After years of playing
with orchestras and ensembles around the country, Steve Shain of
Petaluma, California has been branching out a bit. An acclaimed
double-bass player, he's been doing more improvisational gigs, frequently
as a back-up for theatrical productions and live poetry readings.
This nontraditional trajectory in Shain's musical career is mirrored
by his choice of instrument: Though he owns several conventional
basses, his favorite is a double bass made almost entirely of aluminum.
That's right—aluminum.
On the cluttered front
porch of the rustic cow-country shed—or is it a shack?—that
Shain rents as an office and practice room, the tall, soft-spoken
musician unzips the canvas case in which he carries the bass, the
only nonaluminum parts of which are the fingerboard, tailpiece,
and bridge. He stands it up and with his knuckles, raps on the front
of the instrument. It sounds like someone knocking on a big metal
door, or wrestling a heavily laden cookie sheet out of the oven,
or an astronaut shutting the hatch on a space shuttle.
"I love the way
that sounds," Shain grins.
He acquired the bass
in 1977, purchasing it from a small music store in Teaneck, New
Jersey. According to his research, the American Aluminum Co. of
Buffalo, New York, built the instrument, most likely in the late
1930s. But the first reported appearance of such a product dates
back to 1891, when a tinkerer from Cincinnati, Ohio, one Alfred
Springer, was awarded a patent for an aluminum violin. In 1894,
a fellow named Neil Merrill began producing a line of aluminum instruments
under the name of the Aluminum Musical Instrument Company, offering
everything from violins and cellos to banjos and zithers. By 1898,
Merrill had gone broke, and subsequently disappeared from sight.
In the 1930s, the aluminum instrument made a sudden reappearance.
It was during the next decade or so that Shain's instrument was
likely produced. Marketed for their indestructibility and sold chiefly
to schools and conservatories, the instruments were touted as the
next big evolution in music.
According to the May
1932 issue of Philadelphia's fabled Etude music magazine,
the aluminum bass was highly approved of by the standing principal
bass player of the Chicago Civic Opera Company (who is quoted without
being named), and was predicted to become a mainstay of classical
orchestras. Clearly, the prediction was optimistic at best; stringed
instruments made of aluminum failed to catch on in a significant
way, and today only a handful of the contraptions still exist.
Regarding Shain's instrument,
one would have to look closely to realize that it's not made of
wood. "It's got a nice faux-wood finish," he says, proudly
adding, "but you can see where the paint is wearing off."
While it has been suggested
that aluminum instruments are lighter than wooden ones, Shain believes
that his is actually a bit heavier than a wooden double bass. "The
weight's never been a problem though," he says. "It's
not that much heavier."
What Shain appreciates
most about the aluminum wonder is its versatility and durability.
"Basically, the thing is built not to break, so I can play
it anywhere. Double basses are expensive to repair. These days,
with the escalating value of wooden instruments, it would be almost
prohibitive to play one in an outdoor park. But this is aluminum,"
he says, giving it another affectionate pounding, "so I never
worry about it getting hurt."
Aluminum instruments,
additionally, are almost entirely resistant to the kinds of changes
in humidity that can adversely affect a wooden instrument. In the
end, though, it all comes down to sound. "My sound, as a player,
is really rhythmic," Shain explains. "I do a lot of different
rhythms, so this instrument is perfect for me."
Here he launches into
a rapidly accelerating series of notes—Shain’s got a distinctively
percussive pizzicato—which he alternates with bongo-like drumming
on the metallic side of the bass. "Sometimes I use a superball
mallet, which makes the bass sound like a big steel drum. It's got
a nice ringing sound."
On the string-side of
the instrument, Shain praises its quality of sound. "It's got
a lot of sustain," he says, demonstrating with a few mighty
pulls at the strings. There is one downside though to playing an
aluminum instrument. Says Shain, with another grin, "On a hot,
sunny day, this thing can get really warm."
Steve Shain proudly
displays his aluminum double bass whenever the opportunity arises.
He can be reached at sshain@ap.net.
Photo
of Steve Shain by Michael Amsler
