Week 45 of year 2008 on the double bass

2 Nov 2008, Sun: I practised the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto with the metronome. Afterwhich, I practised selected passages from the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. The practice session got me feeling a positive sense of euphoria. My face was glowing in healthy-pink colour after I decided to call it a day. I love practising on the double bass on such occasion. It gives me a lovely 'high' feeling.

3 Nov 2008, Mon: I practised Pachelbel's Canon in D arranged by David Heyes. The intonation is improving with good practice. I also tried to play the first section of Faure's Sicilienne from memory. I managed it. Future practice would require me to practise the middle section and master it.

I also practised the first movement of Autumn from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons to get the fingers to remember where they should be for this movement. I cannot explain why, my ears like the structure of this movement. It somehow worked out well. The bassline is also interesting.


Kennedy play´s Vivaldi´s Autumn, first movement. (View Source)


6 Nov 2008, Thu: It's double bass lesson day! My tutor specially got me a few scores to sight-read. Many thanks to my thoughtful tutor. He even allowed me to use his bow so that I could feel the difference in balance between a bow made by a master
and an average bow.

I sight-read Faure's Apres Un Reve (After A Dream(). My tutor was of the opinion that it would be a more secured piece to play for the exams compared to Faure's Sicilienne. First is that it's easier to achieve better intonation in Apres Un Reve. That would free me to work on expression. My tutor gave me a demonstration of his rendition of Apres Un Reve and I was moved by the deep singing voice of the double bass. He gave an expressive rendition. I hope to get to his level of playing soon.

After which, I played the first and second movement of Marcello's Sonata in G major as much from memory as I could. I was pretty impressed by my tutor's strong auditory memory. He could remember the entire work by ear, and he was able to hear that I have made a mistake without referring to the scores!

After lesson, I couldn't help but sing aloud. Music brings depth to life!

7 Nov 2008, Fri: At about 11.20 p.m., I started practising the first section of Faure's Apres Un Reve with the metronome. At that hour of the night, I decided it was necessary to put on the practising mute. The goal was to work towards securing the rhythm. Faure's Apres Un Reve sounds very lovely when played in the dark hours of the night.

8 Nov 2008, Sat: I continued my practice of Faure's Apres Un Reve with the metronome. Other than working on securing the rhythm, I strived to achieve play lyrically on the double bass. It shall sing! The vibrations from the double bass are extremely therapeutic. They allowed me to release the inner cries that I have within me.

**
I just reached home from a concert in which Guennadi Mouzyka performed an inspiring rendition of Bottesini's Gran Duo Concertante on the double bass! I simply love it and was all ears throughout the performance of this work!

9 Nov 2008 is the wedding day of one of my younger brothers. Our family will be hosting two of our relatives at our place for most of next week. I hope that I would still have the chance to keep up to my goal of practising at least four days per week.

Week 44 of year 2008 on the double bass

26 Oct 2008, Sun: The orchestra that I play with will be performing "Autumn" and "Winter" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Opus 8 for the orchestra's 30th anniversary concert next year, in March.

I was probably very diligent today. Although the orchestra's librarian has yet to give the members a copy of our respective parts for Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Opus 8, I took the initiative today to borrow a copy of the full score from library@esplanade so that I could study the basso continuo's parts in advance.

At about 10.30 p.m. at night, I started sight-reading through the parts for the basso continuo of "Autumn" and "Winter" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Opus 8. Technically speaking, "Autumn" would present more challenge than "Winter" for the basso continuo. The greater challenge for my practice was to achieve a warm and clear sound particularly on all the notes that were played on the "E" string of the double bass. More practice would be needed. As for "Winter", the challenge was to play well-articulated strokes, and to sound energetic even when playing the parts with soft dynamics.

Here's a you-tube video of Nigel Kennedy playing the third movement, Allegro, of "Winter" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons (View source) for you to have an idea of what I have been practising.




27 Oct 2008, Mon: I practised an orchestra excerpt, Smetana's Die verkaufre Braut (The Bartered Bride ) from Test Pieces for Orchestral Auditions: Double Bass published by Schott.

