Thursday, November 15, 2007

Caution: Bass Player at work!

Here is M on her new bass! She studied Suzuki violin for 6 years and this year decided to switch to bass and loves it. She had her first orchestra performance last week and really shone. A lot of her musical skills and talents are transferring very well to this huge instrument- and this is only a 1/4 size bass! The orchestra program and facilities at her public middle school are really impressive. The great thing for me is that she can take private lessons DURING SCHOOL--- no more afternoons dragging around to lessons! And she's more independent in her practice since I've not heard the instruction and therefore can't nag about what she should be doing. I do have to still pay for the lesson and instrument rental though.

By the way, in the background you will see our new fireplace and bookshelves. cje did all the tiling and woodwork himself. I did the shopping (no small feat) for the tile, stone, etc. Also, you'll see my red recliner in it's natural habitat.

Next installment: J on piano!

5 comments:

Jacki said...

What a great instrument to learn! I want to get Brooks an upright for Christmas. Do you know any good (aka inexpensive) places to find a good bass?

claire said...

jacki, I didn't know Brooks played bass! I've seen some for sale locally on Craig's list (you have to sort through all the bass drum and guitar listings too).Inexepensive is all relative when it comes to a bass... I've seen them for less than a k online, but I'm not sure how good they could be. Locally, try Baldwin Violins (and tell them I sent you- it's M's previous violin teacher where I bought all her violins) or Terry with W.H. Lee, where I've rented M's for $60 a month. Her teacher says it's the best quality fractional instrument she's seen and they were great to work with. FYI- I've learned a lot of adults use a 3/4 size since it's easier to transport than a full size bass. lemurmusic.com is a great place for higher quality instruments according to her teacher. Good luck!

wendy_d23 said...

Very impressive. Maybe you guys can start a band.

I really like the fireplace, I didn't realize you guys did all that yourself, though I should have known. Looks great, (though it was VERY toasty to sit by the fire!)

claire said...

Yeah, we are working on adjusting the temperature.... intalling it ourselves has the drawback of no-one to call and come fix it if it's not working right!

Jacki said...

Thanks Claire! I will keep an eye out.