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A Review Of The Players

School of Music (Jeff Berlin's
School)
Discussion in 'General Instruction [BG]' started by Peter Weil, Oct 25,
2007.
Berklee Online
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This has also been posted
by myself over at
http://basschat.co.uk/inde
x.php?showtopic=7438.
The website for the Players
School is at
http://www.playerschool.co
m/
Okay, after a month at the
Players School of Music, I
think I can now post a
review. It may be of use to
others who are considering
attending.
Why did I pick somewhere
to study that was
thousands of miles away
from where I live, not
work, spend a reasonable
!"#$ &' $()*
!"#$ &' $()* !"#$ &' $()*
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Peter Weil
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!"#$%&'''
amount of hard-earned
cash, and leave my wife
behind? Two - no, three,
answers: Jeff Berlin,
emphasis on chord tones,
and emphasis on chord
tones. Of all the schools in
the UK (where I live) and
the ones I read about
briefly in the US, there was
always emphasis on
scales/modes/etc. I
practiced modes for a year
and got nowhere when I
first started. The only two
people I have seen publicly
espouse chord tones as the
basis of jazz teaching are
Carol Kaye and Jeff Berlin.
I've had couple lessons
with Carol before, but
never with Jeff, and I could
also improve my
understanding of theory
and do ear training at the
Players School also, so off
to Florida I went....
Right. So. You want the
whole post in a nutshell?
Overall, the whole
experience was extremely
positive. I can
wholehearted recommend
this place as place to learn
your instrument solidly,
and learn musicianship to a
professional standard.
Value for money is
absolutely outstanding. In
retrospect, it might have
been worth going for 10
weeks, but the 4 week
program has given me
enough work to do for the
next few years at the very
least. I imagine if you did
the year-long course, you'd
end up as a monster; some
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guys do two years and I
think would be absolutely
astounding musicians.
Interestingly, Jeff Berlin
gives a talk on the first day
of the course where he
essentially says that your
playing is likely to get
worse over the first month
of being there, with
subsequent radical
improvement. My
experience did not quite
follow this.
My background is that I am
a full-time professional who
does music as a treasured
hobby. I have gigged
plenty in the past doing
funk, soul, and some
funkier/fusion-type jazz,
but not real straight-up
jazz. Before I came here, I
could already sight read
bass clef (to an okay level
only), chord charts
(moderately), play chord
tones for the
min/maj/dim/augmented/d
om7th/m7b5 chords (in
only a few positions), had a
a little understanding of
the chordal scale, and had
some very simple harmonic
analysis under my belt
(how I – ii - V
chords function, some
understanding of common
chord progressions, tritone
subs, and some other subs
from Carol Kaye's
writings). I had played a
few Standards before also.
I did not truly understand
harmony that well, and my
technique on the
instrument was (and is)
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fairly average. As it turns
out, my fretboard
knowledge was nothing like
as good as I had hoped
either.
On the plus side, I had
recently started teaching
myself piano, and could
read a little treble clef
because of this.
I sat a harmony exam at
the beginning of the course
to place me in the correct
class for this. I ended up in
Harmony 1 (the starter
class), but as I was a little
further on in my
understanding they also let
me sit in on Harmony 2.
This kind of attitude was
common at the school; if
you wanted to push
yourself harder/further
they were very happy to
accommodate you.
Although this kind of
assessment is a tad
painful, it needed to be
done to understand how
my comments may or may
not apply to you.
Right. All that out of the
way; now we can look at
what I gained from my
time.
My schedule consisted of
11 hours a week of taught
classes:
1 hour x2/wk Ear Training
1 hour x2/wk Private
Lessons (with Jeff Berlin)
1 hour /wk Harmony
4 hours /wk Ensembles
1 hour /wk Chart
Reading/Performance
1 hour /wk Guitar
Maintenance
Let's break each of these
down.
Ear Training: I was in the
beginner class. We were
taught solfege, sight
reading treble clef,
conducting patterns for
4/4, 3/4, and 2/4 time, and
simple rhythm patterns.