Afterwhich, I realised that I had not sight-read the first movement of "Winter" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Opus 8, so I worked through it. Then I decided that since I had borrowed the full score, I might as well sight-read the basso continuo's parts of "Spring" and "Summer". So I did. The challenge would be to play the octaves with good articulation and a good tone. "Spring" has some interesting parts for the basso continuo.

I was in the mood for a little adventure so I sight-read the first page of the solo violin part of the first movement of "Spring". It was a little challenge to do so since everything was written in treble clef instead of the bass clef that I usually read as a double bass player. I managed it somehow.

29 Oct 2008, Wed: I practised the first movement of "Autumn" from Vivaldi's The Four Seasons, Opus 8. The goal was to simply help the fingers remember!

I worked on Faure's Sicilienne. The middle section proved to be the most demanding. How do I play this section lyrically and smoothly, as if the double bass was singing with grace? More good practice!

30 Oct 2008, Thu: It's double bass lesson day. I worked on sight-reading. It was still a challenge, but the lesson that I learnt is that if at first attempt I can't get it, I can work at a slower tempo and make a few more attempts to play the sight-reading exercise more proficiently.

After working on three short sight-reading exercises, I worked on Faure's Sicilienne. The middle section was still the most demanding. I think my tutor wanted me to first start with working on the first section of Sicilienne, so I spent much of the lesson working on achieving a good lyrical line for the first section of Sicilienne.

Week 43 of year 2008 on the double bass

19 Oct 2008, Sun: It has been quite a while since I practised Keyper's Romance and Rondo. It was a delightful experience to practise it again and to realised that I was a little more fluid in my playing and had more confidence to deal with the technical aspects of this work.

At the same time, there's still work to be done to improve intonation and rhythm. I worked with the metronome clicking away. Thank goodness that I had finally invested in a new metronome, and it's so loud that I can consciously listen to it and play along with the tempo that it beats.

20 Oct 2008, Mon: I practised selected passages from the second and the third movements of Marcello's Sonata in G major at a slow tempo, with the metronome. The goal was to achieve a good intonation and a good sense of rhythm. More practice to go!

22 Oct 2008, Wed: I spent time practising extremely slowly with a metronome the first one-third of Pachelbel's Canon in D arranged by David Heyes for the double bass quartet. I focused on clarity of articulation and intonation. I like the way this piece sounds on the double bass.

23 Oct 2008, Thu: It was double bass lesson. The lesson was located at a new location and it took me a while to find the place. The new location brought me to familiar parts of Singapore, which was very near where I had studied during my junior college years.

The lesson started with sight-reading studies of orchestral excerpts. I still need lots of work on sight-reading!

I attempted to play the entire Marcello's Sonata in G major for memory upon my tutor's urging. I could manage the first and second movements, yet it was a challenge to play from memory for the remaining movements. Thereafter, I played with the score. More work to be done.

I also played selected passages from Keyper's Romance and Rondo. It was getting more fun to play this work as I have gained more competence technically.

***
24 Oct 2008, Fri: I did not practise on the double bass, but I went to listen to The Bass Line. I realised how important it is to have a strong right-hand technique in order to articulate every single note and to ensure that the double bass sings so beautifully and clearly that it would still be heard precisely even with a piano accompaniment. More practice on my end. I am feeling inspired.

***
Meantime, I am pondering if I should resit DipABRSM in Music Performance (Double Bass) next May or next September. Both have its own merits and demerits. The thing is that I will be sitting for ABRSM Grade 8 Theory examinations next March, so I need to make sure I have enough time to prepare for both theory and practical exams, while not getting myself caught in an examination-frenzy game. Wish me good luck!

The Bass Line

For the double bass players in Singapore who are interested to listen to music for double bass solo and double bass quartet, performed by students from the Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music, do take note of the following event:

The Bass Line
24 October 2008, Friday, 7:00 PM
Yong Siew Toh Conservatory of Music
Orchestra Hall
Free admission

(Also posted on d'Bassists.)

Week 42 of year 2008 on the double bass

12 Oct 2008, Sun: I practised selected passages from the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major, with the metronome ticking away. The goal of the practice was to achieve more steady tempo and rhythm, and to achieve a clear articulation. I wonder why, the simple act of working out my fingers, hands and arms over a practice session seemed to have a rejuvenating effect on my mind and body. Maybe music liberates?

