Emily the composer

Credit: Image taken from http://www.emilykoh.net

Emily, local composer, has her own website with her own domain name. Find out more about Emily and her endeavours in composing music here: http://www.emilykoh.net

Besides composing, Emily is also an avid double bassist. She is a founding member of d’Bassists.

10 Nov 2007: The Bass Line

Students from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music (Singapore) will be presenting The Bass Line, a concert of Double Bass Music on 10 November 2007 (Sat), 7.30 p.m.

Venue: Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, Orchestra Hall (3rd level)
Please click here for the link to the location map

Do make time to support this interesting concert. Admission is free.

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For more information about the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, please check out this URL: http://music.nus.edu.sg/about/

Also read about Mr Guennadi Mouzyka, Artist Faculty, Double Bass, Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music.

Practice Tracks on Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog

For the strings players, while practising scales, have you ever wish that someone could be playing scales on the keyboard together with you so that you could listen to how each note would sound and then pitch your notes to the correct intonation?

While practising a piece of music, have you ever hope that someone could play the same of music along with you?

Practice tracks can be a solution to the above demands. One particular site which I recommend double bass players should check out is the series of practice tracks available on Jason Health's Double Bass Blog. Jason Health's Double Bass Blog is an online resources that I would turn to for double-bass-related news and contents. I have been reading it almost every day.

You can find the links to these practice tracks right below:

Double Bass MP3 Scales
Double Bass MP3 Sonatas, Concertos, and Solos
Double Bass MP3 Orchestral Excerpts

Happy learning.

No fret on the double bass, but fret not

"How do you play a double bass without the frets?". This is one of the questions that audience who came for d'Bassists' performance, Esplanade Presents: At the Concourse: Basso Bravo! would ask.

Yes, there is no fret on the double bass. Like this webpage says, it takes practice to learn where the notes are. Please check out the video found on the webpage. It gives a brief introduction to how one can develop a sound left-hand technique to play the double bass.

To establish a sound fingering technique, I find it helpful for myself to use some kind of established double bass method. Jason Heath has a few posts that discuss on a few of the known double bass methods. Please do read them here:
Rabbath versus Simandl – a comparative study
Follow-Up to Rabbath versus Simandl

Where researching on this topic of playing on the fretless double bass, I came across a double bass fingering chart. (This chart seems to be best viewed using Internet Explorer.) Do check it out and get an idea of how to play without the frets.

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Also read:
Getting a hold on the double bass
How is the double bass tuned?

Getting started to play the double bass

How does one get started on learning to play the double bass? How does one hold the double bass?

I have known of folks who play the electric bass who have keen interest in learning to play the double bass. There are also people who are simply curious or interested to learn how to get started on the double bass.

If you would like to be enlightened on these issues, I would like to point you to a multi-part series of video podcasts with Lyric Opera of Chicago and Grant Park Symphony bassist Andrew Anderson. He teaches at Roosevelt University's Chicago College of Performing Arts.In the series, Andrew Anderson teaches concepts, ideas, and techniques for this double bass.

Check out the first of the series here at Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog: Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson part 1.

If you like it, please visit Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog regularly for more of the series.


Sources: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gZ4ctFAe7r0,
Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson part 1

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Others in the series:

• Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson - part 2 (holding the bow; concepts and exercises to aid in the development of a solid bow technique)
• Virtual lesson with Andrew Anderson - Part 3 (the French bow hold)
• Virtual Lesson With Andrew Anderson - Part 4 (developing smooth bow changes)
• Virtual Lesson With Andrew Anderson - Part 5 (techniques used in articulation and connecting long notes)
• Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson - Part 6 (developing articulation in the bow)
• Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson - Part 7 (developing spiccato)
• Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson - Part 8 (deep analysis of the spiccato stroke)
• Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson - Part 9 (different spiccato strokes for different situations)
• Virtual Lesson with Andrew Anderson - Part 10 (developing left hand efficiency)
  

(Updated on 22 Dec 2007)

Pot-luck dinner at our conductor's home

Last evening, there was a pot-luck dinner and gathering at our orchestra's conductor's home. We had a pretty good turn-out last evening.

YJ made lovely apple pies. She told me she uses green apples to make the fillings. QY's muffins were nice treats too. I like the salad made by Charmaine. It was served in a appetising-looking watermelon.

Our conductor also showed us a DVD recording of the 3rd and 4th movement of Mahler's First Symphony, Stravinsky's The Firebird (Infernal dance of King Kashchei) and Hadyn's Cello concerto in D featuring the late Mistislav Rostropovich as the soloist.

In a conversation, our conductor also shared with me how he would like the double bass solo in the third movement of Mahler's First Symphony to be interpreted and played: with many layers of emotions.

At the gathering, our conductor also gave us a demonstration of two of the toy-tanks that he has built. It was fascinating that they actually could move under the control of a remote control, and they can make firing sounds!

It seemed that the night was very young for most of the folks who had came for the gathering. I was one of the first few who had to excuse myself for home at about 10 p.m. As such, I had missed the lantern-carrying activities.


The above photo was taken by Chong Han.

A short coverage: Fantasie Passionée

The performance this afternoon has quite a pretty good turnout. Many thanks to the people who have came to support the performance, and the people who have made the performance possible.

The attire for today's performance was the new orchestra T-shirt.



When the sound-check and technical rehearsal had started, the double basses and a few other instruments were still on the lorry, on their way to the performance venue. As such, I could sneak a bit of time to take a few photographs of the technical rehearsal.

The microphones were very essential for this performance. Without the microphones, the strings would have sounded overpowered by the winds in the outdoor setting.

Transporting the instruments for this performance would certainly require good planning. Take a closer peep at the photographs, and one could see that instruments like the harp, the bass drum, the timpani, and even the saxophones were used for the performance.

After the performance, I heard that a number of the members of the orchestra went for dinner at the nearby Fish & Co. restaurant. A week later, the orchestra will have a gathering at the conductor's place.