Need a break from Simandl? Tired of sounding like a like a bass player every time you solo (you know what I mean).

Whilst not gigging on bass, I am a classically trained flutist! Yow! I've started to play flute etudes on my bass! Wow! I've noticed the improvement after only two weeks.

"But Alex," you say. "Flute etudes are written in TREBLE clef. I play the BASS. I read BASS clef."

"Suck it up, skippy!" says I. "You need to learn to read treble clef, anyway. What happens when someone violently rips a page out of the Real Book, a page you might never have seen before, I might add, and shoves it front of you and says 'Play the head!' I can betcha it won't be in bass clef."

Yep. Flute etudes are wildly different. And yes, they're a female dog to play. Especially on the bass. But etudes make you strong, and strength crushes enemies. Especially the enemy of monotony! With practice, this wildy different music because almost trivial, and that gets you one step closer to playing the wildly different music that you hear in your head at night.

So which etudes have you been using? It's never occurred to me to play my flute music on the bass (well, maybe Syrinx).

And I for one, prefer getting a treble clef real book to a bass clef real book any day of the week.

-dh