Hi from Jeff Berlin

[JeffBerlin]

Jeff, just out of curiosity... back in the day when you were growing up, how many hours a day would you practice and what would you practice? As well, how do you practice now with family life involved now?

Thanks

I was, and am, a practicing musician because I get very bored with my playing rather quickly. Family comes first these days, but I always practice new and old musical principles. P.S. No one has to practice for hours to improve as a player.

 

[Wilbyman]

Hi Jeff, nice to see you here. I am a big fan of your music.

I have seen some old videos of you playing very straight bebop and you are masterful at that style. Can you give some insight into how you learned that language and what tips, any, you have for playing it authentically?

I really enjoy the full range of your harmonic vocabulary but am particularly interested in this aspect of your playing.

Will

 

[Hamrhed]

Jeff,

Welcome to TB- thanks for taking the time to drop by and answer questions!

What advice would you give on improvement to a mid-aged player who has always played for fun but w/ little formal musical education... Thanks

 

[gweimer]

Hi, Jeff. You did have a forum here way back. I know, because you gave me the best advice I ever got about adjusting my playing technique. I now use the lightest strings I can get, play a little lighter, and crank the amp. Thanks!

 

[JeffBerlin]

Hi Roger. Thank you for your nice words.

Regarding my instrument, I own 1 (count 'em) ONE bass guitar because I only play one bass. I know that this is silly if anything happens to my instrument. But as a professional player, I can't remember any bass of mine suddenly becoming unable to function in the middle of a performance or a recording session. So I just play the one, a Jeff Berlin Dean bass which is the absolute best 4 string bass guitar I ever played in my entire career.

 

[JeffBerlin]

To Hamrhed and Wilbyman. You should practice like the pros even if you aren't focused on a pro career. If you practice the "good stuff" you can improve your playing and enjoy what you play which is why most people play. They don't play for a career but to sound good and bask in the pleasure of a good performance. To do this, you need to learn music that should be used on your instrument. Great lessons will, inside of one year, turn anybody into three or four times the player they are today.

 

[JeffBerlin]

..Oh, as an additional comment. You don't need to practice for hours a day. You just need to practice WELL.

 

[J. Crawford]

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Here you go guys, I know you have seen some great videos of the man of the hour, but the one on this page really made my fingers hurt.

And no, its not a Rick Roll. :scowl:

 

[LowDown Hal]

Lessons are not for application. They are for regard. You learn to play better when you improve as a player which means that you need to have knowledge and experience to play. Theory lesson are really hard to apply because the music you are playing may not be lined up for the lessons you are practicing. The trick is the practicing itself. The love of holding a bass and working on new musical information makes us into better players, and therefore better soloists, if this is your interest.

Thanks for that perspective!
As a nOOb I tend to get caught up "over thinking" my theory lessons while attempting to just play.

 

[JeffBerlin]

GWEIMER> I use DR STRings, the Low Rider brand. My gauges are .040 .060 .080 .100 I prefer to not use heavier strings because you don't get a louder or more bottom bass sound with thicker strings. But you will immediately have a bass guitar that will feel like a race car under your hands due to the lighter gauges. Be warned however that lighter gauge strings may require a slight neck adjustment to accomodate the lighter strings.

 

[Pete skjold]

Hello Jeff ,

First let me say that you were a huge influence on me when I started playing in 1987 . I read every article you wrote in the BP columns . Much of what you said I had to agree with and still agree with . There are however in recent years things that you have said and ideas you put forth that have really made me think . It is not that I disagree with the things you stated , but the fact that you would make the statements in the first place . I find myself wondering where the feeling of need comes from in you to make them . I want to ask you specifics , but I want to be very careful how to word it as to not have it misread . So I will get back to you on this .

To me you are an iconoc figure that openly shares his opinions about the music world around you . That always spells trouble I think the bass community is very lucky to have you as a guide post for our developement .