13 Oct 2008, Mon: I spent time practising the first and second movements of Marcello's Sonata in G major. The focus was to achieve greater fluency in playing for the right-hand, and to achieve better pitching. How could I make music that touch people's heart?

15 Oct 2008, Wed: There was no orchestra rehearsal and sectional. Anyway, I practised the third and fourth movement of Marcello's Sonata in G major. I need to work on improving the rhythm, tempo and pitching.

Thereafter, I practised almost the entire first movement of Dragonetti'sConcerto in A major, just to help the fingers know where they should be placed.

16 Oct 2008, Thu: It was double bass lesson with MJ. I worked on the entire Marcello's Sonata in G major. It had been quite a number of months ever since I had worked on this sonata during double bass lesson with MJ. Definitely, I need to work on securing a good sense of rhythm. On the positive side, my rendition of this sonata has improved. I was able to play with greater confidence and control. That certainly brought a smile on my face after lesson.

MJ suggested that I secure a good intonation by marking the various notes on my double bass, and practise slowly to secure the intonation. These compensatory steps would be helpful to folks like me who has a pretty average double bass which is pretty demanding for the left-hand to work-out on.

I need to remember to prepare some works to practise sight-reading for all future double bass lesson. You can see that I am now starting to prepare to resit for the DipABRSM in the near future.

Week 41 of year 2008 on the double bass

5 Oct 2008, Sun: I briefly read the first movement from Schumann's First Symphony. Afterwhich, I worked through the selected passages from the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Concerto for Double Bass and the first movement from Dragonetti's Concerto in A major simply to exercise the fingers and the right hand. Practising on the double bass has made me feel high.

6 Oct 2008, Mon: I practised selected passages from Pachelbel's Canon in D arranged for the double bass. It is quite a challenging piece to play for me, on the double bass. More practice would be needed to make it sound satisfactory.

8 Oct 2008, Wed: After much rest at home, I headed for double bass sectional at the university. Double bass sectional with GM is always something to look forward to. During sectionals, the section worked on the first movement of Schumann's First Symphony. GM went an extra mile to explain how to approach Schumann's music, and how being attentive in listening is important to make up for Schumann's general lack in orchestration. Sectional was enriching.

For the orchestra rehearsal, we worked on Smetana's Die Moldau and Schumann's First Symphony. The sounds produced were inspiring. It brought me to realise that at the end of the day, it is the quality of the sound produced that matters in music-making.

9 Oct 2008, Thu: After four weeks of break from double bass lesson with my tutor, MJ, I looked forward to the lesson. MJ gave me a bow made by the Master bow-maker, Z. Prochownik, and I tried using it to play the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Concerto for Double Bass. The bow has good balance, and I could effortlessly draw the bow across the strings. The usually difficult passages became so much easier to play for the right-hand when I used the bow by Z. Prochownik.

I also tried comparing by using my own bow. I realised that my right-hand was relaxed and primed to play when I used the bow by Z. Prochownik. The difference was quite noticeable when compared against how my right-hand would feel with my own bow, which is a China-made copy. I realised that my right-hand was actually comparatively more tensed when using my own bow, and the change from playing one string to another required more effort on my own bow.

The bow by Z. Prochownik produced a clean and clear sound. Even the harmonics sound clearer and cleaner on this bow, than my own bow.

Probably the only thing I would prefer is that it is less bend. Then again, I read that the more bend bows by Z. Prochownik are usually meant for playing solo music, which is what I would be playing for the DipABRSM exams.

I have been asked if I would like to consider the bow by Z. Prochownik. It cost close to CAD$2000. To buy or not to. If I buy, I would have to wait for a longer time before I could save enough to buy a better double bass for myself.

11 Oct 2008, Sat: I had planned to practise. Physical discomforts led me to decide to take a break from practising today. Anyway, at least I have practised on four of the days during the 41th week of year 2008.

