'Five movements well contrasted in style. A splendid addition to the library... should prove to be most useful to reasonably advanced players'. Making Music. Recorded by Beyer Breuer (FSM).Grade: Medium

25 Easy Pieces from 5 Centuries in half and 1st Position-The ‘Easy Concert Pieces’ series presents a varied selection of easy concert pieces for double bass and piano from the Renaissance Baroque and Classical periods through to the modern era. To facilitate choosing individual pieces for performance and auditions at music schools competitions or examinations these pieces have been ordered according to level of musical and technical difficulty.Book 1 (ED 22551) contains pieces in half and first position. Pieces in each position and some using position changes are presented from each era. Simple techniques such as portato staccato and legato bowing are introduced along with pizzicato using rudimentary dynamics rangingfrom piano to forte crescendo and decrescendo and simple phrasing. The pieces selected here are varied in character with memorable tunes a few different time signatures and simple rhythms.Book 2 (ED 22552) in preperation.

Commissioned by Cheshire Libraries and Museums Services for Gary Karr. Benstead is an English composer who has written much music for Janet Smith and Dancers. The four movements Prelude Conversation Piece Lament and Finale are rhythmic and melodic. Duration c. 15'. Grade: 8

Written for David Heyes as part of his 'Fizz at 50' project. 'Gerty Goat Scuffer' (in case you wondered) is one of many nick-names we had for a much loved family dog - officially named 'Heavy Hetty' from a character in an imaginative children's book of that name. In my youth as a composition student at the RAM I discovered that walking a dog for an hour a day is the anti-dote to the long hours required as a composer 'sat you yer bum' writing at a desk and (in those pre-computer years) writing endless parts out by hand. First of these 'best friends' was a glorious Gordon Setter called 'Sophie' (my first love) who accompanied Pat and I on our honeymoon acrossScotland. Thirty years later we were privileged to enjoy the company of three therapeutic beasts; 'Merlin' (a prize winning Pyrenean Mountain Dog) 'Gael' (an over energetic Scottish Border Collie) and 'Hetty' (a unique cross between a Pyrenean Mountain Dog and a St. Bernard - something of a 'kennel-maid's Accident'). Hetty (see picture) is unfortunately no longer with us now. She had an extraordinary puppy-hood that left her with titanium plates holding her back legs together. Hetty was surprisingly active though right through to the age of nearly 10 - speciality: chasing Pheasants in the grounds at Strathmashie - but she became progressively hampered by arthritis and 'scuffed along' on her vast hairy pads with a swagger. She also used to remind our children of a mountain goat. Songs have been written about her but this is the first instrumental work that she has inspired! The pervading thematic motive of the piece (heard from the outset) cheekily alludes to an (over) famous Saint-Saëns work for double bass (but no insult is intended to Hetty!). The increasingly roving tonality and unusually sudden shifts of key combined with the use of jazz chords combines to present a short but heartfelt tribute to a unique animal that provided untold pleasure to all she came into contact with simply by just being

A Tear-A beautiful and poignant lament which is ideally suited to the double bass. Originally for cello this new edition returns to the cello version [Theme & Variations] adding an extended (but optional) piano introduction and demonstrates the dark and soulful colours of the solo double bass. Long flowing phrases allow the intermediate bassist to demonstrate both musical and technical accomplishment in an accessible range of the instrument. The soulful and wistful melody transcribes beautifully for double bass allowing the instrument to display its bel canto and lyrical capabilities. A three bar section towards the end of the piece is playable as written or anocatve higher giving bassists the opportunity to play high harmonics within a beautiful and evocative melody. This is an ideal study or recital work with its supportive and pulsing accompaniment and has been one of Recital Music's bestsellers since it was published. Une Larme is also available for solo double bass and string orchestra accompaniment - please contact the publishers for further details. Grade 7 - Trinity-Guildhall / ABRSM / LCM / MTB Exams (www.mtbexams.com) 

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.

for String Quartet op. 35a-Josef Suk played second Violin in the Bohemian String Quartet. Since 1914 the ensemble was obliged to perform the Austrian national anthem at the opening of every concert. Suk decided to supplement this obligatory piece with a work inspired by the ancient sacred Bohemian St. Wenceslas hymn. The hymn?s message a plea for the well-being of the Czech people directed at their patron saint was immediately understood by the audience.The Bohemian String Quartet performed this single-movement Meditation for the first time on 27 September 1914; the premiere of the version for string orchestra followed on 22 November 1914 played by the CzechPhilharmonic. That same year the piece was published by Fr. A. Urbánek together with arrangements for Piano and Organ.This first Urtext edition prepared by the Sukscholar Zdenek Nouza is published in two scorings one for string quartet and another for String Orchestra (BA9584). The orchestral version differs in some details and has an added part for Double Bass.First Urtext editionInformative trilingual Foreword (Cz/Eng/Ger) and Critical Commentary (Eng) by the editorTwo versions published in two separate editions

A collection of over 200 great Bluegrass Old Time Country and Gospel standards. Learn to play songs written and recorded by the giants of traditional American music: Bill Monroe The Stanley Brothers Flatt & Scruggs Ralph Stanley The Osborne Brothers Jimmy Martin Doc Watson and many more! Melodies are presented with a bass line lyrics and chords. Includes access to online audio that includes recordings of every song in the book! Also included: Valuable information on how to play bass plus step-by- step instruction on how to transpose any song to any key! We now have versions of The Parking Lot Picker's Songbook for every instrument in a typicalbluegrass band --- guitar mandolin banjo fiddle dobro and bass --- so every member no matter what instrument they play can work from the same collection of songs!      

16 funky pieces for the beginner Jazz Bass player with CD backing tracks and further listening suggestions. 2 Examples include 'Bass by the Bay' (Calypso 145 bpm - Listen to St. Thomas on Sonny Rollin's album 'Saxophone Collosus') and 'Ol' Orleans'(New Orleans Second Line feel 149 bpm - listen to Dr. John's album 'Gumbo').

Four Double Basses. 'A marvellous piece for inculcating good intonation in the young'. The Strad. A short lyrical quartet of medium diffilty showing the cantabile of the instrument to good advantage. Everyone has something to do but the first part is more challenging.Grade: Medium

A large-scale solo piece using the blues form and jazz language changing meters contrasting tempi and vocal sounds to fuse the jazz world with the world of concert music in a unique way. The composer is one of the world's foremost exponents of contemporary bass music. Duration c.4'.Grade: Advanced