Is this screwy to anyone else?

[bopeuph]

I had my bass lesson today. I am taking lessons with this guy for the sole purpose of how to use a bow. He's the principal player with the local symphony. He can play the bass extraordinarily well in classical. But he keeps bragging about his jazz playing and gives me plenty of false jazz history lessons (apparently, Glen Miller was the guy to replace the tuba with the string bass in jazz).

He has vocalized his protesting of my getting more gigs than him to me. The piano player I play with was a high school buddy of his, and they used to play some jazz gigs back in high school. He told me he's going to give the piano player a call to "lighten the load" of my gigs, as if my being tired from playing a lot of gigs means I want help in them.

In my lesson today he told me he showed up at the jazz club jam session on Sunday. Said he gave the house bassist a break for 30 minutes. He then tells me that the other house musicians told him I play out of tune and take way too long solos, and that they're just too many choruses of me showing off my flashy technique.

Now, I don't have any problem taking criticism. I know I need more work on intonation. If it was a problem with the house musicians, I would rather them tell me than my teacher without first discussing it with me. The problem with my long solos is I never go over two choruses, and the piano player takes anywhere from 3-6 choruses, the trumpet player takes 2-4, and the drummer does 2. They must think that I do take too much time on my solos though, because the piano player takes the pickup into the second chorus for trading fours. However, I suspect my teacher is trying to get a rise out of me.

When I got to my gig tonight, I heard from the other players that he was absolutely horrible on the bandstand, and I don't have to worry about losing my gigs to him.

Does any of this sound off to anyone else? I'm just going to pretend I didn't hear any of this, and mind my own business, and keep improving as much as I can. I just don't know what happened behind my back the other night, and I never really will. I just don't know what to think of any of it. Somehow, though I find it amusing that my teacher was trying to snipe some gigs and got shot down, and doesn't even realize it.

Nick

[Kevin Hsieh]

To each his own, I guess. I'd find another teacher to teach me bow if I were in your shoes. I just can't stand a person, not to mention learn from, a person who acts like that. It's disappointing that in the competitive mindset of the modern world, even the music we find solace in is attacked by such underhandedness.

enough lamenting for me. back to reading plato's apology

[bopeuph]

Originally Posted by Kevin Hsieh

To each his own, I guess. I'd find another teacher to teach me bow if I were in your shoes. I just can't stand a person, not to mention learn from, a person who acts like that. It's disappointing that in the competitive mindset of the modern world, even the music we find solace in is attacked by such underhandedness.

enough lamenting for me. back to reading plato's apology

I'm probably going to take a break from lessons real soon. All I want to do on bass right now anyway is learn as many tunes as I can. One of the worst feelings for me is having to tell someone I don't know a tune.

Nick

[David Kaczorowski]

If the things he said were true, you wouldn't have all the gigs in the first place. Find a new teacher.

[reedo35]

Sounds like a Back Stabber to me. Good thing you already have a good reputation.

[damonsmith]

I wouldn't let this person's bad behavior let you skirt over the intonation issue. I would find another teacher to work with the bow before learning more tunes.
A smaller reperetoire you can actually play is better than hamfisting through the whole real book.
Obviously, I don't know the situation. We always get the intonation criticism. It may or may not be true, for example how long has it been between piano tunings, how well in tune are the other instruments, etc.
Still, it isn't something to take lightly just because your teacher is being a d***.
I would consider if the lessons are working before moving on as well.
As Anthony Braxton says "The history of great music is not the history of nice guys".
It is doubtful your intonation is at an acceptable level for a classical professional

[salcott]

A teacher who does this does not deserve to have any students at all.

[MingusAmongUs]

Yes it's screwy.
But the best advice, I think, is to separate the personal from the professional. If you're going strictly for bowing/intonation, etc, then the principal of the symphony seems like a good way to go. If he continues to be a jacka$$, move on, but try for a while to ignore the nonsense and focus on the task at hand. If he pushes the issue, ask him politely to just shut up and do his job. If he STILL pushes, then get the f**k outta Dodge.