Week 40 of year 2008 on the double bass

28 Sep 2008, Sun: The fingers remembered even after the break, yet again. Maybe I was more relaxed after a recharging break in Sydney, somehow despite having not practised on David Heyes' arrangement for the double bass of Pachelbel's Canon in D for quite a couple of months, and having a fairly long break away from dear husband (i.e. my own double bass, kept at my home), I actually managed playing through this work with just a couple of major glitches.

It was a recharging practice. Somehow, Pachelbel's Canon in D has a soothing effect on me most of the time when I practised it. The aim for the practice was to work some of the more difficult parts slowly so as to help the fingers remember what they should do when I were to play fast. I was on a practice high actually. However, knowing my physical limits for the day, I stopped practising after half-an-hour. My body was feeling physical exhausted having walked from Dhoby Ghaut area to Chinatown, and back, for close to 6 hours. I deserve to be nice to myself.

1 Oct 2008, Wed: It's a public holiday and I was able to have a day free from work. I used quite a bit of time to continue working on David Heyes' arrangement for the double bass of Pachelbel's Canon in D. As the focus of the practice was to achieve a sound sense of rhythmic, I used the metronome that I had purchased a month ago to help me tap the tempo. The metronome came useful as it gives out loud tapping sounds. I could sense my rhythm was more steady by the end of the practice session.

2 Oct 2008, Thu: There was no double bass lesson for the day. I worked on selected passages from Dragonetti's Concerto in A with the help of the metronome. Yes, achieving a secured sense of rhythm was one of the key goals. Similarly, I aimed for clearer articulation of the sounds. I enjoy the sensations of working out my fingers.

4 Oct 2008, Sat: I continued to practise a selected passages from Dragonetti's Concerto in A so as to improve the quality of the articulation, and to help the fingers familiarise themselves with the passage.

It's nice to be back practising.

Week 37, 38, 39 of year 2008 on the double bass

Photo credit: acroamatic.

Week 37 to Week 39 of year 2008 is declared to be three weeks whereby I would take a break from my usual regime of practising at least four days per week.

Anyway, I foresee I would still practise on the double bass once in a while during these three weeks so here is to keep a short record.

7 Sep 2008, Sun: There was orchestra rehearsal in the afternoon in preparation for an upcoming concert. The orchestra went through all the concert's programme.

10 Sep 2008, Wed: It was concert day! Before the start of the rehearsal, I practised the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Concerto. The photo in this post is taken by acroamatic on the day of the concert. Thanks acroamatic.

I have had fun playing for this concert. The Rossini's pieces were awfully challenging technically for the double bass, and I am just glad that I could manage at least 70% of it. Anyway, the programme was generally light-hearted and enjoyable, and that makes it fun playing for this concert. I must have playing on the double bass on 10 Sep 2008 for at least three hours.

24 Sep 2008, Wed: My fingers remember! After a fornight away from the double bass, when I was back playing on a double bass during the orchestra rehearsal, the fingers do remember where to place themselves. Sightreading Schumann's First Symphony was a bit of a challenge because the fingers have not learnt where to place themselves.

However when I was simply playing through Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto and Dragonetti's Concerto in A major, the fingers somehow seem to know where to place themselves even though I was not consciously trying to do so. Such an experience was delightful.

Having some short breaks from the regular regime seem to do me some good.

I'm now looking forward to practise on the double bass.

The fingers remember!

Today I had orchestra rehearsal. It was this evening that I once again play on the double bass after last playing on a double bass on 10 Sep 2008. Amazingly, after a break of two weeks, my fingers remember.

Before the orchestra rehearsal and during the rehearsal break, I was playing through the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Concerto for Double Bass and the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. It was simply amazing how the fingers somehow unconsciously know where to place themselves and without too much conscious effot, I was playing those two movements. There were glitches yet there was a sense of spontaneity and ease with the playing. I love the feeling.

Today, I've got to learn that the orchestra is likely to play "Autumn" and "Winter" from Vivaldi's Four Seasons for its 30th anniversary concert next year. I'm looking forward to play them!

Meantime, for this evening's rehearsal, the orchestra rehearsed Smetana's The Moldau and Schumann's First Symphony. I quite like the rehearsal.

