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Double Bass Hal Robinson

#4
chris1125 said:
I don't k kw of any other bassists that can use the bent endpin sitting down.
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I do, as do many of my friends. It doesn't physically change much how you play, although the bass does feel slightly lighter.

These videos should be taken with a big grain of salt. The lecture is from 1986 and I have a feeling Mr. Robinson would have a somewhat different approach to many of these pieces today. Perhaps one of his students could give some insight?

The film here is from a Rice-produced DVD taken from an old betamax tape. That is why the sound quality is so low. These DVD's were never meant for mass-consumption. Only a few copies were ever made. Some were given to Rice students and a handful made their way to Curtis. I'm curious if Hal is aware this is online and if he would want it to be.
 
#5
PaulCannon said:
I do, as do many of my friends. It doesn't physically change much how you play, although the bass does feel slightly lighter.

These videos should be taken with a big grain of salt. The lecture is from 1986 and I have a feeling Mr. Robinson would have a somewhat different approach to many of these pieces today. Perhaps one of his students could give some insight?

The film here is from a Rice-produced DVD taken from an old betamax tape. That is why the sound quality is so low. These DVD's were never meant for mass-consumption. Only a few copies were ever made. Some were given to Rice students and a handful made their way to Curtis. I'm curious if Hal is aware this is online and if he would want it to be.
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Interresting. I always thought the bent endpin was used more by standing players to get a better angle that sitting can give you. Maybe I'm wrong, I have always sat and have never messed with bent enpins. Even if it is not what Mr Robinson would not agree with those ideas today, I enjoyed the insight on auditioning techniques from someone who was certainly very successful on auditions before an after making this. I would hope it is not online without his permission though, which is a legitimate fear.
 
#6
Hey guys,
yeah as Paul said, a lot of his concepts of playing and sound have drastically changed since the recording of this. I'm under the impression this was immediately after having won principal of National symphony. Though there is some sweet bass playing that goes on, he tends to not encourage his students to use this video as a strict guide line. The main changes are in his thoughts on vibrato, and some tempos and a few strokes. As with anyone his playing is constantly changing and this is just a glimpse of his playing from that time. Hal is the man!
 
#8
Thanks, Blake. I've had only limited encounters with Hal, so I did not want to speak on his behalf. It does seem that the choices he's made in these videos are very "old fashioned," particularly in regards to the baroque and classical repertoire.

He is an incredibly intelligent and talented musician, so it makes sense that his tastes have become more refined in keeping with current trends.
 
#9
chris1125 said:
Interresting. I always thought the bent endpin was used more by standing players to get a better angle that sitting can give you. Maybe I'm wrong, I have always sat and have never messed with bent enpins.
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Bent endpins, specifically laborie pins, can dramatically change the response and tone of a bass. It makes my big bass sound significantly better, thus I choose to use it regardless of whether I stand or sit. But, that brings us to a very different discussion.
 
#11
basteout said:
Rice-produced DVD? Not sure if that's true Paul. I think it was at UMD right after he won the National job. There's been a copy at Peabody for a while.
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There is a record of it Link Removed. Published at Rice University, 2006. I own a copy.

The lecture was given at Northwestern University in 1986. I'm sure there are other tapes out there. It's possible somebody else has digitized and remastered the video, but it seems more plausible to me that somebody got their hands on the Rice-produced disc. There aren't many people who have the equipment (or the time) to digitize and remaster Betamax tapes.
 
#12
It was indeed restored and published in digital form by a Rice masters student who now plays in our section.

It is unfortunate that the original taping was done with cheap directional mics with severe dynamic compression in the analogue stage. It does not do Hals superb sound justice.
 

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