Why Does Jeff Berlin HATE Slapping?

[groveofbass]

can anyone tell me why he hates it so much?
its kinda bugs me that he would completely shut out an entire way to play the bass.

 

[jimmy ray]

maybe its not in his style of playing and gets upset that everyone pushes it in his face or says you need to slap too to be good? jamerson was, well his record speaks for itself, and he played with only 1 finger! so maybe you dont need to know all styles of picking slapping etc etc to be good?

 

[bassmonkeee]

can anyone tell me why he hates it so much?
its kinda bugs me that he would completely shut out an entire way to play the bass.

Why would you let someone else's opinion bug you? He's entitled to hate it as much as you are to like it. No one needs to justify anything.

Accept it and move on. Not everyone is going to agree with you in life.

 

[SunShine]

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[geoffkhan]

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Hahah, that's just what I was about to remind people about. He does have an interesting slapping style.

 

[JimK]

Anthony Jackson & Melvin Gibbs are a couple others(Jamerson, too!).

IIRC, Gibbs once said this in an '80s Guitar Player interview-
"You want Slap, call Marcus; you want something different, call me".

These guys just don't hear the bass that way...Jackson said his 'refusal' to do the obligatory Slap thing cost him many $$$ & (studio) gigs.
I gotta admire these guys that stuck to their guns.

Tapping is another method that not all bassists 'hear', either.
(I figure that's what a piano is for).

 

[Bruce Lindfield]

I think it's a question of taste...

So to me, most slap sounds dated now - like an 80s Jazz Funk phenomenon - so over here people think of Mark King and Shakatak etc.

But also its has been increasingly associated with "Smooth Jazz" - so I can imagine the guys with ideas of playing "legit" Jazz want to dissociate themselves from that as far as possible!!

I like a bit of slap - but I see it more as nostalgia and what I really like is 70s original funk - Larry Graham, T Connection etc etc.

But I wouldn't really put it in my playing nowadays on grounds of taste and so I can't see devoting much practice time to it, when there is so much else to learn!

 

[cowsgomoo]

I find there's no musical discussion that can't be related to food

If Jeff said "i don't like carrots, and I'd rather not use them in my own recipes", then that's one thing...

but if Jeff said "I don't like carrots and I don't think anyone else should cook with them or eat them either... carrots are yukky".. then he'd be silly



I don't like carrots much either but people can eat as many as they like as far as i'm concerned...

 

[johnvice]

most slap sounds dated now - like an 80s

My thoughts exaclty. I started playing electric bass in 1980 and thought slapping/popping was cool....until everybody and his dog started doing it. It just got so overused. Even when the song would have sound much better without it.

Thus I can empathize with Jeff as to why he has such disdain for slap.

That said, I still keep my slap/pop chops up as it's nice to throw in now and then.

 

[Richard Lindsey]

Not to be overly blunt, but who cares why Jeff doesn't like it? Do *you* like it? Can you make it work for you musically?

 

[FractalUniverse]

i can't remember why.... but someone once told me that it's no good to eat lots of carrots, can't remember why was that....
anyway, it just sound to me that people invents all kind of arguments for one thing or another....

do what makes you happy

and if you slap your bass remember that it will be good only if you apply it with good taste as all the things in music...

i eat lots of carrots thought... and nothing wrong have happened to me, appart of that bunny tail i have now.....

 

[cgworkman]

I like Victor Wooten's reply to this question...

"Who cares? Let whoever do whatever they want. Simple."

For me personally, I enjoy slapping. I find the rhythmn's fun and musical. But that's MHO. Whether someone looks down on me because I do or don't do something. Well.... I have an ass - kiss it.

 

[cgworkman]

I can't stand most of Berlin's playing anyway...

 

[Tom Howland]

I think Jeff ment, slaping is over-done.
Not original, to many Flea clones.
He can slap. live I seen him kill on a song.
He's from the create your own style place.
It's just his opion.
A lot of people, don't like fretless, mult-string basses.

 

[Ed Fuqua]

I think the question should be "Is there ANYTHING that Jeff Berlin actually likes?"

Other than himself, of course.

 

[NJL]

I think the question should be "Is there ANYTHING that Jeff Berlin actually likes?"

Other than himself, of course.

 

[cgworkman]

I think the question should be "Is there ANYTHING that Jeff Berlin actually likes?"

Other than himself, of course.

another

 

[john turner]

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heh heh. that was pretty cool

 

[KPJ]

I am eating carrots right now.

 

[Muzique Fann]

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Dude, who's the Rowdy Roddy Piper looking guy next to him???