Having taken a break in Australia last week has done me good. Many thanks to my friends in Australia who have taken time to catch up with me and to show me about.

Week 36 of year 2008 on the double bass

31 Aug 2008, Sun: I had an orchestra rehearsal on a Sunday. It has been a while since I had orchestra rehearsal on a Sunday and when it happens, it means that there's a concert drawing near. We rehearsed almost the entire programme for the upcoming concert. My favourite would be Forrest Gump Suite. The Rossini's works are quite a challenge to play. Forrest Gump Suite is on the other hand simple and yet nice to listen to, and it feeds my cravings for nostalgia.

3 Sep 2008, Wed: There was double bass sectional with GM. Double bass sectionals with GM always meant lots of good learning. He demonstrated and suggested how I could better overcome the technical challenges of playing the difficult sequences that were found in Rossini's The Barber of Seville Overture. He also spoke about the special effects that Rossini had tried to create in the overture. Cool!

During orchestra rehearsals, we rehearsed the programme for the upcoming concert. Admittedly, I was feeling rather tired from the accumulated effects of working long hours for a number of weeks. Anyway, the Rossini's works became more exciting to perform after the double bass sectional.

4 Sep 2008, Thu: It was double bass lesson. Admittedly, with limited time to practise, and having spent much of my remaining free time practising for the upcoming concerts, I had not made sufficient preparation for the double bass lesson. This meant that I did not practise enough and basically, I don't gain much for the lesson except to use the time to correct some of the not-so-effective fingerings that I had been using. I was also feeling tired and lacking focus. The lesson learnt: I need to practise in order to make more effective use of the double bass lesson. The more important lesson learnt: I seriously need more free time to practise!

6 Sep 2008, Sat: Just before leaving home for the office on my non-working Saturday (because of the heavier workload), I took about 15 minutes to practise on the double bass. I worked through the more technically challenging passages from the repertoire to be played during the upcoming concert. My goal was so that with more practice, I could play these passages from memory.

I am feeling thankful that I had the foresight to practise before I had left home this morning. I am feeling rather tired from the day to wish to practise anymore.

On the good side, I have purchased a new digital metronome. It is louder than my previous metronome and has certain functions that I needed such as beating in semiquavers and so forth.

Meantime, I hereby declare that for the next three weeks, i.e. Week 37 to Week 39, I would not be abiding to my goals of practising four times per week (for at least 15 minutes per practice). A break from practising, I shall take.

Officially, on Week 38, it would be very unlikely that I would practise on any double bass because I will be in taking a short vacation in Sydney from 12 - 19 Sep, and in Melbourne from 19 - 20 Sep.

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.

Week 34 of year 2008 on the double bass

17 Aug 2008, Sun: I practised on Dragonetti's Concerto in A major in the morning. It was rather a challenge to stay focused for I was still feeling very lethargic from having worked very long hours the past week. I need more good practice.

19 Aug 2008, Tue: It was about 10.30 p.m. when I started a half-an-hour practice session. I was trying to figure out the fingerings for the third page of the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. I realised I need more help to remember where are the various harmonics on the double bass. I couldn't quite figure out which the the corresponding harmonics when I read the scores, even when fingerings were provided. Maybe I was just too tired to be able to concentrate on playing harmonics?

After a quick run-through of much of the third page, I worked on a few selected passages from Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" Overture just so as to memorise those parts as much as possible. Strangely, playing on the double bass perks me up despite having an awfully busy and tiring day.

20 Aug 2008, Wed: The orchestra rehearsed Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" Overture and Thieving Magpie Overture. There were a lot of Year-One students who joined us. I still need to practise certain passages from these pieces so that I could play them with accuracy and clarity at very fast tempo.

21 Aug 2008, Thu: During double bass lesson, my tutor, MJ, demonstrated for me how to play a particular section from Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. It actually was easy to play than it seems, just that practice would be needed.

Afterwhich, I played the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. I still need to learn to memorise this piece by heart.

When I told my double bass tutor that I had worked for the past Friday, past two Mondays and past two Tuesdays till at least 9 p.m. without any additional income as remuneration, he urged me to consider changing my job and play music instead. I suppose the question that would help me decide to do so is: Would my rendition move myself and my audience?

