YOUR QUESTION

11/22/2019 Ari

Hi Trevor,
Thanks for answering all these questions.
1. Are you using thomastik spirocore's? Bel Canto's? any other strings? Have you ever experimented with guts?
2. What type of Pick-up do you use these days?
3. Do you ever use a stool when practicing or do you always stand?
4. Have you checked out John Patitucci's book of 60 melodic Etudes?
5. Have you come across any books for bass in the last couple of years that you recommend?
Thanks!

MY ANSWER

Woah, I just realized I’ve been answering the questions in reverse chronological order. Not fair. Couple newer ones snuck in there. Sorry about that. Ok, whatever, onward….

1. Yes, I use Thomastik orchestral — the standard ones with the red thread. I used to use the rope core before I had my bridge replaced which made them sound too midrangey so I went to the Spirocore. I’ve never used gut. I do too much arco stuff for that to make sense.
2. I’ve been using the ol’ Underwood forever. Gage’s Realist didn’t sound good on my bass although I’ve heard it sound great on other basses, obviously.
3. Definitely use a stool, especially if practicing for several hours but I’m constantly moving from sitting to standing up, partially to keep my body from being stagnant but also for variety of toque, leverage, power, etc
4. No, I haven’t. Should I?
5. I still work from some pretty standard books. I still find them insurmountable: Simandl, Zimmerman’s Contemporary Concept, Petracchi’s Simplified Higher Technique. Occasionally I mess around with some Slonimsky patterns.