David Heyes: Ready! Steady! BASS! - 12 Pieces for Beginner Double Bass Trio

About the Collection

Ready! Steady! Bass! was composed during a short visit to Aalborg (Denmark) in December 2024. I have long been an advocate of using chamber music to help develop reading, ensemble and communication skills for young bassists and hoped that writing a series of easy trios for complete beginners would encourage these skills from the earliest stages of study.

The pieces are progressive, beginning with pizzicato and gradually moving to arco, introducing a number of bass percussion effects.

Chamber music is an important element when studying a string instrument and this collection of 12 short pieces is aimed at the beginner double bass trio. Each piece is 16 bars long and in 4/4 time, using a limited number of note values and rests, alongside employing a range of performance skills.

If the bassists are playing from the score, a piece could be performed three times, without a break, allowing each performer to play all three parts, developing reading skills and stamina. Stories or narration can be added and the performance possibilities are endless.

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 trio or larger forces and in any order. [David Heyes, December 2024]

BASS RACE by David Heyes is a collection of 12 open string pieces for beginner double bass quartet.

About the Composer

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.