Each week the exercises
ratcheted up in difficulty,
and I imagine if I stayed on
longer things would get a
lot harder. I passed the
midterm exam (singing and
conducting the major scale
in solfege from memory,
then the same for the
‘I ‘chord)
before leaving. I have
noticed a small but definite
difference in how fast I pick
up things now, but a great
deal more work would be
needed here to have 'jazz
ears'. I’m going to
have to keep on with this
after I leave, as well as
everything
else……
I suspect this class is
potentially one of the most
valuable. Taken to its
logical extreme, you should
be able to transcribe
lines/solos accurately,
without your instrument to
hand, and react to others
in ensembles extremely
well. What you would
expect of a good musician,
essentially.
Harmony: There is one
textbook for all Harmony
classes. The teacher for
this is a great guy, a
seasoned pianist named
Matt Bokulic; he also wrote
the textbook. Harmony 1
during my time there
covered the chromatic
scale, accidentals, major
scale construction, clef
types, major/minor
intervals and inverting of
these, and
tetrachords/Circle of Fifths.
It will move on after I leave
to triad construction,
inversions, and the chordal
scale.
Harmony 2 covered major,
minor, m7b5, and dom 7th
chords over the same time,
with students expected to
be able to write these in
root position or any of the
three inversions. This class
pushed me and was really
helpful - I can now
construct these chords in
both treble and bass clef
and am using them to help
rip apart jazz tunes to help
practice them.....
The harmony book Matt
wrote seems pretty
complete for only 32 pages
- but it is 'basic' harmony. I
note that after the sections
I have already covered, it
covers subordinate chord
subs for primary chords,
secondary dominants,
tritone subs, modulation,
voice leading, further chord
tensions, and direct
harmonic analysis. Seems
pretty good for a
‘basic’
harmony book - I haven't
even hit those sections
yet....
Before I left, Matt gave me
a very long list of things to
do/write/play harmonically
to help teach myself jazz
further. That's why I now
have a list of things to
practice/do that will take a
couple of years....or ten
years.....
Private Lessons: It has to
be said, this is one of the
main reasons to come
here, if no other.....private
lessons with Jeff Berlin
twice a week! Sadly, during
my time, Jeff was only
there for two weeks, and
another chap, Joe Public,
had to stand in for Jeff
during the last two weeks
of lessons. Nonetheless,
Jeff really pushes you hard
and I noticed improvement
over the four weeks. I
would have done a lot
better over 10 weeks
though....
Jeff had me:
1. Relearn my left hand
technique.
2. Write out and play all
the chords to a couple of
standards.
3. When I finished with
that, I then wrote out all
the inversions to those
chords and played them.
4. Improved my fretboard
knowledge by getting me
to play a standard and play
all chord tones all the way
up and down the neck,
connecting them smoothly.
5. Subsequently I started
writing out some beginner
solos using only chord
tones.
Needless to say, my
soloing, reading, fretboard
knowledge, and left hand
technique have all
improved.
Studying with Jeff was
interesting. He has the
ability to pick out what you
need to do in a very short
space of time - most of my
lessons lasted about 20
mins or so - a rare talent.
It is not often that you find
a player who has the ability
to teach also. He managed
to motivate and push me
to improve/do a lot in a
very short space of time. I
enjoyed studying with Joe,
but Jeff is really something
else. He can occasionally
be impatient, but if he
knows you're doing your
work and practicing
regularly, then he can tell
extremely quickly and he is
very supportive. I always
felt able to approach him
(or any member of the
staff) with questions. It's
worth pointing out here
that private tuition is
available for free when
you're at the school.
Ensembles: Every day
except Wednesday, every
player was expected to
play in an 'ensemble' - the
level of which was
determined by playing
ability, but was dynamic;
as people improved/felt the
need to change, and if the
instructors agreed, people
could be moved - the
ensemble typically
composed of a drummer,
guitarist, bassist, and
others as available. Tunes
played would start with
simple chord progressions
and move to Standards,
with emphasis on group
interaction, soloing,
comping and walking
correctly, and suggestions
for playing generally.
Basically, playing in a band
4 days a week is great for
getting your musical
interaction and
playing/soloing
together.....enough said.
Chart
reading/Performance:
This class focused on sight
reading correctly and
playing different styles of
music as you would on a
gig. I could sight read the
first book pretty well so the
instructor gave me some of
his arrangements to sight
read, which was just right
for my level of playing, and
also pushed me. This class
had very little emphasis on
soloing - just sticking to
the written music. Very
useful....what do you think
you do in the studio, or
when you do a jingle, or an
orchestra pit gig? Some hip
tunes to play too.
