David Heyes: Bass Race - 12 Pieces for Beginner Double Bass Quartet

About the Book

BASS RACE was composed during an action-packed ten-day concert tour of New England (USA) in April 2024. I have long been an advocate of using chamber music to help develop reading, ensemble and communication skills for young bassists and thought that writing easy quartets for complete beginners would introduce these skills from the earliest stages of study. The pieces are progressive, beginning with pizzicato and gradually moving through to arco, introducing bass percussion and pizzicato skills, and I would encourage the bassists and teachers to add dynamics and introduce repeats to lengthen each piece.

If the bassists are playing from the score, a piece could be performed four times, without a break, allowing each player to play all four parts, developing reading skills and stamina. Stories can be written for each piece and the possibilities are endless. [David Heyes / Somerset, May 2024]

The series also includes a book of 12 pieces for beginner double bass trio alongside two books of quartets and trios which only use First Position.

Chamber music is an important element when studying a string instrument and this collection of 12 short pieces is aimed at the beginner bass quartet, enabling young bassists to encounter chamber music from the earliest stages of study.

Each piece is 16 bars long and in 4/4 time, using a limited number of note values, employing arco, pizzicato and bass percussion. The edition enables the players to read from a score format or a separate part and repeats can easily be added to increase the length of each piece.

Dynamics have not been included encouraging each ensemble to add their own, to create a unique interpretation at every performance, and the pieces can be played by quartet or larger forces and in any order.

About David Heyes

David Heyes studied double bass with Laurence Gray and Bronwen Naish, later at the Royal College of Music in London, and completed his post-graduate studies in Prague with František Pošta (Principal Bass, Czech Philharmonic Orchestra). He has given recitals and masterclasses in 20 countries over the past few years and has been a juror at a number of international competitions, three times as chairman.

David's collaborative work gained him a prestigious award from the David Walter Charitable Trust of New York for his pioneering activities as a soloist, teacher, publisher, and commissioner of new music for double bass and he works with composers throughout the world to expand the double bass repertoire by commissioning new music and by rediscovering forgotten ones. Since 1983 more than 700 works have been written for him, music from one to twenty basses and from beginner to virtuoso, and he has premiered ten contemporary concertos with orchestra.

David began to compose in 2013 and has had music performed and recorded in 31 countries across five continents. He is a D'Addario Performing Artist and has recently commissioned a solo double bass from British master-luthier Martin Penning.