Week 33 of year 2008 on the double bass

10 Aug 2008, Sun: I practised selected passages from Rossini's Thieving Magpie Overture and "The Barber of Seville" Overture. Afterwhich, I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major to get my fingers working really hard.

11 Aug 2008, Mon: I decided to set aside time to practise at a slow tempo selected passages from Rossini's Thieving Magpie Overture and "The Barber of Seville" Overture even though I was feeling pretty tired from a long work day.

13 Aug 2008, Wed: It was orchestra rehearsal day. We rehearsed Rossini's Thieving Magpie Overture and "The Barber of Seville" Overture and John Williams'Schindler's List. I could manage the Rossini's overtures a little better compared to last week. Good practice helps.

14 Aug 2008, Thu: During double bass lesson with MJ, I was tasked to do the following practice drills on a regular basis. All the drills involve the playing of scales:
1) Playing long bows
2) Playing short bows, each note played four times (as if like semiquavers rhythm)
3) Playing in the triplet rhythm, short bows.
4) Playing in the Am-ster-dam, dotted quaver rhythm.
5) Playing in the syncopated rhythm
6) Playing in one bow direction, 7 notes of the scale in one bow. Short strokes

After that I worked on Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto.

***
For the past weeks, I have been thinking which music diploma I should sit for, and when to take it. Frankly speaking, the Dragonetti's Concerto and Dittersdorf's Concerto which are at DipLCM level are more interesting exam pieces to play than the pieces in DipABRSM syllabus. However, I have now only two more years before I can resit for DipABRSM. Hopefully the answers will come.

Anyway, for those who have followed my thoughts on music-exams, I have decided not to sit for music diploma exams this year. I shall use this year to expand my repertoire and to enhance my technical skills in playing.

Week 32 of year 2008 on the double bass

3 Aug 2008, Sun: I set aside time to practise selected passages from Rossini's The Thieving Magpie Overture. Those passages were much more technically challenging than they seem. Good practice on those passages would be necessary to help make me master this particular overture.

Afterwhich, I spent some time practising a couple of bars from Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. These bars were even more challenging than the preceding bars probably because they require the player to play at the higher positions. I didn't like my rendition of the bars. Intonation needed refinement and I would prefer a clearer tone. More good practice would be needed.

6 Aug 2008, Wed: Double bass sectional with GM again! It's an enriching sectional although I ended up being the only person. We worked on the Rossini's pieces that are meant to be played during an upcoming concert. I have learnt about some strategies to improve the left and right hand coordination. According to GM, to help the left and right hand to coordinate with each other, it helps to start practising using separate bows. There is much to learn. I played slightly better than the last sectional, but it was still rather challenging to play the Rossini's works.

During the orchestra rehearsal, I find it a challenge to play the Rossini's works at a fast tempo. I need to improve my technical competencies! The good news is that I am improving. Hopefully I would be able to manage playing these works by next month.

7 Aug 2008, Thu: I had double bass lesson with MJ. Finally, I managed to work through the second page of the scores for Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. I still need more work to control every note.

When I moved on working on Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto, I realised the importance of regular practice when I fumbled over the cadenza which I have not been practising for the past two weeks. MJ reminded me and demonstrated for me how being able to control every note would help improve the way my rendition would sound. There's more to be learnt.

9 Aug 2008, Sat: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. The goal was to remember as much of the parts as possible. I wish I could one day get a better double bass to play on. Meantime, more good practice is needed.

Week 31 of year 2008 on the double bass

27 Jul 2008, Sun: I worked on a couple of bars from the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A. I think I would need to start practising with the help of the metronome soon. That may help me have a more consistent sense of tempo.

28 Jul 2008, Mon: I continued to work on the same couple of bars from Dragonetti's Concerto in A. I realised I need to have more confidence in myself.

30 Jul 2008, Wed: It was double bass sectional with GM, and sectionals with him just seem so fruitful all the time. The entire sectional was dedicated to working on Rossini's The Thieving Magpie Overture. I like GM's systematic approach to practising. He gave me some very good ideas and tips on how I can practise on my own to overcome the many technical difficulties in the work. I had not thought of approaching my practice in that manner, but after I was being guided to the approach, the approach made good sense. In short, it was to break a difficult passage into many smaller parts and practise. Many thanks to GM for his guidance.

