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Hi to all from Jeff Berlin

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#101
JeffBerlin said:
One cannot fake a jazz tune. This is like faking Spanish. If you wish to improve your jazz playing, then learn the "language". Play with jazz guys. Find osme basic good walking bass lines and practice them. If you wish to improve your jazz playing, you have to get in with those guys and play what they play. Good luck!
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Jeff,

after 16 years i am just getting back into playing the bass. I use to play in big bands and combo's in highschool and college. Playing both upright and electric bass. Could you point me in the right derection what books i can read to get reaquainted with basic good walking lines and a chord book.

Thanks.

Hugh
 
#103
JeffBerlin said:
To be honest, you are delaying your musical progress this way. Music is factual and the facts have long ago been established to help you to play. If you start in invent new principles of regarding your musical homework, you, as a player not qualified to make these decisions, are sabataging your progress.
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i couldnt agree more!
like bill mchenry (NYC sax player) said:
I believe that pitches have specific effects on the listener that are not subjective - and that every harmony has a non-verbal meaning behind it.
- Bill McHenry
 
#105
Quote:
Originally Posted by martyman5000 View Post
The guitarist/composer in my new band did all of the bass and drums with his Mac computer. I spent 2 weeks listening to the songs transcribing the bass lines (around ten of them) and yesterday was it was not accurate for some of them. How would you deal with this?

Link Removed
Are you saying that the parts you listened to weren't correct? Or that you had a difficult time playing what you listened to on the Mac?
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The bass lines sound sub bass (like a car stereo sub tone)...the recordings are misleading to my ear. Also yesterday, I'm really terrible with theory and he was trying to play the notes on a alternate tuned guitar (I play by ear)...when the other guitarist would play out what he thought the bass line should be it didn't sound anything like what I was playing...
 
#106
Hi Jeff and thanks for taking questions today.

I live down in Miami and I have wanted to take your 1 week intensive class for years....but I'm going to lay it on the line here and tell you the reason I haven't is....I'm intimidated. I've taken lessons numerous times over the past 30 years of playing bass and no matter how much I practice when I get in the room with a teacher it comes undone. That and a lot of times I've come away with the feeling that they've been less then honest with me about my progress or lack of. Any thoughts on this as I'm sure I'm not the only person that has had this experience? Thank you!
 
#107
nortonrider said:
Hello Jeff,
I have a question about business and solo bass players, I was wondering what you guys do to market your product?

By that I mean, there is a pretty small segment of the population that like (or are even aware of) this type of playing.
I would assume that musicians (bass players specifically) are your biggest market - do you target this demographic?
Are bass players your biggest fans?
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Back from lunch! Let's chat!!

My market is bass. This means that I practically HAVE no market. One never hears a bass solo in a pop tune, and, in general, nobody cares for bass players anyhow. Here's a smidgen of proof.

Raising Sand performed by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Who played bass on the record? I wil bet that most of you don't know!

Coldplay won Song of they Year. What is the name of the bass player in Coldplay? Most of you don't know.

Bass is OUR instrument because the industry generally doesn't care much about it and the people who play. McCartney is an incidental bassist, he is far more highly regarded as a singer writer. So is Sting! To market guys like us, you have to know how to play well. And this takes time.
 
#108
hughstewart said:
Jeff,

after 16 years i am just getting back into playing the bass. I use to play in big bands and combo's in highschool and college. Playing both upright and electric bass. Could you point me in the right derection what books i can read to get reaquainted with basic good walking lines and a chord book.

Thanks.

Hugh
Click to expand...

Book recommendation is an iffy prospect because I simply do not know if I am recommending something below, equal to, or above your level of reading-comprehension. You really ought to find a great teacher and let them give you exactly what you need based on what they find out from you face-to-face.
 
#109
Hey everybody...let's talk bad about Jeff while he's at lunch. Oh wait, oops.

Seriously Jeff...I was so pumped to talk to you earlier today I made my boys listen to In Harmony's Way while we ate lunch. Of course, they proved to me once again that most non-musicians don't appreciate jazz.

I still can't believe how your bass is clearer and more articulate than even the piano on that album. Freakin amazing. Well I will let these guys start asking questions again.

Cam
 
#111
sir juice said:
Given that so many session players spend most of their recording careers playing to a click-track, surely it would be appropriate to practice with a metronome if becoming a recording professional was your goal?
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Bass players who have the ability to play to a click track in a studion have never practiced this skill with a metronome. besides, you personally already have the ability to perform to a click without any extra effort, that is, if you know how to play and if you know how to read and function in different styles in a rhythm section. Will Lee, Anthony Jackson, James Jamerson, Neil Jason, Chuck Rainey, Tim Landers, Neil Stubenhaus, every top studio bass player who makes a living in the studio and who performs a musical service by playing with a click never practiced with a metronome to develop this skill.
 
#112
JeffBerlin said:
Back from lunch! Let's chat!!

My market is bass. This means that I practically HAVE no market. One never hears a bass solo in a pop tune, and, in general, nobody cares for bass players anyhow. Here's a smidgen of proof.

Raising Sand performed by Allison Krauss and Robert Plant won the Grammy for Album of the Year. Who played bass on the record? I wil bet that most of you don't know!

