 |
I
would work from 06h00 - 14h00. I started to study at Marymount College
and at the Mannes College of Music. I studied acoustics as well as studying
the contrabass with Mr. Julius Levine. Studying with Julius Levine gave
me another insight into how, for example, I began to approach the music
with much more emphasis on my stroke and tone. My concentration, in
repertoire, was Vivaldi Sonatas, Bach, Handel and of course Orchestral
works.
I discovered the American contrabassist Gary Karr in this period. In
particular, I liked his version of Maurice Ravel's "Piece en forme de
Habanera". I still admire Gary Karr's tremolo.
He has great control.
One
must remember that in this period, to buy
a set of strings was an experience in itself because "steel" strings
were just beginning to come into vogue. A contrabass player had to buy
his strings by "gage."
I played "gut" strings on the D and G strings
and "rapped" strings on the E and A. Therefore one had to really pay
attention to each register of the instrument and Julius Levine helped
me immensely in this regard. The problem was that the "gut" strings
became harder and harder to find so I finally had to make the switch
to steel.
|