Since 1996, Double Bassist Jeff Grubbs has been sharing his artistry with the bass section of our Featured Orchestra of the Week, the Pittsburgh Symphony. Well-versed in classical and jazz bass playing, he is also an incredibly active music educator, having held posts at a number of prestigious universities. With all those experiences under his belt, here's what he had to share about being a professional musician!
•What’s your favorite thing about your job?
I love that every day, I get to do something for a living that I’m very passionate about, at the highest level. I feel extremely fortunate to be a part of this great orchestra.
•What is something about your job you think most people don’t realize/know?
Most people don’t realize the physical toll that playing the double bass can take on your body. Also, I’m not sure people realize that the amount of mental focus required to play music at the level that our orchestra demands is quite high.
•What is a challenge you have overcome on your journey to your current job?
The biggest challenge has been (and even after all this time, continues to be) deprogramming the doubt that our society has instilled in me about whether or not I’m “supposed” to be doing this.
If you've followed our features this season, you may have noticed that physical and mental stamina and well-being are mentioned by many musicians. Similar to how sports athletes utilize their gross motor skills, musicians specialize in fine motor function to produce beautiful tones on our respective instruments. While it may appear that most of us are comfortably sitting in chairs for concerts, this physicality is a skill set that requires daily upkeep and maintenance. We are grateful to Jeff and all the other musicians that have shared their thoughts on this!
Celebrating Bassist Jeff Grubbs
by Dr. Nelson Harrison
Feb 8