What are the Top 3 Instructional Videos? Why

Funkbrother · #1 01-11-2002, 12:54 PM

Howdy,

I would like to know how to spend my money wisely. I noticed some videos are expensive but they are poorly done with little information.

Please help

geoffzilla · #2 01-11-2002, 01:04 PM

Funkbro'
It depends on what you want out of the experience. The videos that I find most useful to me are often not "instructional" but live performances, and usually these aren't even bass focused. (At least not visually) MY favorite videos to learn and gain inspiration from are Funky Monks, Vic Wooten Bass Day '98, and my new favorite....Sting's Brand New Day. Christian McBride does an amazing job for that show.
I hope this helps.

Funkbrother · #3 01-12-2002, 08:00 PM

Zilla,

I went to the Bass Collective in New York and they had some videos lying around and one of the best was "The Joy of Improv". It really showed how to impovise using the Blues Scale over the 12 bar blues. It also covered call and response improvising.

Thanks for your tips. I always wondered if that Bass Day 98 was any good.

Thanks

FunkBrother

JMX · #4 01-12-2002, 08:57 PM

Best slap bass vid:

The Slap Bass Program by Alexis Sklarevski

Great concept, starting at beginner level and progressing to pro stuff.

Funkbrother · #5 01-16-2002, 11:14 AM

Hi,

Thanks for the tip on a ood slap video.

I would just like to say a liitle bit about Jacos video. I think it is a very good video for several reasons. One it is a historical artifact of one of the great bass players and musicians of any time period. You get a feel for who Jaco was as a peson and how much he loved his instrument. Second, the exercises that are shown are also accompanied by a booklet that really helps. As a matter of fact I warmp up with alot of those exercises. Third, it is a video that you can watch over and over again and keep new insight. I think it is a treasure that everybody should have. In fact I know musicians that are not bass players and love the video.

Funkbrother

Funkbrother · #6 01-17-2002, 09:16 AM

Ed,

I'm sure in your context you might percieve the video as a poor substitute for an instructor. You know being from New York and all. However I would submit that for many there is no acsess to a quality instructor such as yourself and videos can be helpful. Furthermore, Brain-Based Learning asserts that people have different learning modalities. Some are verbal learners, some are kinestetic learners and some are visual learners. Therefore if you have the opporunity to continue to go back and view an excersize then that would constitute a qualitative learning experience for many. Despite not having the living breathing instructor. Hey but what do I know. I'm not an expert such as yourself. Thanks for your input.

Funkbrother

geoffzilla · #7 01-18-2002, 12:58 PM

Ed
After reading through another of your long winded and terribly aggressive responses, I scrolled back to the top of this thread. Guess what I found out? No one asked if videos could substitute for a teacher. I think Funkbrother just wanted to know which were worth watching. You obviously either
a) don't know
or
b) have decided that none are
I don't think either will do him much good.

jazzbo · #8 01-18-2002, 01:54 PM

This should be interesting.

Funkbrother · #9 01-18-2002, 10:30 PM

Ed,

First you are assuming that all musical instructors are competent in terms of knowing the latest brain research as it relates to learning intelligences(other wise known as "multiple intelligences learning"). I would submit very few know. The reality is good teachers are hard to find. Lets face it, your context
is rich with music and musical instruction. And thats a beautiful thing. However extrapolating that to the rest of the U.S. is erroneus. Secondly, the fundamental way you learn is through proper mechanics and repitition. So any activity that enhances that educational activity is germaine. For example, one of the exercises in the Jaco video is going up the neck in thirds. So an individual could go to the booklet and look at the notes(if he/she can read music) then look at the video to reinforce the existing knowledge base. Proper mechanics and repitition. A person can do it with the aid of the video and without an instuctor who sometimes charge anywhere from $25 to $75 an hour. I have been fortunate to have some good teacher also. It is the best way to go if you find a good one. However, I know some who are viewing this may not
have that type of acsess and videos can serve a purpose in teaching and motivating you to practice
to discover the music inside you. Of course there are limitations but to say they hold no educational value is an adventure into the ridiculous and absurd. Eddie do you have angst. Its coming
through. Go play the bass line from the "Boy in The Bubble" and get on the beam and be humble

Peace Brother

Funkbrother

**embellisher** · #10 01-19-2002, 02:07 PM

<[John Turner mode ON]>

Ahh! Fresh meat!

