FYI: Rich Appleman and Joseph Viola also have a similar book: "Chord Studies for Electric Bass." I'd be willing to bet that the material is similar to the trombone book especially since they both have the same co-author.
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Jeff Berlin Bass Education Packages
- Thread starter BrotherMister
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- berlin jeff berlin
Apologies for the delay. I don't log in all too often.
So when I bought the packages I was already a strong reader. So for the most part package 1 wasn't much use, although by the end of the you are reading some fairly complicated stuff. More so than the other packages. However, I have actually been using these packages in my teaching and I've got school kids reading better than some people I know who play bass for a living so the proof is in the pudding.
The rest of the packages are a wealth of idea. Often it takes an hour or so to fully realise the smoothest way to play one of the lines he has written which gets you thinking about the neck in a whole new way. Solving musical problems, for me, is one of the most important things you can do on your own. Then when you take that material into all 12 keys you really are giving yourself a workout, which is the point.
I don't regret spending the money on the packages at all. I will say that if you follow them as they are you are still going to get a total work out on the instrument, but if you do what Jeff recommends and take everything through all 12 keys you are going to be a tank by the end of it.
As a side note I had a conversation with him about changing rhythms etc. He recommends doing all of that and will be the first to tell you that what he wrote isn't the find word on it, it should be the jumping off point.
I already explained them. It's not a sight reading course at all, as someone who had already been sight reading gigs for years I can safely say it's not that and I've had to sight read a lot harder material than this stuff. This stuff actually requires you to sit down and work out a lot of how to play passages, assuming you actually care about your playing and finding the smoothest way to execute lines. Package 5 pretty much requires you to sit down and do the work. Which in my experience as an educator is the point everyone switches off at but if you are interested and want to actually put the hours in you'll see results.
BrotherMister, can you explain it please?
So, in all 12 keys, say I'm in Package Two, Lesson Three, E flat major scale... does it mean that I play this etude on Eb, then F, Gb, G, Ab and so on?
Thanks in advance.
Exactly. Break it it to 4 bar chunks or something and work on it that way. Taking the same material through different keys you will quickly encounter problems with that material not sitting the same in other keys and therefore have to work out the smoothest way of playing the line in that key. More often than not I've felt I found the best approach to a line only for a problem to arise a few bars later when makes me rethink the entire thing. This process is frustrating make no mistake but the pay off for really digging into it is invaluable. In all the years I've been playing I've had to think of ways to play arpeggios that I've never really thought of before but putting material into a musical context presents challenges that just running arpeggios etc doesn't present.
He has one etude that is a ii V I progressing through all 12 keys. Jeff told me to take that exercise through all 12 keys which is pretty tough going.
Hope that helps clear things up? If not let me know and I'll happily answer as best I can.
Thank you very much BrotherMister. I really appreciate that, and will do that in my next practice sessions...
and that´s why he advocates to not use a metronome while practicing. you have to process so much musical info that the click would hinder you... you can use a click for "playing" not for practicing new material...
@BrotherMister @bench Does Jeff have any suggestions on how to work throughout an exercise like this a-rhythmically? Does he suggest using note names or numbers, using more reason or ears?
There is the whole pitfall of fingering patterns as well, both horizontal and vertical, that one can fall into. I follow the concept but just not the execution....I could imagine one writing the exercises out first before playing...but ultimately the idea is to be able to play or transpose to any key somewhat unconsciously right?
Clearly Jeff is a master of the instrument, so I imagine he defined a path to reach that goal. Hopefully I’m making sense here....
There is the whole pitfall of fingering patterns as well, both horizontal and vertical, that one can fall into. I follow the concept but just not the execution....I could imagine one writing the exercises out first before playing...but ultimately the idea is to be able to play or transpose to any key somewhat unconsciously right?
Clearly Jeff is a master of the instrument, so I imagine he defined a path to reach that goal. Hopefully I’m making sense here....
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you should be aware of where you are rhythmically. you can tap your foot on the downbeats. it will help with understanding the given piece of music. once you can play it properly, playing it in time will happen automatically (like for example clapping to a song you know...)
He's actually a very big advocate of practicing it a-rhythmically. Take it a bar at a time and work out where each of the notes are, don't bother too much about the rhythm until you find the notes. Then count to 4, not necessarily in time. You can take all the time in the world between 1, 2 etc but the idea is to correspond what is happening in the music and where it relates to the beat. Eventually the time will take care of itself as you get a more solid understanding of where is where. It's practising and not performance.
Also count out loud.
Thanks for the feedback! @BrotherMister @bench
Are we saying that the Berklee trombone book is very similar to the Chord Tone / Approach Note packages?
Are we saying that the Berklee trombone book is very similar to the Chord Tone / Approach Note packages?
