This is an interesting video. Berklee sounds like a great school for someone who wants to be a working musician.
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Berklee Auditions
- Thread starter Dr. Cheese
- Start date
This is an interesting video. Berklee sounds like a great school for someone who wants to be a working musician.
You should see what Eric Andre has to say about Berkelee
But I went for a summer course at the victorwooten workshop some years ago
And it was a blast!
But I went for a summer course at the victorwooten workshop some years ago
And it was a blast!
Eric Andre’s opinion about playing bass is about as valuable to me as Victor Wooten’s opinion about being a comedian.
Actually, I’d regard Vic’s opinion much more highly.
Was Eric Andre positive or negative? Was he the guy they made the movie about being a Jazz drummer?
I know several people who went to and graduated from Berklee. They are all teachers. Many students are so talented they get pulled out and recruited to join touring national acts.
Berklee has everything from bass to banjo which is cool.
However from friends I hear paying for Berklee is a whole different thing lol...
As for Eric Andre comments, I haven't read his exact comments he is a comedian who has very twisted humor that I find funny, but it is very Gen-Z and whacky, so take his comments with a grain of salt all lol.
However from friends I hear paying for Berklee is a whole different thing lol...
As for Eric Andre comments, I haven't read his exact comments he is a comedian who has very twisted humor that I find funny, but it is very Gen-Z and whacky, so take his comments with a grain of salt all lol.
This is what I’ve heard - the best who attend Berklee never graduate. They get hired and their careers are off and running.
A close friend of mine was classmates with Stanley Clarke at Berklee a long time ago.
My early-on instructor is a Berklee grad. He indicated to me the best part of going to Berklee was access to instructors who really knew the music business and networking with other musicians in a working environment. The classroom part could be learned anywhere.
One of the comments you hear a lot about successful musicians is "it's all in who you know". Thats not all there is, but it is definitely part of the equation. Getting to know people/networking is a skill that you can develop - nobody is born on this planet knowing more than their parents, after that it's mostly up to you to get out and meet folks. Berklee is a place where, yes you can work on your music skills, but honestly, they have auditions, which means that folks that get in are all pretty darn good to start with. So...it's a great place to meet folks who you can work with. That's valuable.
It’s like first round level athletes.
I attended Berklee (as a violin performance major) for 3 semesters in the early 80s with Anthony Vitti (in the OP video above). We both had a LOT more hair back then. 
Caveat: That was a long time ago, so things are obviously somewhat different now.
It's a great place to get some perspective on what it's like to be a professional musician. Among other things, it helped me to decide that I didn't want to make music my career. That's not a joke, I learned a lot about music, the music business, and myself. It was a tough lesson, but I wouldn't change a thing.
It was an amazing experience all around. I got to jam with Anthony, Kai Eckhardt, and so many other great musicians. I roomed in the dorm across the hall from Will Calhoun. Much wisdom to be learned there.
Caveat: That was a long time ago, so things are obviously somewhat different now.
It's a great place to get some perspective on what it's like to be a professional musician. Among other things, it helped me to decide that I didn't want to make music my career. That's not a joke, I learned a lot about music, the music business, and myself. It was a tough lesson, but I wouldn't change a thing.
It was an amazing experience all around. I got to jam with Anthony, Kai Eckhardt, and so many other great musicians. I roomed in the dorm across the hall from Will Calhoun. Much wisdom to be learned there.
The audition process sounds less demanding than I would have expected. I'm sure going there would be a blast, but without a scholarship - forget it.
I wonder if the private teachers at Berkeley are as good at teaching as they are playing. I know Berkeley has a tendency to hire big name players, but that doesn't necessarily translate into being a great teacher.
I suspect they are not worried about chops because probably no one without chops would apply. What he said makes me think of what Daryl Jones said about auditioning for Miles Davis. Davis asked Jones to play a blues, I forgot the key. Jones played, and Miles grabbed his hand and said play more simply, Jones started playing again and Miles said stop and play more simply. That was when Miles said he got the gig.
My point is that most huge gigs are particularly not chops showcases, but they take great time, great feel, and the ability to work with the Music Director or conductor.
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We’re really in a different world now. You can really get a very high quality education online for a fraction of what it would cost to attend Berkley in person. Networking is indeed a very crucial part of being a professional touring musician. My limited experience with that is you
need to be able to pivot into areas that compliment your performing career. The successful folks I know all teach, record, produce, lecture, podcast. and book themselves. Such it is these days.
need to be able to pivot into areas that compliment your performing career. The successful folks I know all teach, record, produce, lecture, podcast. and book themselves. Such it is these days.
Amen, solos are great fun, but time, taste and groove will get you working and keep you working.
Smooth_bass88
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- Oct 31, 2006
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The unfortunate thing is that we now live in an era whereby it’s nearly impossible to make a living on sales of recodings. So, you better be a great versatile live performer who is willing to work like crazy and basically have a “never say no” attitude
I can only speak to one, Jim Forkel, who taught in Laconia NH as a Berklee grad, and he was AWESOME. Great patience, encouragement, love of music as a whole, respect for ALL styles of music, and just all-around great guy.
His method was fretboard knowledge first, know the notes. Patterns are a crutch, and on stringed instruments it's very easy to forget about notes and think in terms of patterns.
You need to learn to read music in the same way you need to learn to write a language. Yes you can get by without knowing how to read (some very successful/famous players do so every day) but the discipline of learning to read provides opportunities that may otherwise be missed. This was for sure my weakest point because I learned to read treble clef at a young age (trumpet) and had a really hard time with the bass clef. I still hate reading bass clef, but I thank Jim for making me do it.
Slow repetition of exercises/parts: learn it right the first time at whatever speed you can handle it, and increase your speed while maintaining proper technique and posture.
Breathe! Non-wind instruments still require breath pauses, even tho you don't have to breath to play them. The phrasing should feel natural.
Understand melody! The notes you choose NOT to play can be as important or more important than the notes you choose to play. Know why your playing a note (or not), and be confident in putting it out there.
Have fun! If you aren't enjoying yourself while you're playing, why are you doing it?
These are some of the lessons he imparted to me, and they are lessons he learned while at Berklee. I can't speak for all of their faculty, but if those are things that are taught and re-taught, I think they're on the right track.
