Bach Cello Suites for bass

Suite # 1 in G Major
Suite # 2 in d minor
Suite # 3 in C Major
Suite # 4 in Eb Major
Suite # 5 in c minor

November 25, 2006
Cello was my first instrument. I still remember the first day I heard a cello, it made for quite a story: I was in third grade when our fantastic music teacher brought around a shopping cart of instruments and started playing them. First the violin, which sounded OK to me. Then the viola-getting a bit better. Then she played a cello. "Now you're talking", I remember thinking.

After she finished playing we could sign up to play a particular instrument. The only problem was we could only choose violin or viola. "I want to play that one though", I said pointing to the cello. "Well, that's for older kids, you can start playing cello in the 5th grade." Well, my Mom went to work and found me a 1/8^th size cello, and I started playing cello in 3^rd grade.

I played cello for the next 5 years, but in 8^th grade I went lower still, getting my first electric bass. I tried to play all the fun music I could play on cello on my bass, with varying results. A bit later I heard Jaco playing Chromatic Fantasy, such inspiration!

So, it's been a lifelong goal to record the Bach Cello Suites for electric bass. A goal that I've had since high school really, so it's great to finally get started on it. Click each suite below to have a listen.

Suite # 1 in G Major	Suite # 2 in d minor	Suite # 3 in C Major

Suite # 4 in Eb Major	Suite # 5 in c minor

12/22/06
Been cleaning out old stuff of late and found the first article I wrote for Bass Frontiers magazine, back in 1997, which I wrote about playing the Minuets from Suite # 1. So great of Jim Hyatt to give me the opportunity to contribute to his great magazine. I probably should have recorded these back then, but to be honest, they never really sounded right until I tried them on an EAB. Funny enough, in the very same issue, Stanley Clarke is on the cover with a 4-string EAB.

© 2006 Ben Torrey. bentorrey AT hotmail.com