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Jeff Berlin

#22
Originally posted by LiquidMidnight
Jeff doesn't tick me off. Then again, I agree with a lot of what the man says. I think that a lot of teachers/music courses/video's/books ect are a joke. I also don't see how a metromone can help you build timing. (It can help build speed and that's all I believe it can do, I remember my piano teacher use to turn that thing on and it was more distracting than anything else) I would love to go to the players school if I had a chance. Again, there are some things that I disagree with Jeff about. I like slap playing for instance, but if he doesn't like it, than that's his opinion.
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I respectfully (but totally) disagree on the metronome issue. But we already discussed that extensively.

Videos: The thing that bugged me back then was that he did a (very crappy) video himself. C'mon, he had Roddy Piper in it :rolleyes:

Practice what you preach, Jeff!
 
#23
Life has thrown Jeff some cuveballs in the last ten years......that might have something to do with his percieved bad behavior......I think he is a monster player who's last two C.D.'s smoked! I even forgive having that wrestler take up time in his old video:D
 
#24
Originally posted by rickbass


I thought Dann Glenn and Brad Johnson were putting together a collaborative effort titled "Stranglehold" ??? :D
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I believe DG and I are on good terms now. I'd like to leave it at that. I don't see a collaboration happening, we're on different levels;)

Jeff is Jeff. Excellent player. I'll leave that at that too.
 
#25
I have a slightly different take on things. Jeff is obviously an extremely accomplished player, and few, if any would disagree with that. When you give thought to how he learned and what his opinions are on what he's learned, he is in a good position to be opinionated on the quality of different teaching and learning methods. I think he's a little off on a few areas, but definitely gives rise to some good issues that normally get neglected.

Case-in-point: metronomes. You cannot learn to internalize time from a metronome. It's like listening to an "A" and being able to sing an "A" on command. I wouldn't say that metronomes have zero value as a learning tool, however. If you try to use it to understand the relationship between beats and subdivisions of beats, a metronome can help you learn to count. But, you can still learn to count and have lousy timing.

Bottom line - I think that many of Jeff's issues in the world of bass have definite merit.
 
#26
I kinda like this article. I too haven't agreed with a lot he said eg. in his bass player columns, but this kind of clears it up. He hasn't always practiced what he preaches, it seems he learned out the hard way and is now trying to make things easier for young players.

It is brave for him to say: "I can tear up a fretboard in fast tempos, but I found it wasn't necessary to do so. My playing is changing and evolving. That's partly due to having a vision of my own. It only took me 40 years to get here."

I haven't heard him since vox humana, so I really can't tell how that vision is coming out. :)
 
#31
Originally posted by RAM
Case-in-point: metronomes. You cannot learn to internalize time from a metronome.
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True. I believe a person (although they can improve somewhat) either has the particular talent for good time or they don't, much like some people have musical talent and some people don't.

Example: I've played in a group for several years that runs sequencing 98% of the time (we hate keyboard players). We've had drummers that even after several months to a few years of playing with a perfect click most of the time will still rush or drag signifigantly if we do a non-sequenced (i.e. no click) tune.

You either (to a degree) have it or you don't.
 

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