Guitar Maintenance: This
was the surprise class to
me - I really enjoyed it. I
had wondered if it was just
a ‘fill-in’
hour, but it was anything
but. The guy who teaches
it, Mick Donner, is a very
well known tech (personal
tech for Jeff, as well as a
lot of traveling pros), and
he has plenty of stories to
tell from his days at
Peavey, Dean, Washburn,
and Parker.....not even
mentioning his gigging
days too....This class was a
pleasant hour on a Friday
with an opportunity to hear
about all things technical
with bass guitars and
improved my knowledge of
the physics side of
instrument in a significant
way. Mick also does set-up
work for people on the
course if you ask
nicely.....and cough up
$45....
Quick comment on the
school grounds etc......the
school itself is found
behind the local Sam Ash
store and has some
interestingly faux Greco-
Roman grounds. Used to
be a restaurant,
apparently. There are quite
a few practice rooms, but
there's always competition
for them. There's one main
room for ensembles and a
classroom for the
Harmony/Ear
Training/Guitar Tech
classes. The
school’s facilities
are overall adequate, not
very fancy (a few
bathrooms, a kitchen and
office/hanging out area,
lots of bass/guitar/music
mags also). They also have
WiFi and a PC there for you
to check your email
– a very nice touch.
Overall, this was a really
great month. Generally I
practiced/wrote out
music/did ear training for 3
hours or so a day; I would
generally come in for 9 for
classes and leave at 5
having done all my
work/practice. I didn't
practice more in the
evenings unless I had not
done so during the day;
however, I would do
harmony writing and other
bits of work at home,
especially to help improve
my own understanding.
Make no mistake, do not
expect an easy ride if you
decide to come here.
Although 11 hours a week
of taught classes doesn't
sound like much, you will
work VERY hard to stay on
top of everything that's
thrown at you. This is no
classical conservatory;
neither is it the halls of
stuffy academia –
the emphasis here is on
being a rounded (and
working) musician.
Jazz is the taught music
here, because it
encompasses a huge
amount of harmony,
reading, technique, and
interaction......but I note
just about everyone who is
here (students and
instructors) like a whole
range of music, from rock,
heavy metal and funk to
jazz, Cuban music, and so
on. If you come here I can
honestly put my hand on
my heart and say I think
you will be doing the best
thing for your playing that
Peter Weil, Oct 25, 2007 #1
slapagroov, Oct 25, 2007 #2
grovest, Oct 26, 2007 #3
you could ever do. And
pretty cheaply too, when
you compare to other
music schools.
I'll miss it.
Pete
Great review! Thanks man.
Fascinating post.
Thanks. Took me about an
hour and a half to write. I
wanted to make sure that
anyone looking at
committing money to their
dreams has a solid idea of
the curriculum and what to
expect if they cough up.
I didn't realise it at the
Joined: Apr 24, 2007
Location:
Bonita Springs, FL
slapagroov
Joined: Feb 26, 2002
Location: Oregon
grovest
Peter Weil
Seeker of The New
Supporting Member
Peter Weil, Oct 27, 2007 #4
JimmyM, Oct 28, 2007 #5
time but it's up at the 1800
word count or so. I've let
the Players School of Music
people know as well; they
may comment or not here
as they choose. They have
let me know privately they
are pleased.
I'd be very happy to hear
other
comments/comparisons,
either from attendees of
other schools or previous
alumni of the Players
School.
Pete
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Never been there, drove by
it a few times. Jeff's got
some weird theories about
music that he seems to
treat as absolutes, but I've
never heard a bad word
about the Player's School.
Thx for the review.
You are welcome for the
review.
I'm not quite sure what
you mean by 'weird
theories about music', but
Jeff does make some useful
Joined: Mar 29, 2000
Location:
Edinburgh, Scotland
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: Apopka, FL
Disclosures:
Endorsing: Ampeg
Amps, EMG Pickups
JimmyM
Supporting Member
distinctions between
practicing (should be done
slowly and correctly,
doesn't need a metronome
to be done properly, strong
emphasis on learning chord
tones and appopriate
harmony to practice here)
and performing (needs to
be in time with other
musicians, play what is
correct for the situation,
you are unlikely to
regurgitate precisely what
you practice in this
situation).
