0:00:22.375,0:00:23.750
Show of hands -

0:00:23.759,0:00:28.719
how many of you in the audience today[br]know what a double bass is?

0:00:30.009,0:00:34.148
Of those people, how many of you[br]can actually describe one

0:00:34.149,0:00:36.770
without saying "that big thing"?

0:00:36.771,0:00:38.358
(Laughter)

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Already a smaller percentage[br]of the general population.

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Let's make that level of refinement[br]our goal for today.

0:00:46.652,0:00:49.391
To do so, we'll start with the violin.

0:00:49.871,0:00:52.250
Everybody knows what a violin is

0:00:52.251,0:00:55.478
even if you live in a little cave,[br]you come out now and again,

0:00:55.479,0:00:58.591
and most likely, you've bumped into[br]a violin some way or another.

0:00:59.131,0:01:01.039
You probably also know what a cello is.

0:01:01.040,0:01:06.309
Maybe you even know the instrument[br]between a violin and a cello

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called a viola.

0:01:07.970,0:01:11.359
If you don't, however,[br]you really shouldn't beat yourself up.

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Those able to differentiate a violin

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from either viola[br]or a stick mixer for that matter

0:01:17.251,0:01:21.072
is already a rather small percentage[br]of the general population.

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The double bass is the lowest[br]of the orchestral string instruments:

0:01:27.778,0:01:32.858
that being violin, viola,[br]cello, double bass respectively.

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Outside of the orchestra,[br]basses can also be found

0:01:36.334,0:01:41.085
in jazz bands, blues ensembles,[br]combos, Klezmer bands

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and various other musical constellations.

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Within the orchestra,

0:01:47.382,0:01:49.781
the bass is played bowed,

0:01:49.782,0:01:53.361
either overhand or the French hold,

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or underhand or the German hold,

0:01:56.362,0:02:00.642
or as the Germans themselves[br]like to call it "the correct hold."

0:02:00.643,0:02:02.552
(Laughter)

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Why those of us outside of France[br]and Germany play the bow holds we do

0:02:06.752,0:02:09.882
has more often than not[br]to do with what our teachers played

0:02:09.883,0:02:12.423
and what their teachers played[br]and so on and so on.

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By the way, in case you're wondering

0:02:15.404,0:02:18.392
why the instrument[br]is called the double bass,

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it is not because it is twice[br]as big as a normal bass,

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which, if you hang out with bass players,

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you know there is no such thing[br]as a normal bass,

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but it is rather to signify

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that it plays twice as low as the cello[br]or that it doubles the cello line.

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What does this instrument sound like?

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At first glance, the sound[br]we expect from a bass

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is something along the lines of...

0:02:42.334,0:02:44.323
(Double bass music)

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That's fine and interesting,

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but then, maybe you've also known[br]a bass in other contexts.

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Maybe you've, I don't know, watched[br]a few shark movies now and again,

0:02:53.415,0:02:54.474
and known ...

0:02:54.475,0:02:56.645
(Double bass notes[br]from the "Jaws" theme song)

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Trivia for today:

0:03:01.105,0:03:06.203
a former teacher of mine[br]actually was the bass player for "Jaws."

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He had come back from a recording session[br]in New York and said,

0:03:09.775,0:03:13.535
"You wouldn't believe it.[br]I got paid today to play two notes."

0:03:13.536,0:03:14.883
(Laughter)

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Both of those contexts[br]aren't really much more

0:03:19.116,0:03:21.245
than we would expect to hear from a tuba.

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If there are any tubists in the audience,

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please, I'm sorry,[br]if you take exception to this,

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but let's be honest;

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when preparing this talk,

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Microsoft Word didn't even recognize[br]"tubist" as an actual word.

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(Laughter)

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But I'm thankful for the tuba[br]because if it weren't for the tuba,

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I actually wouldn't be[br]standing here today.

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The biggest distinction of my youth

0:03:44.383,0:03:46.671
was that of being one[br]of the two fattest kids

0:03:46.672,0:03:49.215
in my elementary school and high school.

0:03:49.216,0:03:52.045
So the question is:[br]what do you do with the fat kid

0:03:52.046,0:03:54.775
to keep him from watching[br]"Knight Rider" reruns all day?

0:03:54.776,0:03:57.044
Well, you hand him a trombone,

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and if he gets any fatter,[br]which I unfortunately did,

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then you hand him a tuba.

0:04:03.157,0:04:06.027
I played both, but unfortunately,[br]practiced neither.

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It wasn't until I discovered[br]the double bass at the late age of 17

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that actually interested me[br]enough to practice it,

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and eventually attend the conservatory[br]in New York, and then eventually decide,

0:04:18.077,0:04:20.258
"Well, the classical music[br]isn't narrow enough.

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The bass isn't narrow enough.

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I need to study the historic bass,"[br]which is what this instrument is,

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and I came here in Basel in 2004 to do so.

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If there are any expats in the audience,[br]you know that after New York,

0:04:32.429,0:04:34.745
the move was a bit[br]of a gastronomic masochism.

0:04:34.746,0:04:36.117
(Laughter)

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The upside is that I now get to live

0:04:41.797,0:04:44.858
in one of the most culturally rich[br]and beautiful European cities

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which, let's face it, [br]is really not such a bad fate

0:04:47.649,0:04:51.017
for a fat kid from the Catskills[br]and Long Island.

0:04:51.017,0:04:52.167
(Laughter)

0:04:52.167,0:04:54.167
I do believe the sound on this instrument

0:04:54.168,0:04:56.827
is much more interesting[br]than the sound of my own voice.

0:04:56.828,0:04:59.497
So I'd like to share with you[br]one of my favorite pieces

0:04:59.498,0:05:01.479
which is from the classical period,

0:05:01.480,0:05:06.168
which is from the composer[br]Johann Baptist Wanhal.

0:05:06.168,0:05:10.368
Both, the piece and this instrument,

0:05:11.849,0:05:15.449
were created just about the year 1770.

0:05:15.829,0:05:18.479
(Double bass music notes)

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(Double bass music from the "Double Bass[br]Concerto in D Major" starts)

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(Double bass music ends)

0:06:36.652,0:06:38.193
(Applause)

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Thank you.

0:06:40.681,0:06:41.981
(Applause)