 

me a two bar pattern, he’ll start noodling. 

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What I want to hear is the different roles of the notes in different parts 

of the bar. (See example) There are lots of elements to that seemingly 

simple pattern. If you can’t create that sort of groove, you don’t have 

musicality yet! 

? 

4 

œ 

Call 

Response Repeat Repeat 

bœ 

j œ œ œ œ bœ 

j œ 

Once you have really crafted your internal rhythm, you can begin 

thinking about all the styles of music out there where your rhythm 

needs to be flexible. This can be classical music, or it can even be really 

sophisticated forms of jazz. You’ll hear this called “rubato,” but I think 

that can be misleading. This Italian word, meaning “robbing” time, can 

lead a musician into thinking just stretching out your favorite musical 

moments is enough, but of course you’ve got to make up for that time 

somewhere else. What does that really mean, though? 

Listen to any record of Pablo Casals or Oscar Shumsky playing Bach 

- they have the rhythmic solidity of a drummer. The real markers, 

the bar lines, are where the pulse is completely stable, but the music 

between the bar lines can change all over the place. If you change 

anything about rhythm, it’s important to remain grounded and come 

back to that groove you worked so hard to develop. The next step that 

you can research is what I call “playing over the top of the tempo,” and 

it’s something you can easily hear in stride piano playing. A pianist can 

have the left hand in time with the right hand stretched out over that. 

There’s an even freer way of approaching time I experience all the time 

in Wayne Shorter’s band - it’s the essence of breathing together and 

feeling our way through the tempo as a group without a strict pulse at 

all. We are creating music purely by listening and letting the harmonies 

and the sounds guide when to change the music. This is a real sign 

of trust, and I think you can only achieve this in groups where you 

play together all the time. Wayne’s band has been together for 13 years, 

and we can telepathically feel our way through stuff together in a way 

that I can’t even explain in words! I think it’s a gift we can’t take credit 

for - it’s a spiritual thing. Take a look at an example here. 

Even the ability to play without a strict beat is only possible for people 

who have an absolute, rock-solid inner pulse. That’s the level you need 

to reach to be able to focus deeply on what others are doing around 

you while you play. I think everyone should push themselves to 

this level. 

œ 

œ 

bœ 

j œ œ œ œ bœ 

j œ 

œ 

 

Inspiration 

I don’t think ignorance is bliss - I think knowledge is always power, 

if you have some wisdom to back it up. It’s vital that you learn how 

music is put together. I feel as though I’ve established deep relationships 

with certain composers to the point where I felt 

I understood what they may have been thinking when 

they wrote the music. I’ve also felt deep emotional 

reactions to music, to the point where at times I feel I 

can see cinematic imagery in the music. This is true of 

composers like Ravel and especially Bach, which for me 

is so meditative and prayer-like. Wayne Shorter talks constantly about 

imagery in music! 

I like getting students on the piano just to practice voicings, and to 

revel in the sound of the piano. It’s not about practicing scales and 

arpeggios, or putting restrictions on the music someone needs to 

learn. Show a musician some sounds and harmonies, let them put 

notes together and experiment - this can really open one’s eyes. Coltrane 

said he used to sit at the piano for hours just playing sounds 

and chords to inspire him. I’ve always thought, “If that was good 

enough for Trane, it’s what I’ll do!” I’ve spent a lot of time hearing 

harmonies and responding to them on a personal level. It’s vital to 

get to that area where music can paint pictures and take people to a 

magical, other world. 

I started out as a kid playing by ear, not reading any music. I’m so 

grateful I had a teacher who made me learn music. I was so lucky for 

that, because I suddenly had access to hundreds of years of music 

I could look at and learn from. I was lucky in my childhood to be 

exposed to a lot of different music, from pop and R&B to Latin and 

world music. Having a wide range of influences gives you a world 

of inspiration, and allows you to study how music is put together 

throughout the world. All these different cultures have musical 

structures that are fascinating. A lot of things I learned about music 

were by intuition and from my ears early on. As I got deeply into jazz, 

I had to train my ear to hear and respond to music that changes by 

the millisecond, and that’s where musicianship comes in. In Wayne 

Shorter’s band, there’s so much spontaneity and composition that goes 

on the top of the pieces we’re playing! You have to be able to operate 

within a harmonically complicated world, but have it sound intuitive 

and visceral rather than cerebral. 

A vital element to musicianship is singing - I grew up in a house where 

we all sang. Early on, I studied with Charles Siani, Principal Bass of 


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the San Francisco Opera, and he had incredible insights into singing. 

I remember playing Marcello sonatas and the first Bach Cello Suite for 

him, and he would make me sing to find the music. I’m Italian, I’m a 

tenor and I was lucky to be born with some innate ability for this but 

this aspect of phrasing is so important. 

Identify some records that can be a well of inspiration or joy. I think 

a lot of musicians have “go to” recordings that they return to when 

they’re dry. If you’re a young player, you should be building that list! 

