Not so Daily Practice - Audition Prep and Help from Friends

This past weekend showed a vacancy sign over my bass. I spent most of the days renovating our kitchen, and thwarted trips to the hardware store. The bass was neglected... until yesterday.

Yesterday, I had the sincere pleasure to spend an hour and half with my dear friend and Nashville Symphony section bassist Matt Abramo. Matt has - through-out my kaleidoscopic, quilted, desultory, sinuous career - been supportive and helpful. His fantastic technical skill and beautiful artistry has been an inspiration since we were at S.U.N.Y. Purchase studying with Tim Cobb. Matt started as a graduate student the same year I started as an undergrad. 

Matt was - pardon my rhetoric - instrumental in my development as bassist. Unlike many of my collegiate peers, contemporaries, and professional colleagues, I was not raised in a musical family. Neither of my parents are musicians, nor were my grandparents. I had not ever played in an orchestra until I entered the conservatory. I did not have years of elementary, middle school, high school or community orchestra. Truth be told, I had about 4 months of private lessons with the imminent and understated double-bass workhorse: Eric Lemons. I am grateful for Eric's instruction, but those initial lessons were not geared toward classical or orchestral futures. More on Eric another time...  

As important as Tim Cobb was, as my first proper teacher, Matt set the example of student/peer excellence. Matt was already obviously gifted, and has gone on to blossom into the real deal: New World Symphony, Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and Nashville Symphony to name a few of his professional credits. He continues to inspire. 

Matt also became a good friend. More important than the bass playing is the high quality human being he is. The perfect blend of witty, silly, kind, direct, trustworthy, and thoughtful. Not sure what admirable qualities this guy doesn't have. 

He patiently walked me through some excerpts, ranging from the familiar Beethoven Symphony 5 to the unfamiliar Bartok Concerto for Orchestra. My hands ached from the labor and torture of ikea furniture and hours wasted attempting to tune my own piano. I played like crap. Matt has heard me play like crap for years. He even spent some time with me this past fall preparing for the Lancing Bass Audition (I was feeling quite good about my preparation for that audition). Despite the fatigue, mental and physical, and the obvious low quality of my playing, Matt was an gentleman. I just couldn't ask for a better friend and colleague. He was funny, clear, supportive, generous, patient, and helpful. That guy!

We worked on Beethoven 5 scherzo, Bartok Concerto for orchestra movement 1, Berlioz Symphonie Fantastique, Mahler 2, Mozart 40 and touched a little on Schubert 8 (unfinished symphony), Brahms 2nd Symphony, and Britten Young Person's Guide. 

It was quite a session. 

My days since have continued to be scattered and desultory with teaching, practicing, learning and errands. 

I'll keep going for now, and we'll see what comes. Sometimes even an underdog and the long-shot comes through... fate and luck have a weird way of creating the path.

Daily Practice - Audition Prep 2026!

Happy New Year!

Yesterday, I made sure to get a little bit of bass in yesterday. I probably played the ugliest most out of tune hour of F minor scales anyone has ever witnessed in the 400 year history of the double bass. I also played through the Allemande from Bach Cello Suite I, utter crap. 

As for today... well... I couldn't let the diasterous and cacaphonous F minor scales from yesterday sit unaddressed. I repeated my work and it paid off. The F melodic and harmonic minor scales were quite lovely. Believe it or not, the natural minor in the last few variations were trash. I am struggling with getting the low thumb position on the IV string exactly in tune. Brutal and humbling practice. 

The Allemande is coming along. Good progress was made toward something like music today.

I didn't touch the excerpts, but will focus my energies on those starting tomorrow.

The Bartok Concerto for Orchestra, Britten Young Person's Guide, Beethoven, and Mahler 2 are in my fingers and in my mind. There are a lot of other excerpts that need attention, but this is an ok start.

Cheers to a successful prosperous 2026!

Daily Practice - Audition and then some

 Let me catch you up on yesterday's practice log

I played through the E melodic harmonic and natural scales in various fingerings from The School of Agility.

I played variations 21-40 in #4 Bille School of the Bow.

I worked on Bartok Concerto for Orchestra opening page excerpt.

I finished memorizing Bach Cello Suite 1 Allemande.

I played through the exposition of Vanhal Concerto.

TODAY.... 

well today I had to teach and I played cello...

em... no bass today... 

😕

Daily Practice - Auditions

Greetings,

I am taking a break from German bow for a few weeks as I prepare for some upcoming auditions.

Kalamazoo and Indianapolis are the two symphonies with-in a 200 mile radius with openings for a section player. It may seem like quite a distance, but as I've been accustomed to driving 1200 miles round trip for work in New York, 400 round trip seems like a breeze.

As for the daily practice:

Every day I take one scale and play a variety of fingerings and bowings. I've been using the Eugene Levinson "The School of Agility" as a guide. It's a book that I've had for years and didn't bother with. Today was G major, yesterday was F major, and the day before F# major. 