Thank you very much for being a part of Talkbass , look forward to your insights ,

Pete Skjold

 

[Dave Siff]

Hi Jeff,
Welcome aboard. I think the reason some people don't like you is because you speak the truth, and they don't want to hear it. I saw you do a clinic in Atlanta around 1994 or so, and you wrote two columns on a dry erase board: one listing the types of gigs a player can get if they read music, the other listing the types of gigs a player can get if they don't. The first column was quite long, and the second one was basically, "rock band." That was a good dose of reality. I didn't read music then, still don't, and I've only ever wanted to play in rock bands locally, but what you said was the gospel truth.
There's one thing I've seen you say in print many times that I take issue with: that it's impossible to improve without practicing. While I agree in the physical sense, as far as getting your hands and brain to work together, the best bass lines I've come up with for my bands over the years have been ideas that came to me while humming the song to myself and hearing melodic ideas in my head. Then, I'd go get the bass and figure out how to play them. These are lines that I don't think I would have come up with while actually playing. Have you experienced that? I feel like those experiences made me better, because the lines I hear in my head force me to stretch beyond what I'd normally play while practicing.
Anyway, just some food for thought. I enjoy your music and reading what you have to say.

 

[JeffBerlin]

Hi Jeff, nice to see you here. I am a big fan of your music.

I have seen some old videos of you playing very straight bebop and you are masterful at that style. Can you give some insight into how you learned that language and what tips, any, you have for playing it authentically?

I really enjoy the full range of your harmonic vocabulary but am particularly interested in this aspect of your playing.

Will

My roots are in classical violin for ten years. I am a conservatory trained musician and was playing classical concertos when I was 11. This background was the most inspirational musical time of my life and guided me into jazz where I could continue to explore the multi-faceted possibilities that jazz pianists, sax players etc could pursue.

 

[bassteban]

Welcome to TB, Jeff.

 

[Hamrhed]

Thanks for the advice Jeff! Do you think that your instructional dvd Jeff Berlin - Bass Logic from The Players School of Music is a good follow up to that advice- or would it be too advanced for an intermediate?

To Hamrhed and Wilbyman. You should practice like the pros even if you aren't focused on a pro career. If you practice the "good stuff" you can improve your playing and enjoy what you play which is why most people play. They don't play for a career but to sound good and bask in the pleasure of a good performance. To do this, you need to learn music that should be used on your instrument. Great lessons will, inside of one year, turn anybody into three or four times the player they are today.

 

[JeffBerlin]

Hi Jeff,
Welcome aboard. I think the reason some people don't like you is because you speak the truth, and they don't want to hear it. I saw you do a clinic in Atlanta around 1994 or so, and you wrote two columns on a dry erase board: one listing the types of gigs a player can get if they read music, the other listing the types of gigs a player can get if they don't. The first column was quite long, and the second one was basically, "rock band." That was a good dose of reality. I didn't read music then, still don't, and I've only ever wanted to play in rock bands locally, but what you said was the gospel truth.
There's one thing I've seen you say in print many times that I take issue with: that it's impossible to improve without practicing. While I agree in the physical sense, as far as getting your hands and brain to work together, the best bass lines I've come up with for my bands over the years have been ideas that came to me while humming the song to myself and hearing melodic ideas in my head. Then, I'd go get the bass and figure out how to play them. These are lines that I don't think I would have come up with while actually playing. Have you experienced that? I feel like those experiences made me better, because the lines I hear in my head force me to stretch beyond what I'd normally play while practicing.
Anyway, just some food for thought. I enjoy your music and reading what you have to say.

What can one do in any topic or subject and get good at it without practice. If one has a limited goal in whatever they are learning, they are pretty much exempt from the pursuit of higher skills that the serious guys aspire to learn in whatever subject they are involved in. You just have to be honest and find out where you wish to be as a player, and then just follow those guidelines.

 

[AlembicPlayer]

Hi JB
what things besides music are you into?
do you apply yourself to any other art or craft?

thanks for your time here.

 

[Sub5ound]

Hi Jeff, I often play along to older r&b, soul music at home for fun. I have noticed that on many older recordings, rock&roll to, the timing of the song fluctuates more than on contemporary recordings. Do you think that practising to these recordings is more beneficial than practicing to ones that are perfecly in sync?

 

[Muusers]

so jeff, why did you chose TB as the forum you want to share your experiences on? there must be tens of other forums you could've signed up to?

 

[Dave Siff]

My question would be this; what can one do in any topic or subject and get good at it without practice. If one has a limited goal in whatever they are learning, they are pretty much exempt from the pursuit of higher skills that the serious guys aspire to learn in whatever subject they are involved in. You just have to be honest and find out where you wish to be as a player, and then just follow those guidelines.

Agreed. While I may feel I've improved as a player through conceptualizing bass lines without a bass in my hands, ultimately I've always had to pick up the bass and actually learn to play what I thought up. Thanks again for your perspective.