Double Bass and Beyond - Gary Upton of Upton Bass
Double Bass and Beyond - Gary Upton of Upton Bass
Audition Alchemy - Crafting Success for Bassists and Bikers with Gary
Have you ever wondered what it takes to nail a major bass audition? Join me, Gary, as I unlock the secrets to audition success and share stories from my own journey in bike racing. You'll learn how sticking to your trusted equipment can save you from unnecessary stress, why visualization is a game-changer, and how a calm, focused mindset can make all the difference. I'll also reveal the powerful impact of positive mantras and the essential skill of quickly moving past mistakes for a stellar performance. This episode promises to equip you with practical strategies that can dramatically improve your audition technique.
Feel the buzz of anticipation with me as we eagerly await the results of the principal bass position at the Boston Symphony Orchestra. With numerous highly talented musicians vying for this prestigious spot, the competition is fierce and unpredictable. I share my excitement and personal favorites, eagerly speculating on who will rise to the occasion under pressure. This episode is a celebration of talent, resilience, and the remarkable journey of these incredible bassists. Stay tuned to experience the thrill and passion of this pivotal moment in the bass community. Thanks for joining me!
Hey guys, welcome. So it's Gary here and I wanted to do a little flow on some upcoming auditions that I hear are very, very important in the bass community. For example, the principal bass position at the Boston Symphony Orchestra is available and towards the end of the year there are so many bassistsists great bassists that I speak to and you might hear this podcast and say, oh, my goodness, you know he's going to disclose something about me absolutely not, I'd never do that and I'm very fortunate in my position to get to talk to you guys about. You know the nuts and bolts of what you do and the instruments you use for these auditions and you know helping you make sure you don't have problems with your setup and your strings and body things that are going on, with bases and most of the basis that I know that I'm referring to have numerous instruments to pick from and you know, as we do, just like racing I used to race bikes and you know, before you go to the race, you, you know, as we do, just like racing, I used to race bikes and you know, before you go to the get into is, you know, don't throw everything in the air and change 27 different things during these times where you really want to shine and have a day that's amazing and focus on just going and doing your job. That is really what I found when I was really successful racing bikes Sorry to refer to such a silly thing, but you kind of geek out, you get those pre-race jitters, you get those pre-audition jitters and you start perhaps going from Spyro cores or Belcantos to some Corellis, to this and that, and it's like man, you know what works, you know what you've been using.
Speaker 1:You know you've been playing some of you in amazing situations and none of that stuff has ever mattered. You know we're splitting microns over here and we need to remember that whatever makes us most comfortable, so circling back the thing that makes us most comfortable, the thing we know that works, and relaxing into that feeling is what actually makes us shine our best. So you know, when we're thinking about audition days like this very significant audition days for, you know, a position that is coveted by so many bass players it's all about doing your job. You know we're not looking to. You know, get that different string or that different setup, or flip around on the bases that you might use or have used, or try this bow or use that bow. They're not listening to that and I know that that does give you something to focus on. That's one of my big points. You get to hyper-f, focus on this piece of gear. You know you have this bow from this maker or the string from this maker and that's your jitters. Your jitters actually want something to get anxious about. And if you start visualizing right now that audition day and this can apply to anyone going to college that wants to audition for college or a smaller symphony, or you're going to go play at an open mic Envision before the mindset, see yourself the end result and work backwards from there. That's the superpower. Many of us musicians are a DD. That's the superpower of a DD your ability to visualize your success and work backwards from there.
Speaker 1:And, as with many a DDS, if you can look past the finer details, you can think about step four. Maybe forget step three and two. You know where you are today, that's step one and you know where. Where you are today, that's step one. And you know where you want to be that's step four. Step two and three might be you fiddling with your bass. It might be you fiddling with your bow. It might be that re-hair and if you can really focus on your successful day and what that day looks like. On your successful day and what that day looks like.
Speaker 1:Remember, we are most susceptible to reprogramming our subconscious mind in the early hours when we wake up and the late hours before we go to bed. You need to find yourself mantras during those times that are believable, and we're not looking for knocks. I will not mess up. The subconscious mind hears mess up, mess up, mess up, mess up. It's like driving in a snowstorm. Don't drive off the road. Next thing you know, boom, the car's down in a ditch. I'll drive safely. I'll drive straight. I'll drive carefully. Focus on what you want, don't focus on what you don't want. You need to think about that audition day, the greatness of what you're going to do, how great you're going to sound, and the more and more you pull on those feelings of ease and comfort and just doing your job. Show up, unzip that bass bag, tune the bass, rosin the bow, tighten the bow and play the music. Measure by measure, note by note, and when and if you hear yourself mess up, continue on. The best thing you can do to destroy a great audition is make a simple mistake and let that cloud. You're playing for the rest of your audition. You have to let it go. There's nothing you can do about the past.
Speaker 1:Will Smith, there's a great quote I believe it's in like I am legend or something like that where he says fear of the future essentially is an imaginary thing. Right, you might fear that your roof's going to leak or you're going to get in a car crash or a loved one's going to die or you're going to break your leg. This is imaginary. These concepts of what might happen and what could happen are imaginary. And he says in this movie it's literally insanity, fearing all the potential things that could go wrong.
Speaker 1:As I sit here in Connecticut and mystic Connecticut right now, speaking, looking out the window, we could have an earthquake. It's not typical, but what I could do is live my whole day focusing on the potential of the earthquake. And you know I need to start laying the bases down in the showroom and perhaps, if you want to come, play the bases. I'm sorry, I'm preparing for the earthquake. And next thing, you know it's been a month, it's been two months, it's been six months and I haven't sold anyone any bases, because you know this earthquake's coming and maybe one comes someday, but beginning to live my life in the fear of this. You know alternate reality of the future, just like the next measure that you have to play. If I can focus on, everything's good and there's not another pandemic coming and there's not another recession coming and we're moving forward. We're having a good time. My tools are good. You fiddling on those tools? That is you doubting if the tools you're using are right. So I offer this.
Speaker 1:I've spoken to dozens of players that are going to audition soon with the BSO and you're not going to get to shake hands. You're not going to get to talk about who you are. You are going to sit behind a screen and play your bass and be judged for your ability and, with that in mind, the guy that rips it is the guy that rips it, and that's what I mean by that, is the person that shows up free and confident and, in his mind or her mind, solid and comfortable and happy. This is the person that will show who they are and, at the end of the day, you want to show who you are. You're not looking to disguise who you are. You're not looking to fluke through just one little audition and then end up sitting in the section and not be able to fill the role.
Speaker 1:You need to be who you are. You need to be real, and so I throw this at you as a thought process. It's something I try to employ every day of my life really just to be present, be who I am, not let the past dictate my future and not let my future and the potential different directions my future could go bad, based upon past experiences cloud my judgment and my ability to move forward. Ability to move forward, it is truly all about your mindset and sticking to the things that you know work and really just digging into them. So, just a little bit of a oversight, and I'm excited for all of my friends and all the awesome energy that's going to go into this audition coming up.
Speaker 1:It's a big, exciting one in the bass world and I can't wait to hear who goes in and, ultimately, who's the most relaxed and shows what they can do. Because I can't wait to hear who goes in and, ultimately, who's the most relaxed and shows what they can do. Because I can tell you, if I had to pick from the people that I know that are going up to that audition, I've already got five guys that they all deserve the job. They're amazing, amazing, they all deserve the job, and there's probably 15 more that are just as good. So let's see what happens and I'll talk to you soon. Thanks for listening.