Great old book on line..

[Eric Swanson]

Follow up note...

I've had this in rotation with other stuff for a few weeks and I find it helpful; thanks again, Ken.

[Ken Smith]

Originally Posted by Eric Swanson

Follow up note...

I've had this in rotation with other stuff for a few weeks and I find it helpful; thanks again, Ken.

Eric, I have been so busy the last couple of years with Orchestra music that I only have time in the summer to work on etudes and stuff like that. During the season I have back to back concerts with 4 different orchestras now. Principal in 2 of them and section in the other two being the extra hired player in those two groups. So, I have to regularly look up or print out bass parts in advance for future concerts so I can be ready when the gig comes up. On 2 of the orchestras, I only come in the week of the concert by contract for 2 rehearsals and performance. One orchestra I work in can only afford one bass per rehearsal (all hired section, my guys!) up until the final week so we alternate the basses there prior to concert week so I do have the music and 1 or 2 rehearsals prior to the final week.

I went to a rehearsal last night which was the first for the orchestra for a concert next month. It was for a read thru on 'Respighi's 'Fountain of Rome'. Next week is a read thru for Mozart's Requiem (which I have done before solo, no section). So, I will throw in two free rehearsals as a sport. It's only 20 minutes away.

Then, I will show up next month for the last 3 services and let that group practice on their own in-between. I don't want to walk in the last week and suddenly realize that I don't have enough time to practice. With 4 overlapping orchestra jobs, I have to have the music as far in advance as possible to make sure I don't have any problems.

[Eric Swanson]

Ken, its great that you are playing so much orchestral stuff!

I was actually reading through some of those etudes last night, for sight-reading practice. Let's just say I need to keep working on that

Your post brings something to mind. I was lucky enough to have just one three-hour lesson with Robert Brennand (former NYPhil Principal), back in '79. It was after he had left the orchestra. He was my teacher's teacher, so I was able to meet him and have this one unforgettable lesson. He was truly gracious and kind to me.

Anyway, he said that he never used etudes; he sort of chuckled when I told him some of the technical exercises I had been doing. He said that all he ever practiced or played was actual music; actual orchestral parts.

His point was that if I took a part, broke it apart (practiced separate hands, played it backwards and forwards, did double stop shifting, etc.), and based all of my practice on the parts, it would be a better use of my time. That's what he said he did, anyway, and his sound and musicianship were unforgettable. He said he thought playing the actual orchestral music was a better for one's musical mind than anything else.

He was also adamant about memorizing the parts. He basically said that the only way to be fully present in the orchestra was to know my parts cold, using the written music only for occasional reference.

So, I've mostly followed his suggestion; doing what you are doing, practicing/playing actual music and working out "issues" as they present themselves, memorizing as much of it as I can.

So, deviating from all of that recently, I found the book you shared helpful, mostly for sight reading practice. Other books I've been liking, also for sight reading, are Books 2 and 3 of Ed Friedland's electric bass teaching series (which I read through on both DB (arco and pizz) and the EB.

[Ken Smith]

First off, one of the guys I play beside here studied with Brennand as well.

I agree that the parts themselves is what is best. I play Beethoven and Mozart parts when we are off season as opposed to etude books.

As soon as we hit Spring and the concerts stop, between June and September we don't know whats planned as their websites are not yet updated until its near rehearsal time in the Fall. In that 'off' period is where I would just find 'something' to play that will be useful to a degree, keep my fingers from getting any weaker and keeping my intonation up. You can't stop in May and expect to be able to perfrom in October. You have to keep on it at least at a casual pace if not a routine.