Yeah it's the same concept that it is built from. It wouldn't hurt to have that book in arsenal on top of it. I use both fairly regularly, the bone book has a lot of musical examples that are well worth the shed but Jeff's exercises are a bit more involved.
That makes sense. I imagine Jeff’s exercises are designed specifically with the bass in mind as well.
Do the packages or videos offer much in the way of fingerings / suggestions? Or does he recommend self exploration much like what would be necessary with most new pieces of music one would encounter?
The trombone one is all playable on the bass so it's all transferable, as a general rule I find you get more milage out of music not written for our instrument.
There are very very little. Only if the first few Etudes of Package 1 have a few fingering suggestions but it's usually only where your first finger should be so the rest of the notes are playable under your hand.
There are very very little. Only if the first few Etudes of Package 1 have a few fingering suggestions but it's usually only where your first finger should be so the rest of the notes are playable under your hand.
Bumping this up to see how folks working with this method are doing. I’m still teetering and tottering with which section to purchase...can’t spring for the full bundle at the moment.
Currently I'm stuck at lesson 8... the past 6 weeks or so I didn't touch my bass or practice cause I injured my left forearm when I workout (weighlifting).
I just started practicing and playing again a couple of days ago...and start slowly.
I just started practicing and playing again a couple of days ago...and start slowly.
Get right back up G#! It’s all about micro progression, both weightlifting and playing. Are you working from Package One? Did you purchase the whole bundle?
I started wih Package One, then continue with Package Two, which I am at now.
I don't purchase the bundle package, I purchase one at a time. After I finish this Package Two I plan to purchase the next package.
The lessons really help my F clef reading.
Completely agree about micro progression. I used to practice 1 to 2 hours per day, it should be 1 hour but I often got carried away and just forget to stop
Now I start with 15 minutes practice. Just G major scale up and down the neck, then Mode also up and down the neck.
I don't purchase the bundle package, I purchase one at a time. After I finish this Package Two I plan to purchase the next package.
The lessons really help my F clef reading.
Completely agree about micro progression. I used to practice 1 to 2 hours per day, it should be 1 hour but I often got carried away and just forget to stop
Now I start with 15 minutes practice. Just G major scale up and down the neck, then Mode also up and down the neck.
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I just recently started on Lesson One. So far I'm at etude 2, and it's coming along good. I also have an app for my phone called NotesDeMusique, which allows me to learn the note of the bass clef. My immediate goal is to identify what the note is on sight, in other words not depending on Good Boys Do Fine Always and All Cows Eat Grass. So far it's coming along really well.
Hi there. I am german and my english is not so well, just got it from the streets. So please, be patient with me.
First of all I want to say THANK YOU. I enjoy the friendly atmosphere in this forum.
A few days ago I started with Jeff Berlins Sample Pack and after a few ours of studies I realized, that I did it in the wrong way. I was much too fast. So I slowed it down to the speed Jeff Berlin shows up in his Videos....and it became complicated because my mind was always dreaming away.
The second problem was, that I don´t know when I am ready get to the next step, and becausre of this I realized, that I don´t now about the target of the exercise. 1.the name of the notes, 2. the quality of the notes. 3. my mind knows where this notes are on the fretboard. 4. My fingers know where the notes are. 5. The melody becomes familiar 6. I can play the melody, but my eyes need to see the fretboard. 7. my eyes look to the sheet of notes and my fingers play the notes.
-The simple first question is: What is the target and meaning of the exercise?
-My second question is about the navigation within the packs. Jeff Berlin told us, that these exercises are sequential arranged. Are these packs sequential arranged? Do I have to start with pack 2 if I want to study pack 3?
Thank you so much. I never ever had any musical lessons.
First of all I want to say THANK YOU. I enjoy the friendly atmosphere in this forum.
A few days ago I started with Jeff Berlins Sample Pack and after a few ours of studies I realized, that I did it in the wrong way. I was much too fast. So I slowed it down to the speed Jeff Berlin shows up in his Videos....and it became complicated because my mind was always dreaming away.
The second problem was, that I don´t know when I am ready get to the next step, and becausre of this I realized, that I don´t now about the target of the exercise. 1.the name of the notes, 2. the quality of the notes. 3. my mind knows where this notes are on the fretboard. 4. My fingers know where the notes are. 5. The melody becomes familiar 6. I can play the melody, but my eyes need to see the fretboard. 7. my eyes look to the sheet of notes and my fingers play the notes.
-The simple first question is: What is the target and meaning of the exercise?
-My second question is about the navigation within the packs. Jeff Berlin told us, that these exercises are sequential arranged. Are these packs sequential arranged? Do I have to start with pack 2 if I want to study pack 3?
Thank you so much. I never ever had any musical lessons.
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