The Jeff Berlin style of playing

Metal Chuck · #1 08-19-2006, 04:29 AM

Okay, I really like Jeff Berlin, I saw him the day before yesterday (my first ever rock concert, along with Sheehan and Stuart Hamm)

I really liked his style of playing, I really want to play like him. What kind of stuff do I need to practise and do to be able to accomplish this?

Blunt · #2 08-19-2006, 08:12 AM

Well practice, learn lots of solos, be totally accomplished in chord theory and substitutions and have amazing technique.

Dave Muscato · #3 08-19-2006, 08:19 AM

Don't use a tuner! haha

fcleff · #4 08-19-2006, 08:32 AM

+1 on the theory and such.

I saw Jeff at a clininc back in 1989 and he recommended playing trombone music for its lyricism. He's right. He also recommended transposing and playing violin music. He's right, again. He also recommended transposing and playing the music of J.S. Bach. He's right, yet again. The cello suites will help you understand how he gets those cool chord melodies going.

He also emphasised what I heard Jaco say, "Learn melodies." Solos are good to learn but they are expressions and ornamentations of melodies.

You can find some of his lines and solos transcribed at www.lucaspickford.com

Good luck! And practice, practice, practice.

Munjibunga · #5 08-19-2006, 03:07 PM

While Berlin has monster technique and chops, he's a little mechanical for me. Kind of like Bach.

jazzy bass man · #6 08-19-2006, 03:44 PM

+1 On the mechanical

Basshole · #7 08-19-2006, 03:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

While Berlin has monster technique and chops, he's a little mechanical for me. Kind of like Bach.

+1

I do love, however, how he gets that near-fretless tone out of a fretted bass. I wish I could get that...

jzucker · #8 08-19-2006, 04:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

While Berlin has monster technique and chops, he's a little mechanical for me. Kind of like Bach.

disagree

20db pad · #9 08-19-2006, 04:09 PM

In terms of the hardware side of things, Jeff advocates a low action and a light touch. He also uses .040 strings. In addition, Jeff also keeps his bridge pickup pretty close to the strings. He also plucks by the bridge almost exclusively.

Berlin plays in a way that recalls Allan Holdsworth's guitar playing. Like Holdsworth, Jeff will actually pluck less notes than you hear. To clarify, he'll "excite" the string into action and then use either hammer-ons or pull-offs to get more notes out of that initial pluck. Since the notes you hear are not separately plucked events, the sound is smoother and more legato. Of course, low string action is a must for this approach, and having huge hands like Jeff does doesn't hurt either.

Jeff also comes from years of previous experience as a child prodigy on violin, so he was trained to get an emotive sound out of a stringed instrument early on.

Boy, as far as the knowledge goes, it certainly seems like JB spent more time listening to and transcribing horn players more than anything else. Generally, horn players are more harmonically and melodically advanced than bassists, so the ideas and musical facts they generate are more melodic, lyrical and free. Plus, he knows his music, period. He's also skilled at the piano, which always opens a lot of doors creatively that can easily apply to one's bass playing. I think that's the key to a Berlin approach....he's not particularly "bass-centric". Being that focused on the bass and nothing else can and will create an unwillingness to truly listen and be influenced by musicians who don't play bass. Jeff sidestepped that and the stunning results are more than obvious.

Baryonyx · #10 08-19-2006, 04:12 PM

I feel Im really starting to appreciate Berlin more and more these days in a musical sense. A very cool player, and yes, he is incredibly skilled at playing over those chord changes!

Munjibunga · #11 08-19-2006, 05:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzucker

disagree

Well then you're wrong. Nota bene: I have over 12,000 posts.

jzucker · #12 08-19-2006, 05:20 PM

post a clip. Clips speak louder than post counts.

jzucker · #13 08-19-2006, 05:26 PM

By the way, to the critics - How many of you are playing with Paul Wertico ?

Basshole · #14 08-19-2006, 05:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jzucker

post a clip. Clips speak louder than post counts.

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=jeff+berlin

Dude, is your hand broken? I went to YOUTUBE, and plugged Jeff Berlin into the search box. It really isn't that hard.

I didn't even try Google video, but there's probably some there too...

**bassybill** · #15 08-19-2006, 05:38 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

While Berlin has monster technique and chops, he's a little mechanical for me. Kind of like Bach.

You're perfectly entitled to your incorrect opinion.

Basshole · #16 08-19-2006, 05:40 PM

I'm with Munji on this. Color me "incorrect" too.

jzucker · #17 08-19-2006, 05:46 PM

i love chat-room popularity contests. What's the score so far?

WillBuckingham · #18 08-19-2006, 05:54 PM

Mechanical? Huh? Are you guys serious?

In order to play like Jeff Berlin, or any other great jazz musician, you have to commit years to studying music theory, technique on your instrument, and jazz music in general. Start by getting a teacher.

BillyB_from_LZ · #19 08-19-2006, 05:55 PM

Know the entire fingerboard...

Or take the shortcut and buy a Dean Berlin sig., a pair of MarkBass 1x15 combos and a chorus pedal

My jaw dropped when Jeff started his set at the Chicago stop of the Bx3 mini tour....

**bassybill** · #20 08-19-2006, 06:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basshole

I'm with Munji on this. Color me "incorrect" too.

Already done so.