[Jordan]

He sounds corrosive. If you continue to hang around him, you will most likely be posting more rants.

Jordan

[Damon Rondeau]

If it's easy to get another person to work with you on the bow, I say don't even think twice about it: get the other person.

[jfv]

Uh, so how old are you, and how old is this teacher?

Sounds a bit immature on both ends if you ask me.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by jfv

Uh, so how old are you, and how old is this teacher?

Sounds a bit immature on both ends if you ask me.

Sure does, but part of becoming a great player is spending A LOT of time alone in a room with just your instrument. It is tough to come out of that without at least a few personality quirks.
That is why I wouldn't be so hasty to just dump the teacher, if the lessons are working they are working, he is trying to learn the bass not make a new best friend.

[Marcus Johnson]

Maybe so, but it may be difficult to learn proper arco technique with your teacher's teeth embedded in your knuckles.

IMHO.

[bopeuph]

Originally Posted by jfv

Uh, so how old are you, and how old is this teacher?

Sounds a bit immature on both ends if you ask me.

I'm in my mid 20's, the teacher is in his 50's. How was the way I "acted" immature? I actually had no actions for or against what he did, so even though I think it was against me, I pretty much stayed neutral.

The intonation issue was one that was easily fixed. I couldn't hear myself. I positioned the amp more behind me than it was, and I can hear myself MUCH better.

Does anyone think it's quirky that there are complaints that I take two chorus solos? I never thought two choruses would be too long. The thing that's really fishy about it, is if the guys really had a problem with my playing, I think they'd let me know; I've seen them be pretty straightforward with most musicians.

Nick

EDIT: I should have mentioned that I'm studying with him through the community college while I get my last credit finished for my BM degree. I was debating on studying with him next semester after I've graduated, but I think I'd like to go find a jazz bassist again anyways. This guy talks way too much in the lesson, too. In an hour lesson, I do less than ten minutes of playing.

[damonsmith]

Originally Posted by bopeuph

The intonation issue was one that was easily fixed.

-This alone is enough to reccomend studing more classical technique, if not with this guy than with another teacher.

[Shoewreck]

Originally Posted by salcott

A teacher who does this does not deserve to have any students at all.

+1 I believe, a good teacher should be proud of his talented apprentice rather than envy him.

[bassist1962]

Originally Posted by bopeuph

EDIT: I should have mentioned that I'm studying with him through the community college while I get my last credit finished for my BM degree. I was debating on studying with him next semester after I've graduated, but I think I'd like to go find a jazz bassist again anyways. This guy talks way too much in the lesson, too. In an hour lesson, I do less than ten minutes of playing.

Yes, this sounds screwy to me. I would listen to your bandmates, and remember the adage: Those who can, DO - Those who can't TEACH.
I have a friend who is taking cosmetology, and she has one particular teacher who has such low self esteem that no one can say anything about someone elses work without offending said teacher.
I think you said it best here - he talks way too much in the lesson. Take what knowledge you can from him, and find a different teacher, because it sounds like he is gig scrounging to me.

[fingers]

Bottom line Nick...

If this situation effects your ability to learn from the guy then switch.

[bopeuph]

He plays well, and he has some good things to say. But the lesson seems to be more talking than playing.

Besides, I have a few big auditions coming up on the euphonium. I need to hit practice on that instrument doubly hard, and after that, I just need more quality time with the bass in the shed. I know what I need to work on, and my teacher has given me PLENTY of good things to work on, he just never wants to hear them the next week, so it's completely up to me how much I improve.After December, I'm taking a studying break. Late January, I'm calling up a local great jazz bassist for some lessons. I have plenty of time at the beginning of the year to do some quality practice.

Nick

[txstatebass]

Try taking lessons from the Associate Principal. I'm sure your teacher would like that.