<[mode OFF]>

thrash_jazz · #11 01-21-2002, 10:48 AM

I picked up a cool one the other day - "The Day the Bass Players Took Over the World". It isn't an instructional video - it's all live performance - but I definitely recommend it, because it's a virtual gold mine as far as inspiration goes!

geoffzilla · #12 01-21-2002, 11:51 AM

thrash jazz,
Who's on that video? Is it mostly wanking? Give us the skinny.

thrash_jazz · #13 01-21-2002, 01:02 PM

Okay geoffzilla

It's basically a special live performance hosted by Dave Pomeroy of about 8 songs. There are several big-name guest stars, including Victor Wooten, Steve Bailey, Oteil Burbridge and Bill Dickens.

First Dave does a couple of solo songs, then Vic, Steve Oteil and Bill do a long jam. This particular song has a fair amount of wanking, but I still found it pretty inspiring.

Next up is "The All-Bass Orchestra" for several tunes. This part I also found quite interesting, because there were so many different players with so many different styles up there all at once, and yet it sounded quite fluid.

As I say, the reason why I really dug ths video was because of its diversity. There is wanking and there is musicality. There's billion-notes-a-second lines and there are slow grooves. I think almost any bassist could watch this and come away with something new.

geoffzilla · #14 01-21-2002, 01:04 PM

Thanks thrash,
Sounds cool. I'll check it out.

Funkbrother · #15 01-21-2002, 04:49 PM

Way to Go Thrash,

I had never even heard of that video. Thanks for the information. You see this is what its all about. The exchange of great information between fellow bass players in order to enrich our lives rather than diminish them.

Right on Brothers

Funkbrother

Gabu · #16 01-22-2002, 12:53 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Ed Fuqua
...And I wish that I had somebody to pull my coat about any number of things when I was younger. But I didn't and so I had to work on them when I was older. So anytime I see or hear somebody talk about an approach that, from my experience, is a dead end, well I'm gonna pull their coat about it. ... [/b]

At first I was thinking along the ways of the others. That although you were giving your opinions, you were not answering the question... But Now that you put it in this light, I think it's cool that you did.

I have a couple of instructional videos from Roscoe Beck that I like. But, I do admit that I have a hard time being disciplined enough to sit through them, go back and redo parts that I have trouble with... etc etc. It's easy to find excuses not to study when you are home in your living room next to the TV.

I need a teacher.

Funkbrother · #17 01-22-2002, 04:27 PM

Eddie Munster,

You put forth some valid points about young players today not wanting to put the time in on their instrument. That is true.
Nevertheless, the focus of this thread is to identify any good videos that can be helpful on the instructional or motivational level. But you come along and choose to interject your opinion relative to the advantage of having one on one instruction. The focus of this thread was not videos vs private instruction. Yet you insist on this narcisstic tunnel vision when it has nothing to do with the topic.
Now I believe that the term angst is appropriate. Angst is defined as anxious, angry and stressed. You seem very anxious
to try and persuade us not to buy instructional videos. Your angry that people don't agree. For example, your used "Bunkmother" in reference to me. Thats aggressive and could also be termed angry. Whats the point? You still don't realize that there are some people in some places that don't have access to quality instruction or there are finacial considerations that come into play. Here you are very fortunate to have Joe Solomon as your teacher and I guess that could make you excited about the value of private instruction. But I would contend that your egocentrism, that you seem to be so proud of,ends up alienating rather than informing. I'm sure your a great player and a dedicated musician but your interpersonal skills leave alot to be desired. It comes off as mean spirited or megalomania. In any case it isn't effective.Do you have any videos to recommend?

Be Cool

Funkbrother

gruffpuppy · #18 01-22-2002, 06:37 PM

I am going to have to go with Ed on this one, MEMENTO is a good movie.

geoffzilla · #19 01-23-2002, 07:15 AM

Quote:

JEFENILLA

Oh Ed!!
You're so silly!!

Funkbrother · #20 01-23-2002, 09:13 AM

Eddie,

"But whether or not you agree with me, whether or not you buy every video ever produced or sell your offspring to study with Sonny Dallas its really not going to affect my life anyways."

...."sell your offspring"...

It speaks for itself.

Funkbrother