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Double Bass Gary Karr - Vocalise
- Thread starter ZonGuy
- Start date
Yeah, Gary Karr is truly a master of the German bow. I got to see him live a few years back, one of the concerts he did although he was already retired, and if you thought his sound was incredible from his recordings, man, his sound in person is AMAZING. Check out his recording The Spirit of Koussevitzky; it has Vocalise and bunch of other great pieces, including the Gliere suite for bass (one of my favorite pieces).
Now you know why Koussevitzky's widow gave his bass to Gary.
What I noticed was how mellow he can sound while bowing so close to the bridge.
What I noticed was how mellow he can sound while bowing so close to the bridge.
A friend of mine reports that he is fully capable of that sound even with a French bow. It may be disputable whether or not Gary is the best, but what he has done for the bass is unprecedented. He is largely responsible for paving the way for future solo bass careers. Even Edgar Meyer said he "grew up on the sounds of Gary Karr."
I've always hated watching people play with a german bow, due to the nasty bow angle in regard to the bridge, but watching Karr play has never bothered me, not once. = )