31 Jul 2008, Thu: During double bass lesson with MJ, we worked on Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. The key to playing it well is to control every note it seems. I need to be very observant of the tempo.

**
I didn't practise on 1 Aug and 2 Aug as somehow my fingers felt rather stiff, and I figured that I shall allow them to take some rest. Hopefully I had not overworked them the past few days.

Week 30 of year 2008 on the double bass

20 Jul 2008, Sun: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and managed to be better at the first page. I had difficulties knowing where the harmonics should be when I worked on the second page. Was it a lack of confidence or lack of understanding of my instrument?

Anyway, I subsequently worked on a couple of bars from Osbourne's Gargoyles.

21 Jul 2008, Mon: I practised selected passages from Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" Overture. My focus was on increasing the speed that I play the passages, while ensuring adequate intonation and maintaining a good rhythm.

23 Jul 2008, Wed: I practised selected passages from Rossini's The Thieving Magpie Overture focusing on producing a clear sound, while ensuring a good intonation. I also practised the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major and Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. Strangely, my double bass seemed to require more effort to stop the strings for the day's practice.

24 Jul 2008, Thu: During double bass lesson, my tutor helped gave me pointers to the fingerings to the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. It was challenging, but actually the fingerings aren't as difficult as I had imagined. My tutor passed me my purchase of a new rosin: Samuel Kolstein Ultra Bass Rosin. It felt sticky initially but after a while of playing, the rosin helped me achieve a full, clear and bright sound. Cool rosin.

I then spent time working on the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. I need to have steady tempo and woprk on my sense of rhythm.

25 Jul 2008, Fri: Perhaps inspired by my tutor's demonstration the day before, I worked on selected bars from the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. Hopefully I could master this movement in time to come.

***
More good practice is needed.

Week 29 of year 2008 on the double bass

13 Jul 2008, Sun: I practised the first 19 bars from Dragonetti's Concerto in A so that I could play these bars at tempo that is closer to the original tempo.

Afterwhich, I attempt to practise a couple of bars from Osborne's Gargoyles. I realised that I prefer playing works that are melodic and tonal rather than rhythmic in nature. I was simply struggling to play those few bars during my practice, but I was slightly better at the practice than a few days ago.

Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto remains to be a favourite for me. I practised the second movement to refine my playing.

14 Jul 2008, Mon: I felt awfully tired after work, but needed some playing so to rid the stress and toxic-feeling out of my system. I focused on practising selected parts from Rossini's The Thieving Magpie Overture. The parts required some working-out technically, yet they were comparatively more straight-forward than the concertos by Dragonetti and Dittersdorf since most of these parts are written in sequences. I am glad that I did, at least I felt a little better after the practice.

16 Jul 2008, Wed: Double bass lesson was brought forward to a Wednesday. I played the first couple of bars from Dragonetti's Concerto in A. My tutor realising that I needed more practice suggested that I play it during lesson on another day.

I also asked to work on Osborne's Gargoyles. While it was considered a difficult work for myself, I nevertheless decided to take up the challenge to work on it. My tutor guided me to work through a couple of bars. I played badly yet I have learnt a lot. I learnt how to better approach Osborne's Gargoyles.

The last work that I worked on was the second movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. My tutor gave me pointers on how to approach a few particular bars whereby I have to keep crossing between the "D" and the "G" strings.

17 Jul 2008, Thu: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. Finally, I have went past the first 19 bars. The fingerings that my tutor had suggested has helped.

19 Jul 2008, Sat: I practised Dragonetti's Concerto in A major. It sounded a little bit better than when I first started out practising it.

Learning from others

During double bass lesson today, my tutor asked if I have heard the recordings of Dragonetti's Concerto in A. In my efforts to learn from others, and since it would take time to find good recordings and to purchase them online, I approached YouTube and found the above recording performed by: "Ben Harris, Student of Eugene Levinson at the Juilliard School, performs with the Orquesta Sinfonica de Xalapa conducted by Eugene Kohn in Mexico."

