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Why Does Jeff Berlin HATE Slapping?

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#26
Jeff has an even more ridiculous opinion about pick playing.

Great player, though. Hell, if you go to his website, he himself will tell you he's the greatest electric bassist alive today. :rolleyes:

Just a bit of a bully. :D
 
#27
lol

Well, also Geddy never learned to slap either.

Funny story about slap...

I have been playing for years now and a newer friend made his way into our circle of friends. He plays drums poorly. So since he owns a couple instruments that he isn't proficient at all with, he likes to fancy himself a "musician". Anyways, his "bass god" of a friend showed him a few things, including slapping. So now, he fancies himself a bass player. After he went out of his way to show me his "skills", I made light of the fact that I never learned to slap. He then acted like this is a crime and tried to teach me. I then made clear to him that I really had no interest in learning, to which he nearly fainted.

Anyways, the point of this...

Slaping, it's a useful tool for some bassist and the bain of others. Do what makes you (and hopefully your bandmates) happy and if anyone runs you down because of it, you don't need them anways :p
 
#29
That clip of Jeff is from an old instructional video of his. I have a copy on VHS.

On the video he does a very, very cool two-handed version of "Dixie".

I like to use all techniques (fingerstyle, pick, slap, flamenco guitar stuff, tapping, etc...) in my playing for two main reasons.... firstly it allows me to express myself a bit better the more "tools" I have available to me to make different sounds with and to really "wrestle" with the bass. This also allows me to play more gigs, especially studio stuff.

Secondly, I like to challenge myself to learn new techniques and stuff on the bass. First and foremost I am a fingerstyle player, along with right handed goofy stuff (tapping, etc.) that is my strongest technique. I'll play with a pick if the song calls for that sound, and I'm an okay slapper, but I'm no flea or wizard.

Play what you like and what moves you.... heck with anybody elses opinion... we all have one and we all know what they're like!

:^)~
 
#30
You know, Jeff personally wrote me a check to refund my cash for that video.... he had written in a column about how awful videos were (silly cameos, predictable format, TAB) and all of the things he said were awful were on that tape. So I said hey Jeff, what's your refund policy?


He wrote me a check, and mentioned me in his Bass Player column...

pretty cool, really.
 
#31
Pacman said:
You know, Jeff personally wrote me a check to refund my cash for that video.... he had written in a column about how awful videos were (silly cameos, predictable format, TAB) and all of the things he said were awful were on that tape. So I said hey Jeff, what's your refund policy?


He wrote me a check, and mentioned me in his Bass Player column...

pretty cool, really.
Click to expand...

You sir, are a national treasure...
 
#35
jeff schmidt said:
2 pages and no one has even bothered to ask - where did you learn Jeff Berlin "hates slapping"?
Click to expand...

i remember reading it somewhere. i think in an old old issue of "guitar player". i also rememebr getting the impression that he is extremely full of himself in the article. but its been a while since i read the article so i may be out of line
 
#37
cowsgomoo said:
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... :)
Click to expand...
Anthony Jackson says Slapping is "the ketchup of bass playing".:p
 
#39
cgworkman said:
Well...

Talent aside, Anthony Jackson and Jeff Berlin are two of the most pompous ass' that play bass IMO. :mad:
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Yeah, but unless you live next door to them--who cares?

I've got news for ya--lots of musicians are a$$holes. As are lots of firemen, grocery clerks, gas station attendants, hair stylists, doctors, candy makers, horse groomers, vacuum salesmen, etc, etc....
 
#40
cgworkman said:
Well...

Talent aside, Anthony Jackson and Jeff Berlin are two of the most pompous ass' that play bass IMO. :mad:
Click to expand...
Anthony Jackson's problem with it is more how it's used than the technique itself. He hates the "sour note", i.e. the flat7 that so many slappers are prone to play, even though it doesn't fit over the particular chord change.
 
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