Reaching for the utmost limits – Making a process visible with The Hands, the Bow, and the Bass by Johannes Nästesjö

Can I, by reaching for the utmost limits on my instrument, in dynamically, technically and pitch related ways both find, for me, new contemporary techniques and expand the ways on how to play and perform them on the double bass? Can I, by illuminating, documenting, studying, organizing and re-documenting my musical process, design a toolkit for improvising bassists with contemporary techniques? Can I, in my musical process both act as the first person, i.e. the subjective musician and as the third person, i.e. the objective observer?  If so, can I, as the observer objectively observe and organize the ”discoveries” that I am doing in my daily work as first person. Can I create this tool kit through the limitations that my instrument offers acoustically (the hand, the bow and the bass). And can I through this immerse and widen my musical expressions? - A richer language - more elastic - with more colors.

To prepare for a solo concert

One way for me to structure my practice before a solo concert or a solo recording is to practice on playing the duration of the planned concert or recording. I often put a timer on between 30-50 minutes and intend to play as if performing until the alarm rings.

How do I fill this time with an interesting form?

When I play, I insist that the form, the technicalities and the performance always must be creative in many ways. That I do not only want to surprise the audience but that I also do want to surprise myself. When you are as focused as I am with my solo performances you easily get bored of your own playing and yourself. You think things like, ”what the f…k… the seventh partial… again!” Then you easily forget that this is something completely new and fresh for the audience.

When I start to doubt, I usually think about a conversation between Krishna Murti and Allan W Anderson¹ where Krishna Murti Explains that ” You can not have a relationship with your wife if you only see the mirror of your wife”. The mirror symbolizes the past, your memories of your wife and so on. These thoughts help me to reset my mind, to take away the mirror and discover the here and now. Easy to write. Difficult to do.

1Krishnamurti, J & Anderson, A-W. (1974). Conversation. San Diego, USA: KrishnaMurti Foundation Trust

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Johannes Nästesjö - Reaching for the utmost limits – Making a process visible with The Hands, the Bow, and the Bass - 2022