off:Cactus

[Ted O. Jackson]

John complains:

> >Right, and before that Vanilla Fudge.  Or how 'bout the greatest:
> >Beck Bogert and Appice?  Bogert's the best.  Anyone know what he's up
> >to these days?
>
> Well, the last two sightings I had of him were an ad in _Guitar Player_
> for the Ben Schultz Band and an instructional video _Rock Bass Step One_.
> Apparently he joined the Ben Schultz Band after most of the album was
> already recorded as he's only on about three of the cuts.
>
> I'm very upset about the video as I think it is very misleadingly packaged.
> It is *not* step one at all.  Yeah, yeah, it would be a waste of Tim's time
> to really do a true beginner's video but why call it such if it isn't?
> He shows you a few riffs (you can learn "Stand By Me" and "My Girl" from
> the tape) but he never really explains why.  The box promises the tape will
> teach you how to play in a band.  Well, Tim does say, "Be sure to lock in
> with the drummer" but the instruction ends there.  Don't you think a
> beginner could use some advice on *how* to lock in with the drummer?  Maybe
> just a definition of "lock in"?  The video does make use of split screen:
> you get a close up of the left hand and a close up of the right hand while
> the music is displayed in tab along the bottom of the screen.  But don't
> you think somebody at step one is entitled to an explanation of what tab is
> and how to read it?  But the thing that bothers me the most is Tim is
> playing a six string bass.  He points this out early one and promises to
> only play the inner four strings, but a beginner does not need the visual
> distraction.  Are we supposed to believe Tim Bogert no longer owns a four
> string bass?  That he couldn't have borrowed one for the video?  That's
> just poor teaching.  Worse, it's laziness.
>
> I'm a big Bogert fan (anybody else own the Pipedream album?) and I'll be
> able to get some stuff from the tape, but he should be ashamed of that
> video.
>
> John McIntyre
> Physics - Astronomy Domine Dept
> Michigan State University
> mcintyre at pa.msu.edu
JOhn,
Is the Ben Schultz project recent?  I take it he's split from the
Barefoot Servants?  Too bad, as I saw them just as the album was
released, and they were excellent.  Great bass on that project too,
courtesy of Lee Sklar.  What is Pipedream?  When? Still available?

I agree that Tim should have been more conscious about the video,
though I haven't seen it.  Part of the problem may lie in that, for a
guy who's been playing 30 years, he's forgotten what it was like to
be a beginner.  Stuff that he takes for granted may be confusing to
someone else.  I understand he's [was?] an instructor at BIT.  Is
that still happening?

I also would've like seeing his classic custom Fender Bass from the
old days, rather than a new 6-stringer, but that's pure aesthetics.
I have no objection to 5 and 6 string basses, but if you wanna be a
gtr player, then go out and get one!  Most of my favorite bassists
play 4 strings, it seems.  What about Tony Franklin?  Does he
occasionally use a 5?  I really dig his fretless work, too!
theo







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