If I had a dollar for every time someone asked me if I wished I played the piccolo, I would have enough money to buy every person in the world a piccolo. The most common time I'm asked this question is when I am walking a long distance with my bass and stool, or when I'm trying to get through the door with my bass and stool and barely making it out alive. Now don't get me wrong, the piccolo is cool and all, but I do not wish I played it.

When I was in middle school, I played the cello. One day, I can home and told my mother that I was going to switch to the double bass. Her reply was, "If you can carry it, you can play it." I was so excited that we traded in my cello for a bass the next week. I was tall for my age then, so it wasn't difficult to carry at all. But when I got to high school, I realized that carrying my bass was a little tricky with a stool in my other arm. I stopped growing, got a nicer (but sadly heavier) bass and invested in a stool so I could play easier.

I really didn't care though. Playing the bass gave me so many more opportunities than playing the cello would have. I was able to play in jazz band, wind symphony and even learned electric bass. I made new connections with people in the music world that I wouldn't have made if I just stayed in the orchestra world. Playing the bass has opened many doors for me, such as playing with my jazz quartet, getting the opportunity to perform on Broadway and going to school to perform with the instrument I love.

I will admit that sometimes it is quite difficult to carry my instrument, but I usually have people asking me if I want help, which I am so grateful for. It's crazy the amount of new friends I have made from people holding the door open or carrying my stool for me.

When I bought my first car, my top priority was that my bass and other instruments could all safely fit in my car. The things we do for our instruments. I also can't really ever ask people for a ride to rehearsal, because chances are that my bass won't fit in their car.

In the end though, I wouldn't have it any other way. I love performing on my double bass. It takes passion to put in the effort it takes to play the bass, and that is something I am willing to pour my heart into. Playing the bass is something I love to do every day. I wake up in the morning wanting to play, and go to bed thinking about how long it will be until I can play again.

So for those people who wonder if I wish I played the piccolo, the answer is no. And I never will. The bass is the instrument for me, and I won't ever really care how heavy it is or annoying it is to get through the doors. Those moments will only last a few minutes. The moments that actually matter, such as performing, will last me a lifetime.