• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Double Bass Top 5 Orchestral Bassists

#121
with all due respect, after saying that the way for us to prove that people are better than rinat is to show you youtube videos, are you really going to suggest that its unfair to judge his playing based on his video?
IMHO, its really too bad that talkbass is such a clown-fest. in the words of jim rome, i am out.
 
#122
It's time for someone to settle this ridiculous argument. This has gone too far.

Professor Slinky is the Top 5 Orchestral Bassists (his playing is so powerful that people often mistake him for sounding like a section of the 5 best players in the world).
 
#123
Just a friendly reminder here that:

1) We all know what opinions are like;

2) We all know who has them;

3) It is absolutely permissible to share your opinions on this forum, as long as the tone remains respectful of other members. Feel free to disagree respectfully.

4) When smack talking an established professional player online, be prepared for the inevitable rebuttal, and do not be offended if someone (or several someones) happens to remark something along the lines of "consider the source". Yes, you are entitled to your opinion no matter whether you are a professional player or the greenest dilettante. By the same token, be prepared for the source of the smack talking to be a topic of consideration when it comes to the weight given to the opinion by others. In this, as in all else, care should be taken to say "consider the source" respectfully.

5) With all due respect, carry on. :)
 
#124
Professor Slinky's youtube video is lacking in intonation and proper articulation.

Take for instance this expert video on the German grip:





:ninja:


FWIW, can anyone on here who actually knows Colin imagine him putting these videos up to show the world how much better he is than someone else? For goodness sake, just watch the video of them screwing around with the Mahler solo to see how good natured and funny he really is.
 
#126
¡bassballbill!;6798946 said:
with all due respect, after saying that the way for us to prove that people are better than rinat is to show you youtube videos, are you really going to suggest that its unfair to judge his playing based on his video?
Click to expand...


I have not ever said that Rinat (or anyone else) is above criticism. That is what we are all susceptible to when we perform.

But with all due respect, I find it perfectly fair for me to build and defend a case for one of my top 5 pics if I am attacked for it.

Besides, the next ISB convention is still some months away...surely I've got time to talk?
 
#127
With all due respect, how due you defend a guy that doesn't even come close to passing a simple tap test when he is demonstrating pulse, and then proceeds to make up notes in the last movement of moz 39? He changed the whole tonality of the excerpt. I could get into nitpicking, but those are pretty standard mistakes that get people kicked out of the first round of an audition.

Personally I think a top 5, world caliber bass player should show near flawless internal pulse, and at the very least, play the notes on the page. Maybe that's just me. Go ahead and model yourself after him and maybe we'll audition against each other one day.
 
#128
mheintz said:
I have only heard them on the radio or CDs. Can you tell us about their playing, favorite recordings, your experience, etc...?

  • Alois Posch (Vienna Philharmonic Orchestra) Invalid Link Removed
  • Rainer Zeeperitz (Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rainer_Zepperitz
  • Tom Martin (London Symphony Orchestra) Invalid Link Removed
  • Yasunori Kawahara (Cologne Radio Symphony Orchestra)
Click to expand...

Sure. 1st of all I want to clarify my opinions. I never judge a musician or bassist based on a recording for various reasons. Musicianship is constantly changing. We go for exactness and perfection now which differs from the longing for a great sound and musicality in years past. I always have to remind myself of what is important to me as a musician.

Posch - I had a chance to play in a section and be coached by Posch... we did Beethoven 9... He played every note! He was using a horrible Italian instrument which had no sound and was hard to play, and still played marvelously. He is an amazing teacher and coach.

Tom Martin - What can I say.. an amazing musician with spectacular technique. He really plays the bass and his recordings do not even come close to his sound and ability in person.

Zeperitz - Truly an awesome old time Berlin Phil bassist. One of the largest fullest sound I have ever heard (I rarely hear this type of sound these days). His bow grip is the old Leipzig grip with the thumb held perpendicular to the stick. Did Mahler 9 with him as principal and it was amazing. The thing that struck me the most was how he was able to play his pizzicato's as though he were playing arco.

Kawahara - what an amazing musician. He studies the score before every performance as though he were conducting the orchestra. Every note has importance. He stresses musicality and sound above everything else. How do you play pizz differently in Tchaikovsky than in Brahms, Beethoven, or Mahler? We did opera together and he knew every word in the Libretto (also where the singers needed to breath), every note and pitch for every instrument, and also made brilliant suggestions to the conductor, yet he is such a humble man.
 
#129
Joel Quarrington is fantastic, but he's not doing any orchestral playing right now.

If you want to talk about the worlds best bass section - Berlin Philharmonic. Hands down. Saw them not too long ago with Abbado. Brahms 3. I've never heard an orchestra sound that fat, but still completely transparent. The bass section grabbed my attention with the first note they played.

NY Phil has a fantastic sounding bass section. Too bad the rest of the orchestra sounds awful these days. Well, the low brass was good.
 
#130
The Universe said:
Joel Quarrington is fantastic, but he's not doing any orchestral playing right now.

If you want to talk about the worlds best bass section - Berlin Philharmonic. Hands down. Saw them not too long ago with Abbado. Brahms 3. I've never heard an orchestra sound that fat, but still completely transparent. The bass section grabbed my attention with the first note they played.

NY Phil has a fantastic sounding bass section. Too bad the rest of the orchestra sounds awful these days. Well, the low brass was good.
Click to expand...

? Isn't Quarrington in the NACO ?
 
#132
The questions this thread now seems to be getting at is: What qualities make a really great bass player?

For me, I'd say--

1. Personality
2. Musicality
3. Technical Prowess

There are probably a lot of bass players that have all three of these qualities, so that means that there are a lot of really terrific bass players out there!

My favorite 5 orchestra bass players are probably these 5 guys, but there are so many good players, I can't really make a definite decision:

1. Tim Cobb (from the Met)
2. Ed Barker (from Boston)
3. Jeremy McCoy (from the Met)
4. Peter Riegelbauer (from the Berlin Phil)
5. Chris Hanulik (from the LA Phil)

...I also really like Edicson's videos, Todd Seeber's playing, Joel Quarrington's albums, Peter Lloyd's playing, Rob Kassinger's playing, Larry Wolfe's playing, Hal Robinson's playing, Kurt's playing... there are loads of fantastic bass players!!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back