On January 16th, at the 2010 Winter NAMM convention, NS Design presented the Museum of Making Music with the first of a Limited Edition NXT upright electric bass, created in celebration of 20th Anniversary of the founding of NS Design by Ned Steinberger. Museum curator Tatiana Sizonenko, along with and Carolyn Grant, museum executive director, accepted the bass on behalf of NAMM. Making the presentation to the museum were Ned Steinberger, founder of NS Design, and Gary Byers, managing director.
Crafted in the Czech Republic, the anniversary bass is part of the NXT series which made its market debut in November 2009, and is the latest example of Mr. Steinberger’s concentration on beauty, aesthetics and performance. The NXT incorporates the trademark shape, feel and construction of NS Design’s original CR series, and includes a patented Polar™ Pickup System which provides optimal sensitivity to either arco or pizzicato playing.
Located in Carlsbad, California, the Museum of Making Music was founded in 1998 by the NAMM Foundation. Its collections explore the history of the music products industry in America, from the 1890s to the present day.
We were honored to receive this video from Danusha Waskiewicz, a violinist and violist from Germany, who performed Benjamin Yusupov’s “Viola Tango Rock Concerto” with the Tonkünstler Orchestra in St. Polten, Austria, this past October. The piece specifically calls for the soloist to improvise on the electric viola. Danusha switches between the acoustic and electric instruments with ease and achieves a remarkably consistent tone between the fourth and fifth parts of the performance, as she returns to the acoustic instrument.
Danusha Waskiewicz was born in Würzburg, Germany, in 1973. She studied the violin with Walter Forchert and the viola with Tabea Zimmerman and has received awards from the German Viola Society and from the ARD Music Contest, Germany’s largest classical music competition. She is a member of the Chamber Orchestra of Europe, of the string quintet the Mahler Soloists, and of the Orchestra Mozart.
Danusha writes:
Finally I can send you the link of the Yusupov Viola Tango Rock Concert. In part 4 there you can listen to the electric viola. I hope you enjoy, I did, even though it was the first time of performing this instrument. NS Design was mentioned in the program and in the end credits of the concert recording.
All the best, thanks again for your support!
Danusha
You can see the video of Danusha’s performance on the NS Viola below. Follow this link to see the entire concerto on YouTube.
NS Design congratulates cellist David Darling on receiving a Grammy nomination for “Best New Age Album” for his album “Prayer for Compassion”. The nomination takes its place atop a list of many honors David has already received in his career. “Prayer for Compassion” was named CD of the Month by Echoes Radio and features David’s NS Cello, among other instruments. You can read more about it at www.daviddarling.com.
Click on the image below to read the full announcement.
Corey Redonnett, NS Design’s Artist Relations manager, recent interviewed violinist David Ragsdale about his work with the bands Kansas and Native Window, his musicial upbringing, and his thoughts on his NS violin.
Hi all.
Today, I am the Midwest Clinic in Chicago. It is one of the largest annual gatherings of music educators and music companies. If you are a music educator and have never been to this event, it is really worth the effort to get here at some point.
The string education sessions began this morning with a nice breakfast gathering that was sponsored by the Kjos Publishing Company. It was a really nice event and I had the opportunity to reconnect with many friends from around the country. I was particularly pleased to reconnect with Marvin Rabin, one of the true pioneers in the string ed field. He paved the way for so many of us that are making our careers in public school string education and at age 93, is really getting around well. I had the chance to thank him for the impact he has had on my career. For those of you that are familiar with some of my web-teaching, he planted the seeds for many of the concepts that I teach using finger patterns. (major scales and upper positions) You can see these concepts put to use soon on the D’Addario site: www.thelessonroom.com. I believe that they will be posted very soon.
I also had the opportunity to see Mark O’Connor present a session on his new O’Connor Violin Method. It is available exclusively through Shar Music. I think that he has hit on something really effective here and applaud his efforts to be innovative in the traditional world of string education. There were several performances by students that have studied with Mark in various capacities over the years and they were all fantastic. I am going to check this method out very closely and try it out with my own sons.
Tomorrow, I will be giving a session with Doris Gazda, Matt Turner, Sean O’Laughlin, and Larry Clark. This session is sponsored by Carl Fischer Music and, as always, D’Addario Strings and NS Design are supporting me in this session. This session is called “Teaching the Nitty Gritty: Who Has Time for Anything More?” and will cover a variety of topics related to technique, literature and enrichment to traditional skills in the string classroom. I think that this will be a lively panel discussion and look forward to sharing this platform with my friends. I will certainly have the opportunity in the session to discuss the way that I incorporate electric string technology and NS Design Instruments into my classroom teaching and guest conducting appearances. I am always proud to be a representative of NS Design to the great music education community.
