Should I take lessons from Oteil Burbridge?

**sleepy_monkey** · #1 02-07-2008, 09:11 AM

Bassist for the Allman Bros and many others. The guy is straight fire...and I remember reading an article a long time ago and Vic Wooten said that Oteil was the best in the world....and of course Oteil said the same thing about Vic. I have seen Oteil play several times and he is indeed a super player.

It's $100 an hour though. I have played for over 10 years...but I am sure there is tons and tons to learn.

But $100 for an hour seems pretty steep.....

bongomania · #2 02-07-2008, 09:15 AM

Take one lesson to start. I bet you'll learn something, and then you can decide whether it was "worth that much" to you.

SC Bassboy · #3 02-07-2008, 09:16 AM

Thats a lot of money, but if the guy inspires you it's worth it. A lot of high profile bassists still do private lessons including Flea & Victor Wooten. BTW, do you live in the Birmingham, AL area? Oteil lives here and in Nashville. We actually use the same guitar tech. Just curious.

**sleepy_monkey** · #4 02-07-2008, 09:20 AM

Good ideas. Yeah, I live in Birmingham....I was thinking it would be lower...but I guess that is the price you pay.

**sleepy_monkey** · #5 02-07-2008, 09:21 AM

SC, just saw you learned a little from Mark Neal...I took a few of his classes...recording etc....it's been awhile though.

Barkless Dog · #6 02-07-2008, 09:22 AM

Quote:

But $100 for an hour seems pretty steep.....

That's less than some good dog trainers & lower level lawyers charge.'

It's bargain he would even take someone on to teach.

bkbirge · #7 02-07-2008, 09:23 AM

I'd do it just to have a master class with him, but I doubt I'd do it more than a couple times.

**sleepy_monkey** · #8 02-07-2008, 09:23 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Barkless Dog

That's less than some good dog trainers & lower level lawyers charge.'

It's bargain he would even take someone on to teach.

Good point. I will probably take a few and see how they go.

Psychicpet · #9 02-07-2008, 09:23 AM

$100/hr is quite reasonable for a guy of Oteil's calibre. Whether it's worth it or not is up to you and what you do with the material once you've had your lesson.

NickyBass · #10 02-07-2008, 09:25 AM

I don't think that $100 is out of line for a lesson with him. It's alot of money, yes, but not TOO much.

**sleepy_monkey** · #11 02-07-2008, 09:27 AM

Yeah, I just emailed him back and said I would do it. I guess $100 isn't that much to play with someone that is as experienced and PIMP as he is...haha.

doctorjazz · #12 02-07-2008, 09:30 AM

Definitely extremely reasonable. I've heard that Steve Bailey charges $150/hr. I used to pay $75 an hour for sax lessons from a guy who's not even well-known outside of classical circles.

lm183902 · #13 02-07-2008, 07:17 PM

While i don't think $100 dollars is too much, and I LOVE Oteil, I don't know how he would be as a teacher. I saw his Bass Day 98 video, and it seems like he does a lot of things naturally, without breaking them down. In the video, he mentions that he realized he was leading on/ tapping notes on quick runs only after being told by a student. He also didn't seem to have the greatest technical explanations on the theory of what he was doing. However, I think he is an amazing player, and you still will probably learn a ton of stuff from him. He is one of the most natural bass players I've ever seen play. I can't think of any time I've seen him play where he looked like he wasn't having a great time.

Also - Sleepy Monkey, it looks like I have played with your old guitar player John, from Loony Mill. I read your thread a while ago about bigger bands you have opened for, and your list was quite consistent with what John had mentioned to me, and I saw you were from Birmingham. Small world huh?

Matt R. · #14 02-07-2008, 07:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sleepy_monkey

Bassist for the Allman Bros and many others. The guy is straight fire...and I remember reading an article a long time ago and Vic Wooten said that Oteil was the best in the world....and of course Oteil said the same thing about Vic. I have seen Oteil play several times and he is indeed a super player.

It's $100 an hour though. I have played for over 10 years...but I am sure there is tons and tons to learn.

But $100 for an hour seems pretty steep.....

I considered it. He put out a bulletin on myspace today about it and I just live up here in Huntsville

gkbass13 · #15 02-07-2008, 09:30 PM

im incredibly jealous, oteil is one of my favorite bass player that ive ever seen. it is definitely a phenominal opportunity to sit down with him for an hour, and 100 bucks isnt too steep for such a thing. everytime ive seen interviews and lessons of his he seemed pretty knowledgable as far as theory and chord structure was concerned, not to mention a great rhythmic sense, although he does admit to having a lot of that come to him naturally and soemtimes stuggles communicatign it to students and others.

bassgruvn · #16 02-07-2008, 09:34 PM

Seems fair for the skill lvl he is. I pay 60 a hour now from a local teacher here and its worth every penny. Let me tell yo, I have been playing 25+ years and I am still learning. I say go for it

Lesfunk · #17 02-07-2008, 09:49 PM

100 bucks isn't too bad for Someone like Oteil.
Your best bet to get the most out of it is to have a specific thing you want to work on. Sometimes you can cover more than one area .
You're an experienced bassist so you probably know your strengths and weaknesses.
If you know what you want to learn, he can help you more efficiently.

Lesfunk · #18 02-07-2008, 09:55 PM

I had the great fortune of studying with Steve Bailey. He was one of the most inspiring people just to be around. He made me feel good about my playing while at the same time teaching like mad. An amazing guy.

Blake Bass · #19 02-07-2008, 10:00 PM

I may consider paying that much if I knew that I had exhausted every other option that I had ( books, DVD's, talkbass, etc.) and that I could honestly say to myself that I had gained everything that I could form those options. I certainly wouldn't want to pay anyone $100 an hour to teach me the melodic minor scale, or inversions of half dimished chords, when I can learn them on my own from a book. I would however spend the money for Oteil to teach me how to make better use of the harmonic information/theory that I already have a thorough/working knowledge of.

Bruce Lindfield · #20 02-08-2008, 02:29 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Lesfunk

100 bucks isn't too bad for Someone like Oteil.
Your best bet to get the most out of it is to have a specific thing you want to work on. Sometimes you can cover more than one area .
You're an experienced bassist so you probably know your strengths and weaknesses.
If you know what you want to learn, he can help you more efficiently.

Yes that's the thing - you have to know what you expect to get out of working with somebody and then it can be worthwhile - how else are you going to get that experience?

I suppose it's how you see the relationship - so, many people see it as an ongoing weekly/monthly thing where you work together with a teacher on improving your playing and getting feedback on progress - this could start to get expensive...

But if you have particular things in mind - then one or two lessons could be useful?