Jeff sometimes says 'what
you practice has no bearing
on what you play at the
gig', which in some ways is
true, but to my mind that
slightly over-generalises. I
may not play every chord
in the first inversion
throughout the whole piece
the way I did when I
practiced it, but having
practised root position and
all three inversions of all
chords in the song certainly
gives your fingers more
fluidity when it comes to
soloing over the form.
I recall a good deal of
debate about 'metronome'
vs 'no metronome'
practicing. I think the best
way to express what I
perceive to be Jeff's take
on that subject is that
metronomes have their
uses, but that they are
much more limited than
generally appreciated and
should not be used for
practicing until you can
already play what you are
practicing. Why use a
Joined: Mar 29, 2000
Location:
Edinburgh, Scotland
Peter Weil
Seeker of The New
Supporting Member
Peter Weil, Oct 28, 2007 #6
metronome on a piece that
you already can't play
without the metronome? I
recall that he has other
critiques also but cannot
recite them.....
I take what Jeff says very
highly when I consider his
abilities both technically on
the instrument and as a
fully rounded musician with
an advanced grasp of
harmony. That doesn't
mean I don't shine the light
of scepticism upon it and
think about it, but as far as
I can tell what Jeff
advocates is grounded in
the firm roots of
experience, both his own
and in teaching others.
That satisfies my 'empirical
evidence' side, at least
until I find evidence to
disprove any of what Jeff
has said to me. Which, as a
good sceptic, I am open
to.......
I freely expect that if I
have misinterpreted any of
Jeff's views a correction
will come swiftly my way.
Pete
Peter,
When you say that Jeff has
you play all of the chords
of the scales and their
inversions, is there any
specific way he has for you
to practice them -- i.e. are
they played as block 4 note
chords, or arpeggios, and
Joined: Mar 23, 2007
cheapimitation
cheapimitation, Oct 28, 2007 #7
timmbass, Oct 28, 2007 #8
JimmyM, Oct 28, 2007 #9
does he get into all of the
different ways you can
voice them?
I am very interested in
developing my use of chord
tones.
I have read about that
Michael Dimin book named
"The Chordal Approach"
and have not bought it
because I do not want to
play chords. So maybe I
don't understand what that
book is about.
But I wonder if that book,
or some other, would help
me in working on seeing
and playing and using
chord tones better.
Do you have any advice for
me? A book or a webpage
or a correspondence
teacher?
www.carolkaye.com
Joined: Oct 4, 2006
Location: Atlanta, GA
timmbass
Joined: Apr 11, 2005
Location: Apopka, FL
Disclosures:
Endorsing: Ampeg
Amps, EMG Pickups
JimmyM
Supporting Member
che
api
mit
atio
n
sai
d: !
They are played as
arpeggios. And yes, the
inversions are different
voicings of the chord you
are playing.
Example:
F maj chord
Root position: F A C E
1st inversion: A C E F
2nd inversion: C E F A
3rd inversion: E F A C
So, for one tune, I wrote
out the arpeggios for all
the chords in root position,
then on another piece of
manuscript paper I wrote
them all out in 1st
inversion, and so on. Then
I played all of them.
Good practice in
understanding chord
construction, writing
everything out, reading the
notation, and listening to
each chord's tonal quality
as you do so; especially
enlightening when you play
the inversions of chords.
Joined: Mar 29, 2000
Location:
Edinburgh, Scotland
Peter Weil
Seeker of The New
Supporting Member
Pet
er,
Wh
en
you
say
tha
t
Jeff
Peter Weil, Oct 28, 2007 #10
That exercise alone is
wonderful for starting to
learn how to solo over
standards, and will give a
lot of practice in many
useful things.
Pete
Pet
er
Wei
l
sai
d: !
Alumni here. Very thorough
review Pete. I can agree
with all of your take here. I
took the one week
intensive in March and
have a reservation for next
march as well (4 weeks off
work would be great but
cause early retirement for
me). My thread on that
session is
here:http://www.talkbass.c
om/forum/showthread.php
?t=311653
I had private lessons with
Jeff in 1998 in his first
years opening PSOM as
well (he wont do private
sittings only now as you
know....it only comes with
Joined: May 20, 2004
Location: Tampa Bay
manbass
....
I'd
be
ver
y
ha
pp
y
to
hea
manbass, Oct 29, 2007 #11
cheapimitation, Oct 30, 2007 #12
the School calendar
sessions).
