Pre-teen bass students

[Don Carrigan]

Rivers School Conservatory (www.rivers.org) has a sudden increase of teen and pre-teen bass students, and they are getting good! Rivers is a college prep school, and carefully selects private students you are diligent and talented. Presently there is only one Senior (H. S. grade 12) bass student, but there are dozens upcoming! I still play alone with the adult Symphony, which is not part of the ciriculum. Here are some pictures from our recent concerts at Jordan Hall, New England Conservatory.

Don Carrigan, Gloucester, MA

PS: I'm getting ready to have my 1820 Prescott appraised at the Hartford PBS Antiques Roadshow, taping to be done on August 23. I think they'll feature it on an upcoming TV show, but no promises. I'm allowed two articles, but can't lug 2 basses!

[LouisF]

" Because of the double bass's size and weight, study of the instrument should begin at the earliest at 14, and at the latest at 25... Muscular types with strong, broad fingers have a distinct advantage from the start over their more delicate colleagues..."

This from the Introduction to Streicher's "My Method of the Double Bass."

Those of us of a certain age will remember being told in junior high school that we were "big enough" to play the instrument and spent our first years grappling with rope-thick gut strings or steel cables, not to mentions bows the weight of golf clubs!

Changes in technique, technology, pedagogy, bass construction (1/8 and 1/4 as well as half size basses actually have some tone now!) have really brought about this change in music education/training for young bass players. Congratulations on your school's energy in all this.

Louis

[JoeyNaeger]

Excellent, I think the growing popularity of the minibass is going to be incredibly beneficial for the bass community.