From jazz to classical?

[jude4312]

Hi Patrick, my name is Jude Kim.
I've been jazz bass player for most of my playing years, but recently have grown extremely fond of joining the orchestra as a section bassist. I don't have a resume that outlines any of the classical field. I've BM for jazz and MM for jazz as well. I'm wondering how I can involve myself into the scene toward becoming an orchestra player. Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Jude

 

[PNeher]

It really shouldn't matter what genre of music you are best at... if you can play the bass well, you can play in any genre. That said, I realize we have our specialties. Orchestral players often PooPoo soloists, Classical players PooPoo jazzers, etc. We are all bassists! It seems to me that, especially in bass, the opportunities to cross genres, and be adept at all, is readily possible. So, all you need to do is play the music, in as best a manner as you can. To understand the styles is always a challenge. We often haven't enough time to focus on any genre enough to really understand and "get" the style (you know: like Streisand singing Classical or Carter doing Bach or me doing Mingus!). So, do your listening and study, take lessons and really get the style of Beethoven over Haydn over Mozart. Understand Brahms vs. Mahler or (even) Bruckner. Then when you have the "swing" of these styles, you can figure out the technique to apply, and that will make you competitive in the orchestral world.
Best of luck to you!!!
PN