Bass virtuoso Francois Rabbath is returning to Ball State to produce a second DVD Feb. 27-28.

Ball State's School of Music will again collaborate with the university's Biomechanics Laboratory to create the sequel to "Art of the Bow," a groundbreaking DVD that has preserved one of the music world's "sweetest swings."

Last year, the same technology that captured Tiger Woods' powerful swing in a video game was used to record Rabbath's world-renowned bow technique. "Art of the Bow" is being sold around the world and is ranked as the fourth best-selling DVD on www.FilmBaby.com.

During this visit, Rabbath will travel from his home in France to make "Art of the Left Hand," which will focus on the "fingering gymnastics for which Rabbath is famous," said Hans Sturm, professor of double bass at Ball State.

"Rabbath is extraordinary in that he pioneered playing such a large instrument with such range, eloquence and beauty," he said. "When musicians heard his breakthrough album back in the '60s, they could not believe what they were hearing; since then, musicians around the world have sought him out and studied with him in France."

While returning home from a visit with Rabbath, Sturm had an epiphany about employing video game technology to preserve his mentor's musical mastery. Traditional books or videos are limited to illustrations, photographs or a viewpoint from a single camera. Employing high-speed digital cameras, a DVD can demonstrate Rabbath's technique through 3-D lessons using multiple camera angles and viewing options that isolate the subtle motions of the bassist's fingers, hands and arms, Sturm said.

For both DVDs, Sturm has partnered with Eric Dugan, director of Ball State's Biomechanics Laboratory. On this visit, Rabbath will don a form-fitting black suit with movement-tracking reflectors that allow cameras and computers to create a digital model of his movements. The technology affords students the ability to select and watch a lesson from a particular camera angle, scene by scene, in a simple, stick-figure format or a tubular format that demonstrates hand and arm rotation.

After filming on campus, Rabbath and Sturm will travel to Kansas City March 8-11 for the American String Teachers Association 2006 National Conference. The association will honor Rabbath with the Isaac Stern International Lifetime Achievement Award. This award has only been given 10 previous times in the organization's 55-year history, and he is the first bassist to be so honored. Previous recipients have included Rostropovich, cello virtuoso and music director of the National Symphony Orchestra in Washington, D.C., and Suzuki, founder of the legendary Suzuki School of Violin Playing.

(Note to editors: For more information, contact Sturm at (765) 285-5458 or hsturm@bsu.edu.)