Week 35 of year 2008 on the double bass

24 Aug 2008, Sun: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major so as to familiarise myself with the third page of the first movement. I am pleased that I have made some progress.

25 Aug 2008, Mon: I practised selected passages from Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" Overture and Thieving Magpie Overture so that I can be more proficient in playing these passages.

In addition, I practised the first movement (third page) from Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. I still needed clearer and cleaner sound when I play harmonics, especially towards the end of the first movement.

Here's a Youtube video of young Colombian Doublebass player Juan Gregorio Baquero and the Bogotá´s Philarmonic Orquestra playing Dragonetti's Concerto in A major for readers who would like to have an idea what I have been practising.


Dragonetti's Concerto in A major, first movement.

27 Aug 2008, Wed: During orchestra rehearsal, we rehearsed the following:
ROSSINI The Barber of Seville Overture
LLOYD WEBBER Symphonic Reflections
H. ZIMMER The Pirates of the Caribbean
JOHN WILLIAMS Schindler’s List
ROSSINI The Thieving Magpie Overture
A. SILVESTRI Forrest Gump Suite

The Rossini's works have pretty challenging parts for the double bass! Despite much practice, I still need more good practice to master these.

28 Aug 2008, Thu: Finally, I have managed to play the third page from Dragonetti's Concerto in A major for my lesson. There is still a lot of work to be done, and I am still practising so that I can play the entire concerto by heart. Eastcoastlife, who have heard me play, would probably have realised that for me, memorising the entire score by heart is something that I would need to make conscious effort to do. Anyway, I hope I can achieve doing so, and play a good rendition of this concerto.

30 Aug 2008, Sat: I spent some time practising selected passages from Zimmer's The Pirates of the Caribbean and Rossini's The Barber of Seville Overture.

A sense of fatigue shrouded me for the day. It must have been due to working long hours at work for the past weeks. I decided to listen to my body's signals of fatigue and take things easier, so I merely practised the third page of the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major.

I wish the fatigue would go away soon. That means I need more fresh air and a good night of rest.