Meanwhile, I have just enjoyed a lunch in my room while jotting down this post. Time to head back over to the conference to get more new ideas! More later…
In partnership with D’Addario, NS Design has developed a full range of NS Electric strings. These steel-cored strings are available in standard lengths for violin, viola, and cello. Smooth-polished Omni Bass strings will also fit any standard 34″-35″ bass guitar, giving a rich bass tone and clear singing upper register. Upright bass strings are available in the NS Standard Double Bass string length (46.5″ wound, 54″ overall). The Traditional Double Bass set offers a warm tone and great bowed response; the Contemporary Double Bass set produces a brighter sound and offers lower tension.
NS Electric strings fit all NS Design instruments as well as other bowed electrics. Some acoustic players may also appreciate these strings for their subtlety of expression.
NS Design and D’Addario will launch the NS Electric line at the NAMM show in Anaheim, California, January 14-17, 2010.
Hi all! This is the introduction from my presentation at the NCMEA Fall In-service Conference in mid-November. I will be giving this session again at the ASTA National Conference in Santa Clara, CA in Feb. I hope to see you there!
We received a very nice letter from JC Magsalin, a bass player from Manila, who has been playing the CR4M bass and loving its versatility. We’re always psyched to hear how people appreciate our instruments in all corners of the globe!
Hello there,
My name is Juan Carlo “JC” Magsalin. I’m a session bass player and a member of the Manila Philharmonic Orchestra here in the Philippines. I have
recently acquired an NS CR4M Bass just last March. All I can say is THANK
YOU for making this bass. It’s been a real big help with gigs that require
me to play classical, broadway, and jazz music in one night. It’s a very
versatile instrument that i can switch to whatever sound i want for any
style of playing that i do.
Again, Thank you so much I’ve attached a picture from one of my
performances here in Manila, Philippines
NS Design announces a new designation for the model formerly called Bass Cello. We proudly reintroduce an instrument which, in bridging the electric bass guitar and upright electric bass, is now, and more appropriately, named Omni Bass.
What’s Omni Bass all about?
The NS Omni Bass breaks through conventional barriers by integrating both acoustic and electric upright bass tonality and performance capabilities (including bowing) with the familiar 34 inch bass guitar scale. When tuned in fourths, the four and five string fretless and fretted models use identical fingering to that of the conventional bass guitar, yet deliver dynamic new plucked and bowed sound possibilities for the bassist seeking to extend expressive range. In every playing application, a beautifully resonant low end response is the essence of this remarkable bass instrument.
Some of the additional exciting features of the Omni Bass which we invite you to explore include:
Familiar 34” bass guitar scale
4 and 5 string fretless and fretted models
The Polar™ Pickup System provides a natural sound with deep bass response and brilliant highs. The Polar pickup has two modes of operation: arco and pizzicato, allowing the player to control attach and decay characteristics when plucking, or to optimize for bowed response.
Custom designed EMG™ low impedance magnetic pickups give a smooth response with thundering bass output and lots of sweet midrange for the quintessential “electric” tone.
Active controls include two balance controls for unlimited mixing options for the magnetic and Polar Pickup systems. Onboard pre-amplification provides master volume, bass and treble controls.
The patented Boomerang Strap System allows the instrument to be placed in virtually any position, vertical or transverse, and makes the Omni Bass a nearly effortless extension of the musician’s body. An End Pin Stand is also available for fixed upright-bass-style vertical support.
Scott Laird, NS Design’s ambassador to the world of string education, has produced a series of videos for D’Addario strings introducing aspects of the electric violin. Using his CR-4 as an example, Scott talks about amps, effects, tone controls, and what to look for in your first electric violin. Check them out!
I’ve attached a picture from one of my
NS Design announces a new designation for the model formerly called Bass Cello. We proudly reintroduce an instrument which, in bridging the electric bass guitar and upright electric bass, is now, and more appropriately, named Omni Bass.
RSS feed ...
Crafted in the Czech Republic, the anniversary bass is part of the NXT series which made its market debut in November 2009, and is the latest example of Mr. Steinberger’s concentration on beauty, aesthetics and performance. The NXT incorporates the trademark shape, feel and construction of NS Design’s original CR series, and includes a patented Polar™ Pickup System which provides optimal sensitivity to either arco or pizzicato playing.
