With only a couple weeks left until he graduates, Clay Parkman is squeezing in one final degree requirement before obtaining his bachelor’s degree in bass performance.

At 3:10 p.m. today in Kimbrough Hall, students and community members can watch the WSU senior perform a free recital on the upright bass and bass guitar.

The concert will consist of a number of different tunes, including songs from Duke Ellington, Charles Mingus, and Russian composer Serge Koussevitzky.

Parkman said Mingus is one composer who has influenced him the most, which is why he arranged two of the musician’s pieces for the recital.

While Parkman was allowed to pick some of the songs for the concert, the rest were chosen by his instructors.

“I knew the Koussevitzky Concerto would highlight Clay’s ability to play with feeling,” said Ruth Boden, assistant professor of music at WSU.

When Parkman came to WSU as a freshman he had very little experience playing the classical upright bass, but he gets around the instrument like a professional now, she said.

“Clay is a sponge when it comes to playing bass,” Boden said.

Parkman said he was drawn to how vital bass is to every band.

“If they’re doing their job then nobody notices them.” he said. “It’s when something goes wrong that they do.”

All in all, Parkman said he wasn’t too nervous for the recital.

“It’s not like I’m up there on a mic,” he said. “I let my fingers talk for me.”

Multiple people will accompany Parkman onstage, including his friend Brandon Nelson, a junior working toward a bachelor’s degree in piano performance, and his twin brother Chris, a WSU graduate, on the drums.

“It just kinda happened that we both ended up in the rhythm section,” Chris said.

When he’s not busy playing in class, Parkman can be found strumming the guitar around cafes and bars in Pullman and various places in Idaho.

“I play jazz, rock, funk… basically everything but metal,” he said.

He also spends a lot of his time at Atom Heart Music store downtown, where he gives bass guitar lessons to kids.

“I had about 25 to 30 kids this summer, but I’ve had to cut back a bit since school started again,” he said.

Following his graduation Parkman said he plans to audition to play bass on cruise ships, sailing the world.

“My father was in the military, so I grew up in places like Europe and the Middle East,” he said.