This week I’m Talking Bass with the wonderful Ariane Cap!
Ariane Cap – Music Theory Maestro (for bass)
Ariane is author of the best selling book Music Theory For The Bass Player and is a very prominent figure in online music education from both her own website and the SBL academy.
She’s also very active as a gigging bass player in her adopted home of California. As well as conventional bass duties, Ariane also performs in more experimental settings as a soloist and sole accompaniment within various duos.
So sit back and relax while we Talk Bass with the wonderful Ariane Cap.
Ariane Cap Links:
Ari’s Bass Blog: https://arisbassblog.com/
Ari’s Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/CapCatBass/
This is a great interview! Thanks Mark.
Ariane talking about her early training in classical piano was very interesting. A lot of what she talked about resonated with me – especially the focus on not breaking the rules. I guess that does make sense with respect to accurately reproducing classical music, but where is the growth in this? I remember taking a music appreciation course in university about thirty years ago. The instructor was a concert pianist who really drove home a point that there is “serious music” (ie. Classical) and then there is jazz which was somewhat respectable, and then everything else (ie. “non-serious” music). The Beatles did get a nod from the instructor for their song “Eleanor Rigby” because it is set to a string quartet! I recognized right then and there that there is a whole culture of musical elitism and nerdiness that exists – especially within universities and conservatories.
I was also intrigued by Mark admitting that he started out on organ. When I was about 11 or 12 I played organ for a couple of years. I never really enjoyed organ so I did not stick with it. The experience actually turned me off of learning music for several decades! Mark’s point about learning to read music in both treble and bass clef and actually getting some experience with bass through the organ’s pedals is well met. I never looked at my experience with the organ in this way until watching this interview. Thanks for providing me with a whole new perspective Mark!