Everybody learns differently, but I’ve had a lot of success getting 

people excited about the feeling of music by practicing drums with a 

record. I recommend a really swinging record like “Taking Off,” Herbie 

Hancock’s first solo record, with Billy Higgins playing. (Check out 

Driftin’ here) Find a slow enough tempo that you can play along with 

the ride cymbal, and that drummer can make you feel like a million 

bucks. If you’re not smiling in about 8 bars, maybe you really need 

to dig deeper. 

Music is a tricky subject and not everyone responds the same way. I’ve 

had instances where the main job I thought I had teaching or collaborating 

with people was helping them let go of that incredibly tight grip 

they had on their emotions. Sometimes we’re so afraid of making a 

mistake that we can’t let go and feel the music. At the end of the day, if 

you aren’t doing all the things you’re doing to create an image or tell a 

story, you’re missing the mark. 

I always draw a distinction between a “correct” performance and one 

that is deep and meaningful. I’m totally okay with encouraging a student 

to make a mistake and take some chances, because great music is 

always being made on the edge! If we play a wrong note, or don’t play 

everything the way we want to play it, the problem is we judge our 

whole existence on that performance. We feel so crushed or destroyed 

for making a mistake…it’s only music, man! Music is deep, important, 

emotional, and it makes us feel things, but it’s not the way you measure 

yourself in this life. If you do that, you’re setting up music as a very 

harsh master, and it becomes an idol. If you do that (and I know, because 

I’m sometimes a victim of a perfectionistic streak), you’ll simply 

never be satisfied. 

Presentation 

With all the work of creating a beautiful sound, an unstoppable 

groove, and all the meaningful storytelling in the world, some people 

stumble at the finish line because of nerves and uncertainty. The most 

important lesson you can learn if you’re trying to break into music at 

a higher level is that nerves don’t disappear with experience. Although 

my level of anxiety is different as a soloist in front of an orchestra than 

it is playing next to Wayne Shorter, I still have my concerns and you 

will too. 

I know when I approach a certain type of music, like a Bottesini show 

piece, that I’m going to need a period of practicing to get it ready. 

Prior to recording a duet with Jeremy McCoy, I practiced the piece for 

a whole year! You may find you need the same time to feel comfortable, 

or you might find that you just need to walk out on stage and play 

something a few times before you can find peace with it. I can say that 

I’ve always poured myself 100% into the work I was given, whether 

that was my classical studies in college, or my time with Chick Corea, 

or the last 13 years in Wayne Shorter’s band. Even with my best and 

most focused work, I’ve found that I still have a big place in my heart 

for prayer and meditation. It’s not the same as working on scales, but I 

know what will settle me and help me find my feet. 

Most of the playing we will do in our lives will be in groups with other 

people. There’s something absolutely magical to us and to audiences 

about the trust and the community of playing in an ensemble. It 

makes it easy to play with others and not be nervous, because we build 

that muscle our entire careers. Playing alone, playing a solo, or being 

featured is another muscle you need to develop conscientiously, just 

like you would intonation or tone. Find out whether you need to settle 

yourself into the sweet spot, or if you need to kindle a fire to be at your 

best, and learn how to do it for yourself. 

Conclusions 

Everything I’ve said here constitutes a long list of things to learn. You 

have to be willing to struggle and learn new things as long as you play 

bass. As an adult, I studied for 2 years with Johnny Schaffer from the 

New York Philharmonic. I had to go in there and be willing to say 

“show me everything, show me the way you do it” and I learned so 

much. In fact, I’m stilling learning so much. It never ends! 

For my entire life, I’ve been insatiable in my desire to learn more music, 

and to learn more about myself. Once you find that same desire, 

you will have no trouble improving all the time. Lean on the resources 

available to you, seek out new ones, and connect with your fellow 

musicians to grow and to help them too. Being a great person is part of 

being a great musician. 

Finally, get out into the world and try new things. Stay positive when 

it feels like you aren’t playing up to your full potential. You have to remind 

yourself that it’s sometimes a few bars in a whole night of music 

and you can’t go to a dark place over that. Don’t base your self-worth 

over the solo in one tune? The world’s not going to stop! Don’t put the 

whole weight of the world on the music you’re playing, because the 

only way to guarantee nothing magical happens is if you don’t 

take chances. ■ 

There’s no right or wrong way to deal with performing, it’s simply your 

job to figure out what will work best for you in a given situation. Learn 

what kind of preparation time you need for a recital, or for a gig, and 

stick to it. At the end of the journey, you’ll be where you are because 

of the work you put it, and it’s ok to appreciate that. Any performance 

is just a snapshot of you at that moment, with all the time and effort 

you’ve put in. 


www.RobertsonViolins.com 

Tel 800-284-6546 | 3201 Carlisle Blvd. NE | Albuquerque, NM USA 87110

Next Level Bassist Musicality Issue

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