Coldplay won Song of they Year. What is the name of the bass player in Coldplay? Most of you don't know.

Bass is OUR instrument because the industry generally doesn't care much about it and the people who play. McCartney is an incidental bassist, he is far more highly regarded as a singer writer. So is Sting! To market guys like us, you have to know how to play well. And this takes time.
Click to expand...

I agree with you on this, but wanted to take it one step further because I ran into this when I was younger and starting out on bass. Would love to hear your opinion on it.

Because it's not an appreciated instrument (probably the least appreciated in modern music, and if any of you were fans of "The Kids In The Hall", there is an hilarious sketch about this fact), you tend to me more marketable, because most guys go for lead guitar or vocals and this leaves bass players much harder to find.

But that also makes some bass players lazier. They think that just because they are in demand and always playing then it's time to just sit on their ass and not push it more than a guitarist. It's kind of a catch 22...bands are always looking for a good bass player, but then relegate the bass to "hey man, just follow the groove and stay out of the melody". That's why guys like you, Geddy, Squire, Wooten, and others are so highly regarded. You took this "bastard" instrument and made it groove with the rest of the band.
 
#113
martyman5000 said:
Quote:
Originally Posted by martyman5000 View Post
The guitarist/composer in my new band did all of the bass and drums with his Mac computer. I spent 2 weeks listening to the songs transcribing the bass lines (around ten of them) and yesterday was it was not accurate for some of them. How would you deal with this?

Link Removed


The bass lines sound sub bass (like a car stereo sub tone)...the recordings are misleading to my ear. Also yesterday, I'm really terrible with theory and he was trying to play the notes on a alternate tuned guitar (I play by ear)...when the other guitarist would play out what he thought the bass line should be it didn't sound anything like what I was playing...
Click to expand...


If you play by ear and cannot duplicate the music that you are listenting to, then (forgive me) you shouldn't be doing this gig until you've learned enough about music and bass to be qualified to play with these guys. If you don't know theory, can't learn the basslines and play by ear, this means that you don't know how to play. Go and find a teacher who can change this for you. Good luck!
 
#114
im just glad dean guitars made a great Jeff Berlin signature bass that alot of us could afford. I got to play one and loved it... back in the day i couldn't afford the peavey model.. i know this is a stupid question but why the switch to Dean Guitars?
 
#115
fdeck said:
Who's Coldplay? :hiding:

Seriously, though, I have a question: As an educator, what do you think of the Suzuki string method? I have two kids (ages 6 and 8) in Suzuki strings right now.
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I don't know about ethe Suzuki method except that I heard that it is a good way for kids to learn the violin. I learned violin in what might be considered a more European manner, that is, I read music, and practiced a lot (sound familiar?)
 
#116
JeffBerlin said:
I don't know about ethe Suzuki method except that I heard that it is a good way for kids to learn the violin. I learned violin in what might be considered a more European manner, that is, I read music, and practiced a lot (sound familiar?)
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Quite familiar. That's how I learned too. Dotzauer FTW. :D

I was apprehensive about Suzuki because they start without an emphasis on reading, but the full program includes a "theory" class that seems to address that issue. My kids seem to be interested in reading, and I am encouraging it.
 
#117
sflajimmy said:
Hi Jeff and thanks for taking questions today.

I live down in Miami and I have wanted to take your 1 week intensive class for years....but I'm going to lay it on the line here and tell you the reason I haven't is....I'm intimidated. I've taken lessons numerous times over the past 30 years of playing bass and no matter how much I practice when I get in the room with a teacher it comes undone. That and a lot of times I've come away with the feeling that they've been less then honest with me about my progress or lack of. Any thoughts on this as I'm sure I'm not the only person that has had this experience? Thank you!
Click to expand...

I don't think that anyone would regard me as a guy who isn't honest about what I think!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Lessons are supposed to enlighten, not freak out a student. I may have firm principles about what one should do to improve. But as a teacher, there's nobody that I know of who is easier on students than I am. Why? Because you are not expected to sound good. All tht is expected is that you practice. It is absolutely impossibile to improve on command. I can give you the work and either you will, or you will not learn it in a few days. If you do, then we move on. If you don't then we stay a little longer and work on the details. No pressure, no expectations. Just do the work and the rest takes care of itself. Music is best learned without pressure to play it perfectly. You are going to make mistakes and I know this before you even get off the plane. I could care less about errors because they simply do not count in a situation of learning. All a mistake is, is a clear indication about what you need to work on to get better. A mistake is a good thing! There's no questions about what to work on.
100% of Players School of Music students get better because there are no expectations except to show up and practice. If you go on a diet and stick to it, you are going to lose weight. So will you learn how to play if you practice the "good stuff' and do it everyday.
 
#118
dannyssx said:
im just glad dean guitars made a great Jeff Berlin signature bass that alot of us could afford. I got to play one and loved it... back in the day i couldn't afford the peavey model.. i know this is a stupid question but why the switch to Dean Guitars?
Click to expand...

I switched to Dean because Elliott Rubinson the head of the company is a pal of mine, He said that he could build a great bass and he did. Simple as that! Do you know how many basses I own?

1

This is true. It may not be too smart, but so far I have never had any problems playing and travelling with one guitar.
 
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