Classical Training

[Boris The Animal]

As many of you know, I've been a bassist for just around 30 years. For the most part, I've approached the role almost exclusively from an Electric Bass approach with just a rudimentary understanding of the Double Bass (For those of you who don't know, Double Bass is the proper term to describe an upright bass). I've owned two other uprights but never had any pleasure in playing either one of them. Either a crappy setup, crappy strings, or both. I've sold both of them off. I just acquired and Samuel Shen SB-80 Double Bass and had it properly set up with D'Addario Helicore strings. So now, I find playing the double bass to be a real treat. So much so I started taking classical lessons from one of the top Double Bass instructors in Western New York, Paul Zapalowski. He performs with the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, the Amherst Symphony, The Phil Sims Quintet, The Barroom Buzzards, and has been with a veritable who's who on the big band circuit. I'm working out of book one of the Simandl method which is THE go-to book for Double Bass instruction. On that note, I implore any musician to consider Classical lessons in their respective instruments if they haven't already done so. Believe me, it will benefit you in the long run.

 

[Steelplate]

Cool stuff. I play in an acoustic blues/rock/folk duo. We've had bassists sit in with us on occasion. For the stuff we do, I prefer the sound of the double bass over the electric....but either works to fill our sound out.

I do a cover of Gordon Lightfoot's "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald" and one time a guy with a double bass sat in with us....he used a bow early and switched to fingers as the song progressed. It made it very powerful and memorable.

 

[Steelplate]

Guess Boris's politics is more important than talking to a fellow musician.

 

[Mott the Hoople]

Guess Boris's politics is more important than talking to a fellow musician.

That or he's busy.

 

[Boris The Animal]

Well, I've also been mulling over the idea of joining a local community symphony orchestra in a couple of months.

 

[Steelplate]

Well, I've also been mulling over the idea of joining a local community symphony orchestra in a couple of months.

What genre do you play now? Maybe I didn't get the gist of your OP title. Are you classically trained now or looking to?

I think it would be a good experience for you. You ought to go for it. If you have a metal background, I bet it wouldn't be that much of a change.....well, I don't play bass, but when I hear Metal....I often hear similarities.

A little envious...I wish I had the talent to consider something like that. I'm a Strummer and a singer with a little bit of mandolin picking thrown in. I'm good at what I do....but that's about all I'm capable of.

 

[Boris The Animal]

What genre do you play now? Maybe I didn't get the gist of your OP title. Are you classically trained now or looking to?

I think it would be a good experience for you. You ought to go for it. If you have a metal background, I bet it wouldn't be that much of a change.....well, I don't play bass, but when I hear Metal....I often hear similarities.

A little envious...I wish I had the talent to consider something like that. I'm a Strummer and a singer with a little bit of mandolin picking thrown in. I'm good at what I do....but that's about all I'm capable of.

My main genre is Jazz, and yes I have had previous large ensemble experience with my high school wind ensemble (tuba as well as bass), but that was nearly 30 years ago, and I've never had symphonic experience, so this will be a challenge. And no, I detest metal as much as I detest country. With every fiber of my being. Oh, and the big difference between classical and Jazz (and by extension, rock) is the stress on the 1 and 3 in Classical whereas with most other forms, it's on the 2 and 4 when you are in a 4/4 beat.

 

[Steelplate]

My main genre is Jazz, and yes I have had previous large ensemble experience with my high school wind ensemble (tuba as well as bass), but that was nearly 30 years ago, and I've never had symphonic experience, so this will be a challenge. And no, I detest metal as much as I detest country. With every fiber of my being. Oh, and the big difference between classical and Jazz (and by extension, rock) is the stress on the 1 and 3 in Classical whereas with most other forms, it's on the 2 and 4 when you are in a 4/4 beat.

Right....I understand the beat thing.

I despise metal too, actually. I am a roots music person. Blues, folk, bluegrass, some jazz...(more swing than anything), and some rock....leaning towards the acoustic side. Country? I have mixed feelings. I kind of like the old stuff, but the new stuff just makes me feel like the formula is more of shitty version of Southern Rock than it is country.

 

[Boris The Animal]

Depending on your instrument, I advise you listen to associated Classical Maestros. For example, one such person is Gary Karr, a Double Bass soloist and virtuoso who has been active since the 1960s. Or if you are a flautist, one artist that comes to mind is Vivana Guzman. or if you are a guitarist, Andres Segovia or John Williams.

 

[Steelplate]

Depending on your instrument, I advise you listen to associated Classical Maestros. For example, one such person is Gary Karr, a Double Bass soloist and virtuoso who has been active since the 1960s. Or if you are a flautist, one artist that comes to mind is Vivana Guzman. or if you are a guitarist, Andres Segovia or John Williams.

I have some Segovia. Also have some Joe Pass in the jazz vein.

I have a Taj Mahal live CD, "an evening of acoustic music" and there's two tracks where Howard Johnson, a tuba virtuoso, sits in....and man....he did some mind blowing solos with the tuba....ironically...since you mentioned the beat thing....there's one track where the audience starts clapping along (this was recorded in Germany)....and Taj stops playing and explains that very thing to them....one,TWO!, three, FOUR!