We're having some wet weather in the deep south.

Makes it feel almost like a Northern Hemisphere Christmas!
The Sinfonia is having a break over the festive season, but I am busy playing carols and doing some small group concerts. I like to get into the festive mood by playing at community concerts. I guess you could say I'm a community kind of guy.
Enjoy your CHristmas. I am available to give bass lessons in January.

Hey, it's not all about you!

Anonymous said (a couple of posts ago)...
"Something for real Bass lovers, take alook at this bass player:
http://doublebassblog.org/2010/10/guy-tuneh-chamber-music-performance-from-october-2010.html"
Why do people leave anonymous comments? If you stand for something, why not add your name?
Anyway, I watched this video. The chap is obviously used to being the soloist. Here he is playing the bass part. Why can't he stand still?
The conducter should him just to calm down and play his part without making a spectacle of himself.
If someone did this in my bass section, I'd take him aside for a little chat.

Practice.

The best practice occurs when the body is warm and running like a car on the open road. Too many people get disheartened in the first ten minutes or so of their practice and give up.
Practice should start with at least ten minutes of warming up.
Scales and arpeggios are one good way to warm up. Try to play throughout the range of your instrument. Use a metronome and use harmonics, and open strings, to check your intonation.
Most improvement in your playing will not come on one day, so use repetition to slowly overcome obstacles; plan for the day when these impossible tasks will become easy. Also take time to cement your past gains and to enjoy where your playing is at.
Remember that your tone, how you sound, is everything.

Hi bass lovers.

Sorry things have been so quiet down here lately. I've been busy practising and playing. Here's a link to a bass blog I came across the other day. Click here.
I'll write a longer post soon. I got and email from Richard (of RBB) asking me to share my thoughts and knowledge more often - I think he might want me to post some ideas to help with his bass playing... I can understand why. Anyway, mustn't let him down.

Always busy, always planning.

Hi,
Just thought that I'd better take a little time from my busy schedule to update this blog. The Sinfonia has been quite busy lately, we did a New Zealand Composers' concert, a Mozart spectacular and some Beethoven piano concertos all in the span of about three weeks. I'm thinking about performing some solo bass pieces, with my pianist friend, and might venture into the North Island. I guess I could always stay with my friend Rich while I am in Wellington. I could pay with bass lessons. If any of you devoted readers live further north (than me), I could offer the same deal for accomodation. Just leave a comment on my blog if you're interested in taking me up on this generous offer.
God bless.

All is well in the deep south.

Sorry I haven't had time to post for a while, but the job of principal bass in a busy city orchestra can be quite demanding of one's time. We're just back from a tour of the South Island. I like playing in smaller centers, but I also always enjoy a trip up to Christchurch. Other bass players often ask me for a lesson after they've heard me play. There's a guy in Wellington called Rich who I often help out. I should really start charging him, I'm just too generous a soul really!
Well, must be off. We're playing in the town hall tonight. Today's rehearsal will be there as well. I love the acoustics of that building!

Who is a dick?

Richard, of Richard's Bass Bag.

On Bass Camp.

Southern people will have no problem spotting yours truly in this photo taken at bass camp in Martinborough. That's Rich third from the right at the back. He looks tired. Probably because he didn't play that well. He played at a master class but played a sort of jiggy piece; not entirely appropriate, I felt. Hiroshi (second from right), the principal bassist from the NZSO, was nice to him afterwards. I think that's called pity.
On the way back to the ferry I popped in at Rich's. I thought he'd gone to Russia, but all the lights were on at his house. I knocked at the door but no one answered. I was sure I heard voices. Probably just burglars.
Well, I'm home now and looking forward to some meaty orchestral playing. It was interesting working with Hiroshi and others from the NZSO. I could have given them some advice at times, but didn't want to come across as a 'know it all'. That's just my way, I'm a humble guy.

Life goes on.

It's sad about the demise of the Dave Shaw Fan Club but, hey, life goes on. Anyway, I'm thinking of starting my own me fan club after bass camp, providing nobody else beats me to it. Does anyone know, is it true that Richard (the guy who runs the bass bags) is moving to Russia?

Hey, my fan club has gone!

I just went in to check out the Dave Shaw Fan Club only to find that it has ceased to exist. This must be a technical problem because why would someone delete a fan club?

Coming to you from the deep south.

I've noticed that Richard's Bass Bag 2 doesn't get many comments. Is he more interesting when he writes on Richard's Bass Bag and Richard's Bass Bag 3? I think not. Anyway, most of you probably don't care.
Bass Camp 10 is getting close and I'll soon be driving up north. I prefer to drive when I have to take my bass, I don't enjoy the stress of getting it onto aeroplanes. The orchestral parts they sent are easy, along with The Elephant, which is a grade 5 piece (Royal Schools). I'd love to be a fly on Richard's wall! He'll be panicking that he might have to play The Elephant in front of younger but better players. Poor old man!
I'll try to update this blog while I'm away; anyway, I'll have to give you the lowdown on Bass Camp.

I've linked to all three bass bags now, but only God knows why!

Hi all,
I've just added links to all three of Richard's Bass Bags. Following the three bass bags gives one the feeling of sifting through sand, it's like going to see a jazz group where everyone solos on every tune. Okay, we've just had the trombone solo, now here's the guitar again, and here comes the piano solo. Personally, I think that jazz has run out of ideas. Richard needs to experience the thrill of being part of a forty or fifty piece ensemble. Oh, hang on, I forgot that he probably couldn't read the parts. He'd be standing in the bass section and trying to make things up! How charming, he'd be playing his own little parts, he'd be improvising! Well, how clever is that?

Coming to you from way down south.

Hi. I want this blog to be a way you can access information. You've got to be careful on the Internet, there are a lot of people giving advice, not all of which will lead you down the right road. I'm a trained orchestral musician and I play in Dunedin's only semi-professional orchestra, the Southern Sinfonia.
I've already added some interesting links, take time to check them out. You'll notice that one of the links is to a site called Richard's Bass Bag. He's a music teacher who plays a bit of bass as a hobby. Some of his posts are reasonably humerous, but, before taking his bass advice, you'd wise to check out one of the more reputable sites like Jason Heath's Double Bass Blog or Jonas Lohse's Double Bass guide. I'm sure that Richard (of Richard's Bass Bag) won't be offended by me saying that. After all, he'd be the first to admit that he's only an amateur player.
Yours in music and the arts,
Dave Shaw

Greetings!

I guess I'd better get started. I was reading a few blogs and thought that I have things to say that might be helpful to others. Does it sound cocky if I say that I think I could do a better job than some of the blogs I've read lately? I come to you from Dunedin, New Zealand, but more about me as we walk this path together.
Dave Shaw