Robert Oppelt's Website

Welcome to my website!

I am the Principal Bassist with the National Symphony Orchestra, the resident orchestra of the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C. I intend this website to be a portal of information about the art of bass playing. Drawing on 26 years experience, I will post advice that might aid musicians who are in the early stages of their career. I invite email exchanges and will post those of interest to the bass community at-large. Also, on this site I give more detailed information about my CD, The Double Bass, which was released in December of 2006.

Being a member of the National Symphony Orchestra has been a rewarding experience. I've enjoyed tours to many interesting parts of the world, such as Asia, the Baltics, Europe, Russia, the Philippines, and South America. My 13 years with Mstislav Rostropovich as Music Director amounted to a front row seat at one of the "greatest shows on earth". His personal charisma and profound musicianship won him access to many corridors of power, and hearing him play the cello countless times indelibly influenced my approach to musical expression. Most importantly, I've been privileged to sit in the middle of a fine orchestra, awash in the sounds of the greatest music ever written...

Let me start by stating the obvious about playing the bass: it is really "cool". There's not much that compares to the full-body massage one gets when drawing out some of the lowest tones on the planet. And when you get together with your buddies in a symphony orchestra to "crank out" the bass parts of Brahms, Bruckner, Dvorak, Mahler, Strauss, Tchaikowsky, and Wagner, it's tremendous fun.

But how can one make a career of it? Well, there's no easy answer. For sure, it requires dedication and perseverance.

Auditioning for an orchestra is very competitive. There might be upwards of 100 bassists vying for one position, most players not making it out of the preliminaries. Increasingly, I tell my students to be well-rounded, to be prepared in case they don't make it to the "big show". This might mean broadening their studies to include administration, composition, music history, or teaching. One should also not rule out education in a field other than music to secure a means of employment.

If one doesn't make it into a major symphony orchestra, there are still possibilities for a rewarding life in music as a professional or semi-professional performer. Known as freelancing, it means not being dependent upon any one musical ensemble for work. Many freelancers even prefer the variety of "gigs" to the idea of playing with the same group all the time. There are some downsides, however, like in order to get an engagement you might have to wait for the contractor to call (which can be disheartening when they don't). And, you might log a lot of time on the road in your car (which can be taxing for you and your vehicle). Finally, it's not very lucrative unless you land a long-running broadway show or a block-buster movie sound track.

I've given a little straight talk in parental fashion (two children!). I don't want to discourage anyone, but, it's important for young musicians to know what they might be facing. Pursue your dreams (as I did), but get the best available advice, training, and education along the way...

Good luck!

E-mail Post (always anonymous)

Hello Bob,
Thanks for giving me a couple of short lessons at the 2008 Summer Workshop. I had a follow-up question about holding the bow. I was looking at the Get A Grip article on your website and was wondering which number grip was the one you showed me. 11 looks the closest, but 8 also seems a little similar.

I was definitely trying to introduce you to no.11, the grip I prefer. Just to comment more on the differences with no. 8 - you can see that no. 8 has the stick set more in the bottom of the "trough" that exists between the thumb and the first finger and that the thumb runs more along the length of the stick. This forces the wrist to bend too much, which also strains the arm and shoulder a bit as they try to accomodate it. In no. 11, the stick rests more on or toward the joint of the first finger (which is quite firm) and it is evidenced by a small gap between the side of the thumb and the stick. The thumb itelf is more on a 45 degree angle across the stick rather than along it.

The effect is really just changing the orientation of the stick to the hand and arm, bringing it a few degrees more toward 90 degrees, and it also effectively lengthens your bow arm by removing some of it's curve. The straighter arm and wrist are stronger but more relaxed, and the power transfer is more direct. As I said, the thumb might want to slide off at first, but should hold place in a couple of weeks.

Most students of German bow have the bent wrist and arm and hold their elbow up high. It causes strain and they really can't draw the bow straight. The arm, in my opinion, should basically keep the bend and orientation that is normal when your arm hangs by your side. Just lift the whole arm up and that's what your bow arm should look like, for the most part.

Good luck with it, and I'd be happy to answer any more questions.

The 2008 Summer Bass Workshop was a blast! I was impressed by the concentration and dedication of the students, regardless of age. (The two youngest players were 9 years old!) George Vance presided with efficiency - everything ran like clockwork. The parents were also wonderful, some of them helping to run it.

On the bass side of things, it was a smorgasbord! Every day, there were three master classes with the "teachers", a recital for the students, two classes with Francois Rabbath, and an evening recital performance by the teachers. The teachers were: George Vance, myself, Ali Yazdanfar, Etienne La France, Tracy Rowell, and Tony Bianco.

Rabbath played a virtuoso recital in front of an adoring audience, and was well received by the Washington Post. He had fallen just before the recital, injuring his left hand, so we were all quite concerned. He courageously prevailed!

Most of the students there follow the Rabbath and Vance methods. The emphasis is on proper position of the instrument and starting out in thumb position where the notes are closer together and the arms fall naturally. The harmonics in that area also aid facility.

Though I have not immersed myself in the Rabbath/Vance methods, I can see the merit of it. Thumb position has traditionally been the last hurdle, but this method will grow a crop of kids who are confident up there. I know the methods address the lower positions, too, but I did find most of the students lagging in that area. I had every one of the 43 students start with a scale, and almost no one could play it in tune; most could not do it with an effective spiccato in sixteenth notes. This is not a criticism of the method, just a reminder to all bassists that a high standard of intonation has to be met in every register, and that they should try to get the bow off the string more often.

I am grateful to Mr. Vance for allowing me to participate. The students were hungry for information and they left with very full stomachs!