I stay on a lesson schedule
with his Guitar Dept. Head
Peter Mongaya which Jeff
suggested, who has his
own school here locally.
Peter went through the 80
week @ PSOM some years
back and came out a multi
dimensional Pro player as
you state above.
My only comment to add is
that there really are only a
few pioneers of electric
bass left on this planet and
fewer than that dedicate
most of their days to
teaching us their authentic
approach and history. One
day Jeff will be gone or just
delegate all his teaching to
others...its inevitable...so if
you are dedicated even in
the smallest way, to make
some penetrating sound
with your axe, go there
now.
Just wondering if there is
any bias at the Players
School against basses with
5 or more strings, or
fretless.
Never mind about the 5+
string question, I just read
a line at the Players School
site which answered my
Joined: Mar 23, 2007
cheapimitation
cheapimitation, Oct 30, 2007 #13
Freddels, Oct 30, 2007 #14
sk8terguy316, Oct 30, 2007 #15
question (the course does
work with 5 and 6 string
players).
I know the site states that
you're on your own for
living accomodations so
where do most students
stay? A hotel would get a
bit expensive if you're
there for more than a week
or two.
I also believe that learning
chord tones is good, and
am interested in The
Players School. I practice in
different keys going up one
chord and down the next ,
in different inversions and
in reverse order.
For Example:
Up Gmaj down Amin up
Bmin down Cmaj up D7
down Emin up F#m7b5
down Gmaj and revers,
and in different
keys/inversions and with
addded voices etc.
Joined: Mar 23, 2007
cheapimitation
Joined: Apr 7, 2005
Location: Sutton, MA
Freddels
Musical Anarchist
Online
Supporting Member
Joined: Apr 6, 2004
Location:
Lacey Township Toms
River NJ
sk8terguy316
Freddels, Oct 30, 2007 #16
sk8
terg
uy3
16
sai
d: !
That's a good start but
most tunes don't have
progressions like that. Try
going up Gmaj and down
Cmaj up F#-7b5 down B-7
up E-7 down A-7 etc.
Practicing in 4ths will really
help your ear.
Fre
dde
ls
sai
d: !
Dude...this is Coastal
Florida. Around Tampa Bay
you can rent a
house/condo (inland) for a
month or a week or a
weekend...you name it, its
available cheaper than a
Joined: Apr 7, 2005
Location: Sutton, MA
Freddels
Musical Anarchist
Online
Supporting Member
I
als
o
beli
eve
tha
t
lea
rni
ng
Joined: May 20, 2004
Location: Tampa Bay
manbass
I
kno
w
the
site
sta
tes
tha
t
you
manbass, Oct 31, 2007 #17
liback, Nov 1, 2007 #18
hotel/motel. Better yet get
another TBer to share one
for a session and split the
cost!
I've joined the One Week
Intensiv program two
times. This isn't about
"play bass like Jeff Berlin in
five days" or learning short
cuts. This is about how and
what to work hard on. I
didn't return to Norway
where I live on the last day
as a much better
bassplayer. But after
spending much time on the
stuff the following months,
I've developed more as a
bassplayer and musician
than the last five years all
toghether.
And, Jeff and the staff
really worked hard during
the week to let it be a
memorable experience.
Someday I'll be back for
more.
Lars Idar Rygg
Norway
www.myspace.com/larsiryg
g
Thank you very much for
the suggestion, Freddels,
but I am in the process of
learning this too! I am
practicing what you told
me to. (Cyclic chord
progressions) and I
ampracticing the
arpeggios/Walking to
Joined: Jul 9, 2007
Location:
Stavanger, Norway
liback
sk8terguy316
sk8terguy316, Nov 1, 2007 #19
Freddels, Nov 1, 2007 #20
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different Jazz standards.
Autumn Leaves is a great
example of the chord
progression you just noted
sk8
terg
uy3
16
sai
d: !
You'll notice that most jazz
tunes are ii-7 V7 I's (which
is 4ths). Then you can to
the progessions in 3rds (so
that you can play Giant
Steps).
Best,
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Joined: Apr 6, 2004
Location:
Lacey Township Toms
River NJ
Joined: Apr 7, 2005
Location: Sutton, MA
Freddels
Musical Anarchist
Online
Supporting Member
Th
ank
you
ver
y
mu
ch
for
the
sug
1
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