Playing through the various fingerings with the rhythm and bowing variations takes about an hour. Metronome click on to keep me honest, and accurate. I follow his recommended patterns: 3  quarters slurred, separate; 6 eights slurred, separate; the arpeggio; triplets slurred; sixteenths slurred; and I choose a few of the other variations depending on my mood. Two slurred/two separate (or reversed), syncopated triplets, two legato/two portato or slurred staccato.

I also like staring fresh by reading a few of the Bille art of the bow variations. 
I am playing through No. 4.
Today, I played through variations 1-22. 

Lasty, I will work on some of the excerpts for the auditions. I will focus on the least familiar and the shared repertoire. 

Meanwhile, I am also close to memorized - which I never forced myself todo - on the Allemande from the 1st Bach Cello suite.

Happy practicing!

The Right Hand: Learning to Play with the "German Bow" part 2

Here are some photos of the various underhand bow holds of master players and teachers.

Some screen captures of Joel Quarrington:

Some shots of Boguslav Furtok:

Last, but not least, Josef Semeleder,

More photos in the next post.

As for my own practice:

I have started using both the Isaia Bille School of the Bow (Part 1 Book 2) and A contemporary concept of bowing technique for the double bass by Fred Zimmermann.

I find the Bille to be very useful, traditional, direct, obvious and playable. 

Today I worked through studies numbers 1 and 2 with all of the variations at 82 beats per minute. I also started study no. 3 and played variations 1 - 21 at 112 bpm.

I have been applying the string crossing and bow direction concept from the Zimmerman book. His approach must have influenced Michael Klinghoffer. Michael was the first person to make me aware of the different "sides" of the string. 

The strings have apparent (but not real sides). This concept come from the function of the curvature of the bridge! Each string has a side because the bridge is rounded, and the bridge must be rounded for the player to be able to play one string at a time.  

Let's try to see this in action:

Look at or manifest in your mind the second string, the D string. The D string has two neighboring strings, the G and the A. From the player's perspective the G string is left and slightly lower than the D. There is a G string "side" to the D string. On the other "side" of the D string rests the A string. The A string is right and slightly lower than the D. 

The D string has a G side and an A side. We could also say far side and near side; left side and right side; top side or bottom side: whatever you wish.

The concept is that in most typical or normal bowing patterns one draws a down-bow on the far side or the left side of the string and - conversely - pushes an up-bow on the near side or bottom side.

Let's try to see THIS in action:

Start by drawing a down bow across both the G and the D strings simultaneously (a double stop). Retake the bow and play another down bow across both the G and D strings and slowly allow the bow to lift from the G string while continuing to play the D. 

At the moment the bow no longer engages the G shows the player the G side of the D string.

The same procedure can be done to observe the A side of the D string, but with the up-bow.

Start by pushing an up-bow across both the A and the D strings simultaneously (a double stop). Retake the bow and play another up-bow across both the A and D strings and slowly allow the bow to lift from the A string while continuing to play the D. 

 At the moment the bow no longer engages the A shows the player the A side of the D string.

More soon...

The Right Hand: Learning to Play with the "German Bow" part 1

When I was 17, my parents bought me a double bass. 

Instead of a lengthy auto-biography let's get right to the point.

I am teaching myself how to play with a "German" bow. While I do understand - and believe - that terminology matters (how were think is everything), unless we are imbroglio-ed by the terminology thus some obstruction blocks our playing, the terminology hardly matters at all. I guess... it matters when it matters and doesn't when it doesn't. Helpful, I know. 

What comes first and foremost is the "hold" or "grip." 

I prefer the term "under handed" rather than "German". That is getting into terminology, so again... let us not get stuck at the thresh hold but enter.

I have a "German" bow, which I've owned since I started playing bass. It's a no name plastic disaster from Guitar Center or maybe - the gone but not forgotten - Sam Ash. I started college playing on this bow and quickly moved to "French bow". Now, 20 years later, I am re-learning this bowing approach.

HOW DO I HOLD THE DAMN THING. 

I asked friends, colleagues, and have been watching youtube videos. 

Here are some excellent resources that I've found very useful.

The absolute most musical and virtuosic german bow bassist I have ever heard in person: Joel Quarrington. I played for Joel in a masterclass when I was a graduate student at the University of Georgia.

 https://youtube.com/shorts/l80404iYEEw?si=to5pllMWNHz01eVO

https://youtube.com/shorts/6nqbaNrim8E?si=6WJgvPyF9XhxuzXZ

The second master is a video by the dear Michael Klinghoffer, who I had the pleasure of meeting and taking a lesson with in 2015 while I was singing at the Detroit Opera in a production of Die Passegerin.

https://youtu.be/ZZA9kE06SVM?si=J8Vptw07HVCmOrGc&t=54

The inimitable Thomas Martin, who I also had the pleasure of playing for in a master class while an undergraduate student at  S.U.N.Y. Purchase.

