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Berklee Bass Teachers

#23
Way back when I was at Berklee (78-82) I studied with Greg Mooter, Bruce Gertz, & Whit Browne, plus took some bass-oriented class (but not private instructions) with John Repucci.

Whit Browne was by far the best pure bass teacher. Opinionated, anachronistic, and practically anti-electric, but still able to identify my strengths/weaknesses and tailor a curriculum to improve my playing demonstrably. Big ears, and a big heart. Tolerated no crap, like any good drill sargeant.

I have to bite my tongue when I see all these endorsements of Bruce Gertz as a "great teacher". Maybe he's improved in the past 25 years? Fantastic bass player, no doubt, I used to love listening to Bruce...but at the time (and I stuck it out for two full semesters I was so determined to get something from him) he seemed fundamentally incapable of imparting any insight into how to be a better bass player beyond rote imitation: "Here, play this. Now play this. Read this. Now read this. Great, you're done."

I barely remember Mooter. I recall laughing a lot at Repucci's jokes.
 
#25
If you're looking to specialize in pop and funk, I'd definitely try to get a lesson with Vitti. The trouble is, he tends not to teach outside of the college.

I graduated from there a couple of years ago and studied with Vitti, Gertz, Garrison and Buda. Really wanted to get a good spectrum and find a teacher that clicked with me. Ultimately Vitti was the one who showed me the most practical stuff to improve my playing. Gertz is a great guy, but like someone said before a couple of posts above me, tends to go heavy on theory and reading and not so much else. Great if you don't have those things, but you kind of outgrow it quickly.

I only was able to study with him in my last semester there, but Dave Buda is a tremendous teacher and teaches outside of the college as well. Not sure where he's located these days but if you're within driving distance of Boston he shouldn't be hard to reach. Great guy and everything said about him here is spot on, he's fantastic at reading students and will help you a ton.
 
#26
I studied years ago with Bruce Gertz and I have to be honest He was not what I was looking for. If I was studing upright and traditional Jazz then I think Bruce is your guy, other wise I would look elsewhere.
 
#27
Hoover said:
I have to bite my tongue when I see all these endorsements of Bruce Gertz as a "great teacher". Maybe he's improved in the past 25 years? Fantastic bass player, no doubt, I used to love listening to Bruce...but at the time (and I stuck it out for two full semesters I was so determined to get something from him) he seemed fundamentally incapable of imparting any insight into how to be a better bass player beyond rote imitation: "Here, play this. Now play this. Read this. Now read this. Great, you're done."
Click to expand...

I have to agree with this - I was there 82-85 and had Bruce as a teacher - he seriously would ask me to play something, then look out the window at some hot tail rather than listen to what I was doing.
 
#28
ric stave said:
I have to agree with this - I was there 82-85 and had Bruce as a teacher - he seriously would ask me to play something, then look out the window at some hot tail rather than listen to what I was doing.
Click to expand...

OMG, that is exactly what he would do with me too!!! Dude was a horndog, I guess.

Jeff Berlin was living in Boston around the same time I was studying w/ Bruce, and Jeff's wife was studying sax at Berklee. She used to practice in the room across the airshaft from Bruce's office, and whenever she did Bruce would interrupt our lesson so he could wave at her and flirt and make funny faces...really annoying. And then Bruce would say to me "Jeff Berlin thinks I'm good enough to be a session player in the New York City studio scene." Great Bruce, that's really effin' great...now howzabout you put Mr. Pickle back in yer pants, quit name-dropping, and teach me something?

Ironically, I wound up working as a session player in the New York City studio scene, and Bruce is still teaching at Berklee.
 
#29
Figured I should bump this thread since I'm about to ask something similar.

I go to Northeastern University and I'm looking to find a private teacher from Berklee. I'm planning on learning upright, along with learning to bow and general facility with the upright in general. Later on, I want to incorporate electric (my first instrument) but at least for the majority of next year I want the focus to be learning upright since I don't have too much experience with it.

I went to the bass dept. (awesome place, btw) and talked to Rich Appleman; for what I was looking for (playing anything on upright, and learning german bow at the same time) he suggested:

John Lockwood
Bruno Raberg
Barry Smith
Whit Browne
Bruce Gertz
David Clark

I also asked him if he could be my instructor; he said he would see what could happen in March, since he has to go through the work of being the bass chair and everything.

For those of you who've had these guys as teachers, who would you suggest? I want someone who will be like a drill sergeant and let me know if I'm not doing the work or now. After searching threads through the site I'm not totally sure who to go for; I still would like to learn from Appleman if possible, and was going to go with Gertz until I got to this thread. Any suggestions?
 
#31
Rudreax said:
Bruno Raberg
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as far as that list goes though, i would suggest them in the order they're listed.

but for my tastes Bruno. He also teaches a class called 'south indian rhythmic solfege' it was a class i always wanted to take but never got into. its a study of konnakol. but all of those guys are great. so is Ron Mahdi.
 

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