Interview with Phoebe Russell

In this interview, Phoebe Russell, principal double bassist of the Queensland Symphony Orchestra, talks all things left hand technique. In our discussion, topics include thumb position, block positioning and her expressive use of vibrato. Throughout the video, Phoebe demonstrates these concepts using excerpts from popular solo repertoire such as Koussevitzky and Bottesini. If you’d like to learn more about left hand technique, check out Phoebe’s brand new course, Left Hand Technique for the Advancing Bassist.

If you enjoy this video, be sure to let us know your thoughts in the comments below the video.

Timecodes:

00:00 Introduction
00:48 Left-hand technique aspirations
01:34 Playing standing/sitting
02:16 Posture and positioning
03:07 Thumb position
03:52 Collapsed fingers
04:59 Koussevitzky demonstration
05:40 Inspiration from Sol Gabetta
06:10 Phoebe’s use of fingers
07:40 Block positioning
09:23 Playing on borrowed instruments
11:41 Solo vs Orchestra tuning
12:42 Where to find Phoebe online
13:52 Outro

Phoebe Russell Links:

Instagram
Facebook
QSO

Discussion Links:

Sol Gabetta
Belcanto strings
QSO - Over The Fence Video

Left Hand Technique for the Advancing Bassist

This course is designed for classical double bassists who want to learn intermediate to advanced left hand technique. It comprises 30 online lessons over three and a half hours of video, with downloadable sheet music. The course covers a wide range of topics including intonation, thumb position, vibrato, posture, trills, block positioning and double stops, with examples from solo and orchestral repertoire. If you want to go beyond the basics and truly master left hand technique, this is the course for you!

Learn more