https://youtu.be/y4Ea49TGj1g?si=nGFuNcztaAnmGsBw&t=175

Here are some detailed insights from David Allen Moore

https://youtu.be/CvTigqfUR_E?si=6VFqajP2XwGeFPnQ&t=257

https://youtu.be/snONbEinP3w?si=AmbwY3LAFzNEA1tL&t=48

While I've never met him, Associate Principal Double Bass Dušan Walkowicz of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, has a rather clear and dry video worth watching.

https://youtu.be/cqi2AZ9tq4c?si=BjARDNOreaivVqsg&t=42 

Lastly, Barry Green has some helpful observations in his book, Advanced Techniques of Double Bass Playing

Preparing of an Orchestral Audition

 Greetings Readers,

As the title of this post plainly states, I will be - rather academically - discussing my preparation for my audition with Lansing Symphony 2025. This will be a stark and pallid post, bone dry and direct. Typically, I prefer - when sharing my thoughts publicly - writing some-what more florid and elaborate content. I yearn to be a writer, maybe a poet. This is not that post. And away we go...

I am sharing my method of preparation below, and some detailed discussion of the excerpts and pieces.  

Final preamble:

There are a myriad of brilliant sources of double bass instruction on the internet. Of course, there are master teachers and pedagogues out there around the actual real live in person world. Yes, the internet and teacher, but also books, too! None of these need any promotion from me, yet I will list a few of the excellent online-resources. The four most prominent internet sources are ToneBase - Bass, Double Bass HQ, Discover Double Bass, and String Virtuoso. Youtube contains a robust repository of videos, but as a platform does not specialize in bass. I would be remiss if I did not mention Orchestra Excerpts.com

Part I: The List

This is the Lansing Symphony 2025 audition repertoire list:

For those who are not in the know, this audition repertoire list is an ideal example of a standard list. These selection that the symphony is expecting to hear are typical excerpts from the symphonic repertoire. To put a finer point on the matter: one may reasonably expect to see each of these excerpts on any audition list around the world.  

That being said, it is - IMO - a short and approachable rep list. In addition to being standard, these particular selections, from Mozart to Strauss, are some of the most playable excerpts. I should also be clear that being a "playable" list, I do not wish to suggest that it is easy. These are not simple, obstacle free, shake-and-bake excerpts. All of these require major, advanced ability. 

What I find elegant about the list is that if one can meet all of the criteria of excellence in these selections, then it is abundantly clear that the player is highly capable. Those criteria are:
1) accurate to perfect intonation
2) accurate to perfect rhythm
3) clear and accurate articulation
4) correct dynamics
5) approximate speed
6) appropriate style nuance

To put it simply: ya gotta play in time, ya gotta play in tune, and ya gotta sound like you know how the piece goes. 

I'll address the choice of solo later, so let's dive into the list.

Part II: How to approach the list

The very first endeavor is compiling the excerpts according to the list.  

One can find these in the printed in the Zimmerman books published by International Music, or through IMSLP, or at Orchestra Excerpts.com.

Let's go one by one.

The excerpts are listed in the following format:

Composer Last Name, Title of the symphonic work, the section or movement of that larger work, the measures to be played (here written as "mm." for measures) + additional information for clarification.

The first listed is:
Beethoven [Ludwig van] Symphony no. 5 mvmnt. 3, mm.1-96; pick up to mm. 141-160 (second ending, no repeat).

We typically call this the scherzo and trio.

The second step to acquaint yourself to the piece. Listen to the entire work! Listen to several different recordings/performances, and absorb the style of the work. 

While you listen, you may wish to also do some study of the piece to place it in its historical context.

Beethoven's 5th Symphony is - what historians and musicologists refer to as - a work of  his middle period. It is also known as the "Fate Symphony" and was written between 1804 - 1808. Fun fact, it premiered on a concert with his 6th symphony (the Pastorale). It is in C minor, and it is Beethoven's opus 67. 

Why are these details important? Because the help us understand the style. A Beethoven forte is different from a Mozart or Brahms forte. The type of articulation and stroke of the bow is not a one-size-fits-all mode.

I also think it is important to review the full score of these sections to understand and internalize what the other parts are playing. This is the intimacy of owning and absorbing an excerpt. 

I have performed this symphony several times, most recently at Carnegie Hall in New York City with the Fort Greene Orchestra. Despite my familiarity, I still listen to recordings. Four of note are:

Riccardo Muti: Philadelphia Orchestra
Michael Tilson Thomas: San Francisco Symphony
Josef Krips: London Symphony Orchestra
Carlos Kleiber: Wiener Philharmoniker

Of course, all the great orchestras in the world have a recording of this symphony. Listen to modern and classic recordings because style preferences change. Listen to L.A. Phil or N.Y. Phil, Chicago, Berlin, etc.

The third step is learn to play the part, which requires a dedicated approach. 

Start slowly, with a metronome. I always find it useful to play the scale of the key that is written, and a short etude to get into the mood and sonic sound scape. Then work through the part systematically, SLOWLY WITH A METRONOME. I suggest trying 20-30 clicks slower than the indicated tempo, but if that is too fast then start slower. The goal is to set in good habits from the beginning.