I had a lovely time with Derek Weller, instructor of String Bass at Interlochen Arts Academy. In addition to his role at Interlochen, Weller is on faculty at Eastern Michigan University, is Principal Double Bass with the Michigan Opera Theater, performs with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, and freelances with the Detroit Symphony Orchestra. He is also a member of the Carmel Bach Festival Orchestra, which performs in Carmel, California during the months of July and August.
Derek and I, unbeknownst to either of us, have worked together quite a bit. During my tenure as a resident artist at the Detroit Opera, Derek was (and still is) principal bass of the orchestra. I sang in 7 productions maybe 8 with the orchestra during that time. Then in February of this year we met at the inaugural opera at the music hall series, again here in Detroit.
Derek is a german bow player, and I am as ever on my quest to learning to play with this underhand grip.
He had a lot of useful insights, the most important of which was: the right equipment matters. The fiber glass bow that I own is one of the biggest obstacles to my learning. It would probably be appropriate for someone who has no deep interest in bowing, but wants to mess around. It is now getting in my way, alas, I do not presently have the means to acquire another bow but I will be on the look out. Derek suggested perhaps carbon fiber...
The other major insight was the grip, of course! He uses a sort of modified "Streicher" or Viennese grip with the thumb over the top of the stick, while the index and middle fingers slightly bent with the the pads of those fingers along the stick. He developed his bow hold as an evolution from his teacher, Stuart Sankey, and the Frederick Zimmermann approach toward a Streicher/Viennese hold.
More about the lesson later. As for now, I am going to practice.
