A humorous introduction to the double bass | Bret Simner | TEDxBasel

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Why is a double bass called a double bass? Bret Simner shares his history with the instrument and beautifully plays a piece by Johann Baptist Vanhal on his classical double bass - both music and instrument were created around 1770.

Bret Simner is a native of Queens, New York, and a graduate of the Juilliard School. An early music specialist, he has studied at preeminent music schools across Europe and North America. He currently serves as principal bassist of Barockorchester Cantus Firmus. He has appeared as a guest lecturer and soloist on the Viennese bass, and in ensemble work in the US and across Europe. He lives in Basel with his wife and son.

Show of hands -

how many of you in the audience today
know what a double bass is?

Of those people, how many of you
can actually describe one

without saying "that big thing"?

(Laughter)

Already a smaller percentage
of the general population.

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

To do so, we'll start with the violin.

Everybody knows what a violin is

even if you live in a little cave,
you come out now and again,

and most likely, you've bumped into
a violin some way or another.

You probably also know what a cello is.

Maybe you even know the instrument
between a violin and a cello

called a viola.

If you don't, however,
you really shouldn't beat yourself up.

Those able to differentiate a violin

from either viola
or a stick mixer for that matter

is already a rather small percentage
of the general population.

The double bass is the lowest
of the orchestral string instruments:

that being violin, viola,
cello, double bass respectively.

Outside of the orchestra,
basses can also be found

in jazz bands, blues ensembles,
combos, Klezmer bands

and various other musical constellations.

Within the orchestra,

the bass is played bowed,

either overhand or the French hold,

or underhand or the German hold,

or as the Germans themselves
like to call it "the correct hold."

(Laughter)

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

has more often than not
to do with what our teachers played

and what their teachers played
and so on and so on.

By the way, in case you're wondering

why the instrument
is called the double bass,

it is not because it is twice
as big as a normal bass,

which, if you hang out with bass players,

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

but it is rather to signify

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

What does this instrument sound like?

At first glance, the sound
we expect from a bass

is something along the lines of...

(Double bass music)

That's fine and interesting,

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

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

and known ...

(Double bass notes
from the "Jaws" theme song)

Trivia for today:

a former teacher of mine
actually was the bass player for "Jaws."

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

"You wouldn't believe it.
I got paid today to play two notes."

(Laughter)

Both of those contexts
aren't really much more

than we would expect to hear from a tuba.

If there are any tubists in the audience,

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

but let's be honest;

when preparing this talk,

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

(Laughter)

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

I actually wouldn't be
standing here today.

The biggest distinction of my youth

was that of being one
of the two fattest kids

in my elementary school and high school.

So the question is:
what do you do with the fat kid

to keep him from watching
"Knight Rider" reruns all day?

Well, you hand him a trombone,

and if he gets any fatter,
which I unfortunately did,

then you hand him a tuba.

I played both, but unfortunately,
practiced neither.

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

that actually interested me
enough to practice it,

and eventually attend the conservatory
in New York, and then eventually decide,

"Well, the classical music
isn't narrow enough.

The bass isn't narrow enough.

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

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

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

the move was a bit
of a gastronomic masochism.

(Laughter)

The upside is that I now get to live

in one of the most culturally rich
and beautiful European cities

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

for a fat kid from the Catskills
and Long Island.

(Laughter)

I do believe the sound on this instrument

is much more interesting
than the sound of my own voice.

So I'd like to share with you
one of my favorite pieces

which is from the classical period,

which is from the composer
Johann Baptist Wanhal.

Both, the piece and this instrument,

were created just about the year 1770.

(Double bass music notes)

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

(Double bass music ends)

(Applause)

Thank you.

(Applause)