18 Lektionen / 18 Lessons-The long awaited Sassmannshaus method Early Start on the Double Bass is now here. At last students of the largest instrument in the string family can make use of this tried and tested method for beginners developed by Egon Sassmannshaus for the other string instruments and applied here to the double bass by Holger Sassmannshaus and J. Peter Close. This method will meet the needs of the growing number of young bass students. “Early Start on the Double Bass” encompasses everything that one would expect from a Sassmannshaus method: an easy start progression at a suitable rate many cross-references to the other string instruments songsand scales in different positions from early on as well as many duets. Lively and colourful illustrations by Charlotte Panowsky complete the edition. For more than three decades “The Sassmannshaus Tradition” has been the household name for excellence in beginner string methods in German-speaking countries. The English editions for violin viola and violoncello which were introduced to the international market in 2008 have proven to be very successful particularly in the United States. Kids to the Bass!While children learning other string instruments can start as early as the age of four the appropriate age to begin the double bass is approximately eight (possibly even six); this allows for a faster progression than on the other string instruments and the method consists of only three volumes. The first volume will be published separately in an English and a German edition; the following two volumes will have German and English text in each book. Original compositions by Boguslaw Furtok enrich the volumes. Based on the tried-and-tested Sassmannshaus methods for violin viola and cello Volume 1: Separate editions in German and English Volumes 2 and 3: Bilingual German/English editions Moderate increase in difficulty Position playing duets Includes new original compositions by B. Furtok Volume 3 with piano accompaniments to 7 pieces The authorsHolger Sassmannshaus is a double bass player with the Niederrheinische Sinfoniker in

The international fame of bass player François Rabbath acknowledges both the untiring teacher author of a Nouvelle technique de la contrebasse which a whole generation of students desirous of freeing themselves from the fetters of traditional teaching has taken up and the inspired soloist unsparing of himself in concert. For several years now he has become accustomed to spending a few days in the summer in Kansas City (Missouri) to give master classes and a concert there in the framework of the ‘KC BassFest’. In July 2016 a moving surprise awaited him: on the stage of the American Jazz Museum afull-length portrait was unveiled painted by local artist Ruthie Ingram from photos taken during his recital the previous year. By way of thanks Rabbath dedicated Trombes d’eau to her a solo piece lasting approximately six minutes composed at the instigation of the International Society of Bassists for the 2017 edition of the International Double Bass Competition. Conceived as a series of short variations on an impassioned theme the work emphasises evocative glissandi and explores double stopping and artificial harmonics without ever sacrificing the essential: the pleasure of musical expression.