The Bass

Scott Infusino

            I had played the alto saxophone for two years and was already sick of it.  The smelly reeds, the cacophony of the sixth grade band; it all disgusted me; having already giving up the violin, I was a bit unsure of what instrument would fit me.

“So what should I play?” I asked my best friend Jacob as we sat in the bus, teetering to its motion.

“Play the bass. It’s awesome!”

           “No,” replied Robert, “the cello is so much cooler.”

           “No, the bass is cooler.  It’s lower, bigger, and so much more fun to play.”

           Jacob had never played the cello, but for the purpose of argument, the bass was much cooler.  For a sixth grader, Jacob had pulled off a good enough argument to convince me to join him in the bass section.

Little did I know that a beast lay within the instrument that I called the bass—practicing.  A year after that bus ride with Jacob, I was at a private lesson playing Tempo di Polacca.  My teacher noticed my poor intonation and phrasing, and had me repeat a certain measure over and over again.  The expression on his face reminded me of the first time I tried wasabi, thinking it was delicious candy. 

“You must practice this on your own.  Play this spot over and over again,” my teacher insisted, pointing to a cluster of sixteenth notes.  He maintained a tone serious enough to let me know that I needed to work, yet friendly enough to ensure that I have fun with it.  He took my bass and bow and played the exact spot with perfect intonation and phrasing.  When he had finished, I could see the indentations of the strings on his fingers, intensely calloused from years of playing.  He gave me scales, arpeggios, etudes, and exercises to work on.  As a seventh grader, I did not like the idea of doing more work than I had to, and would rather have been playing The Legend of Zelda.  At the time, I did not see the point in practicing things that weren’t my solo pieces.  Despite my reluctance, I followed my bass teacher’s instructions.

At first I hated practicing all of the arpeggios, etudes, and exercises.  It seemed like a hopeless cause.  But then I saw the light: my bass teacher showed me how all solo pieces are simply different patterns of scales and arpeggios, and that the exercises immersed me in their patterns.  His insight inspired me to practice with an unparalleled ferocity and eagerness, reaping remarkable results.

I realized that the bass’s ability to express emotion.  Unlike the other instruments I had tried, the bass conveyed a range of human feelings that I had never experienced before seriously practicing.  The first time I heard Rachmaninov’s Vocalise played on the bass, my heart swelled and became heavy with an unbearable weight of emotion; hearing and performing Vivaldi’s last movement of Summer filled me with an unrestrained joy. I could play a light, cheerful, melodious tune, and in a few bow strokes work into a dark and ferocious theme.

My sound, intonation, and expression improved dramatically.  The beast had transformed into something much tamer.  I knew that my practicing was contributing to my understanding of the bass and music in general.  I could practice with confidence, knowing that my hard work was leading to something that I valued greatly.

Now that I have come to enjoy practicing, my passion for the bass and music has only increased.  The instrument has opened up a world of emotions and expressions that I once considered dull and boring.  Classical music has become one of my favorite genres.  Now, whenever I hear music, whether contemporary or classical, I listen for arpeggios, scales, and other musical devices that I have learned because of my passion for the bass. 

Practicing was the beast, and it is still very intense, but it is something that I have come to love.  I had listened to my bass teacher’s advice and I realize that sometimes I should ignore my initial judgments and give different activities a deserving chance.  Practicing is now an integral part of my life, and has opened the door to so many new ways of thinking.  I love practicing, and am so glad that I listened to my bass teacher and took it seriously.