Presenting bassonata.com

[markmeeus]

Hi Everyone,

I recently started to create reductions of classical pieces for solo bass and/or bass with piano. I'm still very much trying to figure out what works and what not, but I really enjoy the process. ( Some of you may know me from my other website bach2bass.com )

I'm sharing this work on my other website bassonata.com, where I hope to release one such a piece every month. (You can subscribe to a mailing list there)

These pieces are mostly created as study material, I believe studying classical pieces can brings me a completely different musical experience as a bass player. And I do think it translates in my overall bass playing. So maybe it will benefit other students too.

Some pieces will be on the difficult side, like this Adagio from Marcello's Oboe Suite:



other pieces are more easy like the Handel's Largo:



I'm still working on my recording skills, finding a good tone for this is quite hard ....

You can download most of the scores for free, but I do charge a small fee for the piano parts. (Not sure if I'm breaking any rules here)

Anyway, If you are interested in this, I hope you love it.

 

[No such thing]

Hi Everyone,

I recently started to create reductions of classical pieces for solo bass and/or bass with piano. I'm still very much trying to figure out what works and what not, but I really enjoy the process. ( Some of you may know me from my other website bach2bass.com )

I'm sharing this work on my other website bassonata.com, where I hope to release one such a piece every month. (You can subscribe to a mailing list there)

These pieces are mostly created as study material, I believe studying classical pieces can brings me a completely different musical experience as a bass player. And I do think it translates in my overall bass playing. So maybe it will benefit other students too.

Some pieces will be on the difficult side, like this Adagio from Marcello's Oboe Suite:



other pieces are more easy like the Handel's Largo:



I'm still working on my recording skills, finding a good tone for this is quite hard ....

You can download most of the scores for free, but I do charge a small fee for the piano parts. (Not sure if I'm breaking any rules here)

Anyway, If you are interested in this, I hope you love it.

Awesome, Thanks

 

[logdrum]

Bravo!

 

[Rocket Queen]

Hi Everyone,

I recently started to create reductions of classical pieces for solo bass and/or bass with piano. I'm still very much trying to figure out what works and what not, but I really enjoy the process. ( Some of you may know me from my other website bach2bass.com )

I'm sharing this work on my other website bassonata.com, where I hope to release one such a piece every month. (You can subscribe to a mailing list there)

These pieces are mostly created as study material, I believe studying classical pieces can brings me a completely different musical experience as a bass player. And I do think it translates in my overall bass playing. So maybe it will benefit other students too.

Some pieces will be on the difficult side, like this Adagio from Marcello's Oboe Suite:



other pieces are more easy like the Handel's Largo:



I'm still working on my recording skills, finding a good tone for this is quite hard ....

You can download most of the scores for free, but I do charge a small fee for the piano parts. (Not sure if I'm breaking any rules here)

Anyway, If you are interested in this, I hope you love it.

Thanks, Mark. Have you considered allowing subscribers or others to offer suggestions for transcriptions through your website?

 

[markmeeus]

Thanks, Mark. Have you considered allowing subscribers or others to offer suggestions for transcriptions through your website?

I usually ask my email subscribers if they have any suggestions, but it didn't occur to me to add a suggestion form on the site!
It a great idea, Thanks!

I do still have a list of pieces I want to work through, the next one will be Fauré's Pavane …

 

[Swamp_Ronin]

i enjoyed this. well done and good luck

 

[Gem]

Hello, an interesting initiative — combining classical music with bass guitar really opens up a completely different approach to the instrument. Especially when it comes not just to "translating" parts, but to adapting it for solo or chamber playing, where the bass begins to work as a full-fledged melodic instrument, and not just as a rhythm section.

I noticed that when bassists immerse themselves in classical works, the feeling of phrasing changes very quickly: there is more attention to dynamics, pauses and long lines, and not just to the groove. This is then directly transferred to modern styles — jazz, funk, even rock sounds more "conscious".

The idea of regularly releasing such arrangements also looks strong, because it actually creates a bridge between educational material and live practice. For many bassists, this can be more useful than standard exercises, because you immediately work with real musical logic, and not abstract technical patterns.

 

[Tassieviking]

Very nice, it made me wonder what some parts would sound like with a tiny bit of chorus or soft reverb.
I might have to try the simplest version since I am a crap player, please try to make some for beginners if you don't mind.
I have plucked strings since 1970 but every time I start I end up grabbing a soldering iron and building a pedal or amp or something.

 

[markmeeus]

Very nice, it made me wonder what some parts would sound like with a tiny bit of chorus or soft reverb.
I might have to try the simplest version since I am a crap player, please try to make some for beginners if you don't mind.
I have plucked strings since 1970 but every time I start I end up grabbing a soldering iron and building a pedal or amp or something.

Thanks!
I think Handel's Largo is one of the easier pieces (in my small collection ). Usually, the duo parts with piano only have the melody, while the solo parts are more challenging because I'm trying to add harmonic support by adding double stops and triads.
Perhaps I should add a difficulty rating?

 

[JohnBrown13]

Hi Everyone,

I recently started to create reductions of classical pieces for solo bass and/or bass with piano. I'm still very much trying to figure out what works and what not, but I really enjoy the process. ( Some of you may know me from my other website bach2bass.com )

I'm sharing this work on my other website bassonata.com, where I hope to release one such a piece every month. (You can subscribe to a mailing list there)

These pieces are mostly created as study material, I believe studying classical pieces can brings me a completely different musical experience as a bass player. And I do think it translates in my overall bass playing. So maybe it will benefit other students too.

Some pieces will be on the difficult side, like this Adagio from Marcello's Oboe Suite:



other pieces are more easy like the Handel's Largo:



I'm still working on my recording skills, finding a good tone for this is quite hard ....

You can download most of the scores for free, but I do charge a small fee for the piano parts. (Not sure if I'm breaking any rules here)
porsche rental
Anyway, If you are interested in this, I hope you love it.

This is a really cool project. There isn't nearly enough classical material adapted specifically for bass, so it's great to see someone putting in the work to make these pieces more accessible to bass players.
I also agree that studying classical music improves overall musicianship, even if your main focus is another genre. Looking forward to seeing what future pieces you release.