A String Bass Master Class

L'Orchestre de Contrebasses — the pioneering French bass ensemble — discusses how they compose, arrange, and perform for multiple double basses in this workshop-style masterclass, recorded as a question-and-answer session with the group.

What's covered

• How a heavy metal-inspired piece for string basses came together: concept first, then adapting the rhythmic drive of the style to bowed string instruments
• Arranging for six basses in a classical section style — lead, section, and rhythm voices, like first and second violins in a string orchestra
• Doubling parts versus single-voice writing: when grouping two basses on a line projects better and makes the music clearer
• Putting melody and comping in the same register using different sounds and modes of playing so the parts don't interfere
• Bow technique and how written bowings shape both the sound and the visual spectacle of the show
• The group's history — how the ensemble formed and why nine players rotate through the band

A window into bass ensemble performance and arranging from a group with decades of touring experience, useful for bassists interested in writing for bass sections or playing beyond traditional jazz and classical boundaries.