This week I’m sitting down to talk bass education with the one and only Jeff Berlin
Bass Guitar Legend – Jeff Berlin
Jeff is one of the most revered bass players of all time. His reputation crosses all styles and he is one of the great innovators of the instrument having played as a ‘super sideman’ for legends such as Bill Bruford, Allan Holdsworth and as a solo artist.
He is also one of the leading voices in bass education. His no-nonsense approach to ‘academic’ teaching has led to his somewhat controversial and iconoclastic reputation.
In this interview we delve deep into Jeff’s views on all things bass education and I take on the role of devil’s advocate in providing a counter argument to some of his most popular beliefs.
This was a challenging interview with Jeff Berlin. I can’t confidently say that I clearly understand what position he is taking. I would have to give the video another watch. After once view, it seems to me that Jeff is advocating for a combination of formal education and practical experience – that too much of one or the other is not a good thing. Does that sound right?
As someone who has been attempting to learn the bass guitar over the past year, I have found the topic of bass education quite perplexing. The bass guitar seems to be an instrument that lives in its own “netherland” when it comes to education. I live in a medium-sized Canadian city. There are many opportunities for music education here – especially if you want to learn the piano or guitar or any of the classical orchestral instruments. We have a conservatory here that is affiliated with the Royal Conservatory of Music of Canada.
Yet, I have found though that the bass guitar is not well represented by either the local conservatory or private music teachers. The conservatory focuses exclusively on double bass / upright bass. Private teachers tend to be guitar players who dabble in bass both as players and educators. It is a bit frustrating. This is one reason why I value online options like TalkingBass and BassBuzz. The education you are receiving is affordable and you are being taught by bass guitar specialists.
I saw the most recent Jeff Berlin interview, started listening, and then quit and figured I would start at the beginning with this one. It was interesting although Jeff Berlin can be a rather circuitous in his manner of speaking at times. My biggest benefit is that I’m a lot more motivated to put in the time and “practice in every key” the material in the Walking Bass lines tutorial. It’s always been great advice but I’ve always struggled to put it into practice.