“Allied Music Teen Band”

Last September I wrangled up some high school students and got them together to start a band. It was based on a platform that we started at Amp Camp in 2013, but with… Continue reading →

Transcribing

I always made transcribing too hard for myself. I would spend a lot of time writing it out and transcribing things that were super cool, but way above my skill level and I’d… Continue reading →

“Bass Church”

I started “Bass Church” in September to help engage students w/things that I really wanted them to learn, but we never had enough time to do during a private lesson. The rate at… Continue reading →

Memorizing standards, failures, and developing a deeper love for jazz (and double bass)

I had spent roughly ten years beating my head against the wall trying to memorize standards to grow as a jazz bassist, but I was at the mercy of what worked for others.… Continue reading →

It’s raining in the Swedish woods, there are horses hanging out, and the Bobo Stenson trio is performing (Anders Jormin intro from another planet!!!).

This particular video is one of the most exquisite bass performances that I have seen. And living in Montana I don’t get to see a lot of things live so the world of… Continue reading →

Larry Grenadier and Scott Colley with Frank Woeste

These two videos are so stinking good. I thought that if you are into some nice heart music that involves two of my favorite instruments together, this would be the place to hang… Continue reading →

Inspiration from chef Darren Svee. (1977-2017)

When I was nineteen I was torn between wanting to pursue the life of a musician and the life of a chef. I had been working in restaurants for four years by then… Continue reading →

Getting some Headspace.

I have recently been meditating and it has been a very good thing. Tonight will be my eighty-first day in a row sitting down and trying my damnedest to be still and centered. It… Continue reading →

How one teacher can change your life (Mr. Sandford)

I hope everyone has a story about how out of the blue someone has redirected and inspired their life. For years I regularly think about how fortunate I was to have Mr. (Tim) Sandford in my… Continue reading →

One Year with out Alcohol. Whelp, that went by fast…

January 1/20/16 There were no big slip ups or falls off the wagon. No real side effects or feelings of being left out socially. The most amazing thing, and I am not just trying… Continue reading →

An interesting musical opportunity, for me?

It’s been a long summer (it’s well into the dead of winter now).  But the summer was  spent playing, practicing, and writing a lot of fulfilling music; spending time with the family before our… Continue reading →

Oh, Keef… I am constantly Jealous of you (and inspired).

It all started with me watching the Keith Richards documentary on Netflix (mind blown). Then I read his book and listened to each album as it was discussed in the book, which gave those albums… Continue reading →

This speaker got up in front of everyone to introduce the band. You won’t believe what happens next…

    “…And leading the group for tonight on Bass, Parker Brown!” Seriously! Not even joking! This happened to me at a private gig about a week ago. The banquet speaker announced the… Continue reading →

Six months and seven days with out alcohol…Talk amongst yourselves.

Well, I think I had more to say about 30 days with out than I do about six months, but it hasn’t been fruitless. Have I missed alcohol? There have definitely been nights–I… Continue reading →

Insecurities? What insecurities?

I have been convicted of a crime: being insecure. Yes, I know. You might ask, “how could this be?” I will just shake my head and answer back, “I know…I know…it’s a shame.”… Continue reading →

Inspiration’s corner: Matt Smiley

I was laying in bed after a long day and feeling the pressures of social media knocking at my cerebral door–It was Matt Smiley’s birthday and I hadn’t sent him an oh-s0-very-important birthday… Continue reading →

Transcribe Tuesday — The head from “The Big Fat Hen” written by Jon Hamar

I transcribe a lot for my students, but I don’t get a ton of time to really work out things that players do that inspires me. I started working on this tune last… Continue reading →

31 days with out Alcohol…talk amongst yourselves.

I decided that I would use the new year as a catalyst to start a journey into a life without alcohol. I have been drinking since I was in the eighth grade with… Continue reading →

Video: Spending time in the Charlie Parker Omni Book for bass.

A couple of years ago when I started really studying the bass, I bought a bass clef version of the Omni Book of Charlie Parker’s tunes. I wasn’t really good enough to play… Continue reading →

A love letter for the cello player….

More often than not when I am playing double bass in public someone will make a mistake and unabashedly call the double bass a cello. I typically don’t correct them any more. I… Continue reading →

Why I play music (I think); the Inner Game not just for tennis players, it’s for everyone!

I had a teacher that told me to read this book. They hadn’t read it, but I learned that the things that this teacher didn’t do, but suggested, became more important to my… Continue reading →

George Vance and a refreshing change to my technique

I am kind of doing some house cleaning on some posts I want to do: About a year and a half ago one of my defining learning moments as a bassist happened as… Continue reading →

Video String demo between Thomastik Belcanto and Pirastro Evah Pirazzi (weichs)

I recently went to Hammond Ashley in Seattle, WA and purchased a new bass (more on that soon!). I have been using Thomastik-Infeld Belcanto strings for the last two years and so I had… Continue reading →

In Memory of Ralph Sappington

Today marks the anniversary of Ralph Sappington’s death. I think of Ralph often, especially since I started attending Rocky Mountain College two and a half years ago where he was the jazz band… Continue reading →

How to prepare for your junior recital…

This is a big moment for me, and this blog for that matter. I have been preparing for my junior recital, and that means a lot more than just practicing my material. In… Continue reading →

Bass Book Review ii: Boundaries with kids…really, with myself.

I have been giving the idea of boundaries quite a bit of thought lately, which was spurned by thinking about how to approach this book review. I felt strange with the way that… Continue reading →

My best blogging year yet! It’s fun to see where the viewers come from!

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2013 annual report for this blog. Here’s an excerpt: A New York City subway train holds 1,200 people. This blog was viewed about 4,300 times in… Continue reading →

Book Review: The Music Lesson – Victor L. Wooten

I started re-reading The Music Lesson by Victor L. Wooten, the bassist for Bela Fleck and the Flecktones, as well as master clinician and solo artist, a couple of weeks ago. A student of… Continue reading →

Three hundred and sixty-four days, and sixteen hours ago (and learning how to say no).

Almost one year ago, I was sitting in this chair and working on some transposing exercises for my Instrumental Methods class and my wife went into labor; three hours later we had a… Continue reading →

My vow to you: No texting whilst driving.

I have been away for a while and generating some more things to write about and I have been super busy lately with school starting again, reading, practicing, playing and hanging with family.… Continue reading →