Contrabass Conversations Jason Heath

Our guest, Mike Gaisbacher, is a Nashville-based bow maker who specializes in bass bows. He started his journey in bow making in 2022 after graduating from Berklee in 2015 and learning how to rehair from Sue Lipkins. Mike has since dedicated himself to perfecting the craft, studying with experts like Sue Lipkins, Matt Wheling, and attending Rodney Mohr's workshops.
His work includes a remarkable project: a bow for Paul Kowert of the Punch Brothers, which is a copy of Edgar Meyer's bow. Mike's bows have also been played by Ethan Jodziewicz, Mark Schatz, and are featured in the Minneapolis orchestra. Learn more about Mike's work on his website or Instagram.
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Thank you to our sponsor!
Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.
theme music by Eric Hochberg

Sam Suggs is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and was recently recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition.
We dig into his unique path from a strong piano background in Buffalo, through Northwestern University, where he studied both performance and theory, to his time at Yale focusing on contemporary music. We also explore Sam's philosophy on concert programming and the importance of engaging the audience.
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Connect with us:
all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music  
Thank you to our sponsor!
Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.
theme music by Eric Hochberg

Stephanie Patterson specializes in teaching adult learners and has been playing in community orchestras for decades.  We talk about the joys and community benefits of participating in community orchestras, Stephanie's role in the Abington Festival Strings, and highlight various community orchestra activities and events, including rehearsals, concerts, and the engagement of various age groups.
Enjoy, and check out Stephanie’s past podcast appearances here.
Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!
Connect with us:
all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music  
Thank you to our sponsor!
Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.
theme music by Eric Hochberg

Robin Kesselman is the author of Bow Speed Geography, which elegantly explores concepts of bow speed geography  in string playing, focusing on the importance of evenness in bow speed, control, and the application of bow speed.
We dig into life for Robin in the eight years since our past interview, the inspiration behind the book, and all kinds of topics surrounding bow speed, technique, and expressivity.  Enjoy, and you can pick up a copy of this great new resource at the ISB Store and Robertson and Sons.
Photo courtesy of the Houston Symphony
Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!
 
Connect with us:
all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music  
Thank you to our sponsor!
 
Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.
theme music by Eric Hochberg

Paul Thompson is a bassist and educator in the Pittsburgh metro area.  He also runs a successful YouTube Channel under the name pdbass.
This interview discusses content creation challenges, audience management, social media usage, balancing creative goals with audience expectations, and YouTube's influence on careers. It emphasizes music passion, content segmentation, understanding platform success/failure, and navigating YouTube analytics. It also covers the emotional impact of views/comments, feedback from renowned musicians, live streaming plans, and exploring creative content ideas.
Check out the video version of this conversation on YouTube, and check out Paul’s past appearances on the podcast and YouTube Channel to learn more about this cool artist!
Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!
 
Connect with us:
all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music  
Thank you to our sponsor!
 
Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance.  Learn more about Upton’s rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.
theme music by Eric Hochberg

In this episode, we delve into a fascinating conversation with ​Dana Saba David​ from Israel and ​Carlos Pino​ from Colombia, the duo behind the bass duet ​Between the Bass​.
They share their unique approach to the double bass and electric bass, blending tradition with innovation in a way that redefines the possibilities of these instruments.
 
Thank you to our Sponsor, Upton Bass
Upton's double bass rosin​ is a new formulation developed and tested by Upton Bass to provide the best feel, response, and tone of any double bass bow rosin. Developed and bespoke by Gary Upton and made in Upton's Mystic, Connecticut workshop.
 
Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!
 
Connect with us:
all things double bass double bass merch double bass sheet music  
 
theme music by Eric Hochberg