Matthew Wengerd's Weblog

My personal blog can be found here.

This is the Laborie endpin I recently had installed on my 2003 Solano Klotz. It is installed at a 44 degree angle from verticle and can be installed straight back (perpendicular to the back) or angled “out” (from the player’s feet). I elected to get mine set straight back because this is the way it’s invetors, Francois Rabbath and Christian Laborie, intended it.

The advantage of the Laborie is that it moves the bass’ point of balance closer to or behind the center of gravity, lessening the perceived weight of the bass on your left hand. Rabbath, a French bow player, advocates a whole system, including a small, sloped-shoulder bass (such as the Queniol), the Laborie endpin, French bow, and an open stance.

I, however, don’t have any of this besides the endpin. Instead, I play German bow on the largest bass I have ever seen and have a mid-stance (not too closed, not too open). The primary benefit I see with the Laborie is my ability to enter Thumb Position (TP) easily while standing. It also means I don’t need to haul a stool around anymore!

You can read more about Rabbath here

I will be meeting with Chuck Owen and Dave Stamps next Wednseday to discuss the details of my Graduate Assistantship with the Center for Jazz Composition at USF. I am quite looking forward to my time with the Center and believe that it may open as-of-yet unimagined possibilities for my future.

placement auditions coming soon.

Not only have I submitted my vaccination records (am I some sort of domestic animal?), but I am registered and ready to go!

I have discovered a new (to me) double bass blog and am amazed by this video:

More later.

I cannot get ahold of my MMR records and am, therefore, unregistered at present. I have also found that my Assistantship (like all others, I presume) starts on the 7th! Almost three weeks before classes!

At least I’ll be enjoying myself.

This is the first of hopefully many entries chronicling my 2 year (hopefully no more) journey through the MM program in Jazz Performance at the University. This will be quite a different experience from my undergrad, four years at a small, slow-growing, less-than-demanding music program.

Now, I am married and and 25 miles from campus. I have real responsibilities and a lot of commitments. This may turn out to be a study in time management (whether it is effective time management or not will reveal itself in the future). In the meantime, I’ve got more practicing to do.