I like the clarity of the harmonics played by Ben Harris. I have a lot to learn from him in terms of playing those passages with running notes. My left-hand shifts need more refinement.

Personally, I would prefer the second movement and third movement of this concerto to the first movement. Somehow the first movement looks technically challenging yet felt not as interesting to me. Anyway, this would be a work that I would be working on for the next couple of weeks at least. Hopefully one day I could play better.

Week 28 of year 2008 on the double bass

6 Jul 2008, Sun: I tried to work out how to play a couple of bars from Osbourne's Gargoyles. I would like a better, clearer, more resonating tone on the double bass and yet have achieved so. I suppose one thing about playing music is that it trains me to learn how to deal with feelings of self-doubts when I could yet to achieve the kind of sound-scape that I would like to hear.

It was rather dishearting that my practice of Osborne's Gargoyles did not work out as well as I would like. I decided to take a break from it and to practise the first movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto.

7 Jul 2008, Mon: I practised the second movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto.

9 Jul 2008, Wed: I was feeling very tired for the day. Anyway, I decided to play less demanding studies to focus on improving on articulation and to achieve a warmer tone on the double bass.

10 Jul 2008, Thu: My dear double bass tutor was very kind and brought the scores for Dragonetti's Concerto in A major so that I could sight-read it. It was a challenging sight-reading piece for it! I could barely manage the first page. Honestly speaking, Dragonetti's music did not appeal to me as much as Bottesini's. Nevertheless, my tutor shared that audience may enjoy Dragonetti's music because it appeared to be so difficult.

For the remaining part of the lesson, I worked on the second movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. I am glad my tutor helped corrected some errors I have rhythmically.

11 Jul 2008, Fri: I practised selected passages from Rossini's "The Barber of Seville" Overture.

Afterwhich, time was spent practising the first movement of Dragonetti's Concerto in A. I specifically focused on practising the first 20 bars. It was satisfying that I have managed to get the notes correct after about an hour of practice.

Week 27 of year 2008 on the double bass

29 Jun 2008, Sun: I started with playing the first movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. The focus was on playing short yet clearly articulated strokes.

Afterwhich, I worked on just a couple of bars from the cadenza of the second movement from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. There was a G-major arpeggio in this couple of bars and I had to spend more than 20 minutes just practising the arpeggio that consists of 14 notes. The aim was to achieve a warm tone with accurate intonation. I got a bit closer to aim by the end of the practice but I reckon I would need more practice.

30 Jun 2008, Mon: I played Faure's Sicilienne and the first and second movements from Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. My concentration level did not seem to be optimal perhaps due to a sense of tiredness from the work day. I wish I had better intonation.

3 Jul 2008, Thu: During double bass lesson, MJ demonstrated Osborne's Gargoyles. He gave me advice on the fingerings to some of the more difficult parts. This would helped me get started faster on this work. I was impressed how he knows every note on the double bass at the back of his fingertips. It was inspiring for me.

After a pretty long time working on Osborne's Gargoyles, I played the cadenza from the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. I still need more work to get a fine legato line.

MJ said that I could sit for Diploma exams in double bass (music performance) by November 2008, though I was not sure if I could master the works to an appropriate standard by then. Was I being critical? I just wanted to play confidently, with musicality.

5 Jul 2008, Sat: On 4 Jul 2008, I had intentionally excuse myself early from the gathering for Friends of Yesterday.sg to practise. However, by the time that I reached home and settled down, it was close to 11 p.m. and I was too tired to practise. Anyway, on 5 Jul 2008, I practised the second movement of Dittersdorf's Second Double Bass Concerto. I badly needed a more fuller tone on my double bass.

I did not have the energy to work on Osborne's Gargoyles. Hopefully, I could work on it soon.

**
It had been a rather vexing practising week. I am feeling uncertain if I would be competent enough to register to take a diploma exams in music performance in double bass. I wanted a sound that I am still trying to figure how to achieve on my double bass. What kept me going was the faith that somehow the time spent practising would help me somehow improve my playing even though I don't know how.