Contrabass Conversations – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Technical and general information from the podcast's RSS feed.

Contrabass Conversations

Jason Heath

Music

Frequency: 1 episode/6d. Total Eps: 1162

Contrabass Conversations features interviews and performances from top leaders in the world of the double bass. Podcast host Jason Heath dives deep into what makes these world-class artists tick. With 2 million downloads and counting, Contrabass Conversations is the most popular podcast for double bassists. Join the community and experience life on the low end of the spectrum!

Recent rankings

Latest chart positions across Apple Podcasts and Spotify rankings.

Apple Podcasts

🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
21/08/2026
#79
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
19/08/2026
#91
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
18/08/2026
#71
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
15/08/2026
#79
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
14/08/2026
#78
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
13/08/2026
#99
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
12/08/2026
#83
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
09/08/2026
#100
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
08/08/2026
#76
🇨🇦 Canada - musicInterviews
07/08/2026
#57

Spotify

No recent rankings available

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

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RSS feed quality and score

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RSS feed quality

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Score global : 63%

Publication history

Monthly episode publishing history over the past years.

Year

Latest published episodes

Recent episodes with titles, durations, and descriptions.

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1056: Mark Morton and his awesome books

Episode 1056

Thursday, August 29, 2024 • Duration 28:58

In this engaging conversation, Mark Morton shares updates on his well-known educational series for bass, including revisions to his study books on scales, arpeggios, and technical exercises.

We reflect on the evolution of bass pedagogy, the influence of past mentors, and the importance of making instructional materials accessible.

We also delve into the bass community's rich history and the joys of attending festivals and playing music in beautiful locations like Costa Rica.

Check out Mark's great books on DBHQ!

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Thank you to our sponsors!

Upton Bass Rosin, developed by Gary Upton, boasts an excellent feel, response, and tone for double bass bows. Gary believes it's the best bass rosin available. It's appreciated by users like Blake Hinson from the New York Philharmonic for its quality and performance. Learn more about Upton's rosin, basses, and more at uptonbass.com.

Carnegie Mellon University Double Bass Studio is a valued part of an innovative fine arts community in a top research university. Students receive weekly private lessons and solo classes with Micah Howard, and Peter Guild teaches weekly Orchestral Literature and Repertoire. They encourage students to seek lessons and guidance from local bassists. Members of the Symphony, the Opera, and the Ballet provide annual classes and individual attention. Visit Micah's website to sign up for a free online trial lesson here.

theme music by Eric Hochberg

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1055: Audition prep with Brendan Fitzgerald

Episode 1055

Thursday, August 22, 2024 • Duration 01:06:24

Join Brendan Fitzgerald, Assistant Principal Double Bass for the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, as he shares his comprehensive approach to preparing for and succeeding in orchestra auditions. From practicing at half tempo and balancing practice with a full-time job to managing nerves with beta-blockers, Brendan covers all aspects of his preparation process.

Learn how to handle the audition day, manage your workload, and ensure your best performance under pressure. Don't miss his key takeaways for musicians looking to secure a professional orchestra position.

Check out Brendan's past podcast appearance here as well as his appearance on Ryan Beach's podcast.

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Thank you to our sponsors!

1046: Sam Suggs on his double bass journey

Episode 1046

Thursday, June 20, 2024 • Duration 39:38

Sam Suggs is the first solo bassist in 36 years to join the Concert Artists Guild roster, and was recently recognized with an award for Extraordinary Creativity at the 2017 Bradetich Foundation International Double Bass Competition.

We dig into his unique path from a strong piano background in Buffalo, through Northwestern University, where he studied both performance and theory, to his time at Yale focusing on contemporary music. We also explore Sam's philosophy on concert programming and the importance of engaging the audience.

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Thank you to our sponsor!

theme music by Eric Hochberg

957: Rufus Reid on his life in jazz

Episode 957

Monday, December 12, 2022 • Duration 43:22

It was such a pleasure to sit down with Rufus Reid and catch up on his recent activities! Rufus was in San Francisco doing a residency at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, and we got a chance to carve out some time to talk shop.

We dig into the origins of his revolutionary book The Evolving Bassist, his time at Northwestern, lessons learned on the gig, and much more. Enjoy, and check out Rufus' recent CD Celebration to hear some super-cool writing for jazz trio and string quartet!

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Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course

956: 15 practicing mistakes and how to fix them

Episode 956

Friday, December 9, 2022 • Duration 19:38

This episode elaborates on a blog post devoted to common practicing mistakes and their solutions. Enjoy, and you can check out the video version on the topic here.

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Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

Thank you to our sponsors!

955: Christian Hales on auditioning and his path so far

Episode 955

Wednesday, December 7, 2022 • Duration 01:03:45

Christian Hales joined the Charleston Symphony in 2022 as Principal Bass. I met him in person here in the San Francisco Bay Area before he departed for this exciting new chapter in his life. We talk about how he got into music, his initial career goals and how they shifted toward orchestral performance, his audition process and lessons learned along the way, and much more. Enjoy!

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Connect with us:

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

954: Tell us your story!

Episode 954

Thursday, December 1, 2022 • Duration 11:01

We'd love to have you contribute to our new website Double Bass HQ! This podcast outlines some ideas for how you can get involved.

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Connect with us:

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

Thank you to our sponsors!

Upton Bass String Instrument Company - Upton's Karr Model Upton Double Bass represents an evolution of our popular first Karr model, refined and enhanced with further input from Gary Karr. Since its introduction, the Karr Model with its combination of comfort and tone has gained a loyal following with jazz and roots players. The slim, long "Karr neck" has even become a favorite of crossover electric players.

953: Gloria Jones Allgood on her Atlanta Symphony Orchestra journey

Episode 953

Monday, November 28, 2022 • Duration 55:08

Gloria Jones Allgood joined the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra at age 20 in 1984, just before completing her Bachelor's Degree in Double Bass Performance at The University of Michigan.

Born into a musical family in Greenville, SC, she studied violin and piano until age 12 when she started studying the bass. She was a member of the Greenville Symphony Orchestra for five years before college, soloing with the Charleston Symphony Orchestra at age 14. Six of her summers were spent at Interlochen Center of the Arts, studying with Lawrence Hurst, Oscar Zimmerman, and Jack Budrow. She also studied with her late husband, Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Principal Bass Ralph Jones for two years in high school.

While at The University of Michigan, Allgood was Principal Bass of the Flint Symphony Orchestra from 1982-1984, and she received the Mitslav Rostropovich Award for Outstanding Musicianship. She studied on Full Fellowship at the Aspen Music Festival in the summers of 1983 and 1984, studying with Stuart Sankey.

Joining the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra as a section player, she was promoted to Assistant Principal in 1989 and to Associate Principal in 2001. Additionally, she served as Acting Principal Bass during the 2013/14 and 2014/15 seasons. She teaches privately, coaches the Atlanta Symphony Youth Orchestra, participates in the Talent Development Program and has performed in many chamber music groups around Atlanta. She presently holds the Lucy R. and Gary Lee Jr. Associate Principal Bass Chair.

Gloria Jones Allgood is married to musician and recording engineer William Allgood.

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952: The story behind DBHQ

Episode 952

Friday, November 25, 2022 • Duration 38:23

Jason Heath, Trevor Jones, and Merrill Richmond chat about the idea for Double Bass HQ, working with our developer Wonderly, and the journey from idea to launch.

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Connect with us:

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Check out my Beginner's Classical Bass course and Intermediate to Advanced Classical Bass course, available exclusively from Discover Double Bass.

951: Richard Andersson on his jazz bass journey

Episode 951

Monday, November 21, 2022 • Duration 35:18

Richard Andersson is a Danish/Faroese/Icelandic bass player and composer based in Copenhagen, Denmark. He has gained great recognition for his work as a composer and bass player in the modern jazz field and has released several albums as a bandleader with Danish and international musicians.

We talk about his musical background, studies in New York City, what it's like being a jazz musician in Denmark, his recent album Inviting, and much more.

Enjoy, and be sure to follow Richard on his website, Spotify, bandcamp, and YouTube!

Subscribe to the podcast to get these interviews delivered to you automatically!

Connect with us:

Listen to Contrabass Conversations with our free app for iOS, Android, and Kindle

Contrabass Conversations – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Contrabass Conversations – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other99+

Youtube99+

Facebook99+

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other99+

Youtube99+

Facebook99+