Flea - Bass Jamming and Techniques Vid

[SteveO]

Not too sure if this is posted in the right section, but I suppose if you're looking to improve your playing then you might be considering watching an instructional vid...


Whilst not a huge fan on Flea, I have been playing a lot of Chilli Peppers recently so I thought it worth checking out his vid, [url="http://www.amazon.co.uk/Flea-Bass-Jamming-Techniques-NTSC/dp/B00007AJEP"]Flea - Bass Jamming and Techniques[/url] to see if there's any pointers in there...

It's done in an interview style with River Phoenix asking some pretty pointless dumbass questions, which is pretty odd, but I suppose at least it's different from the other way of just treating your audience as students and trying to show them things, which has been done to death in the whole genre of instructional videos.

Anyway...

What a knob. The whole vid is a total self indulgent 'look how good I am' pile of crap. I'm only glad that I didn't buy this.

Incase theres anyone thinks about buying it (or stealing it, follow [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?s=&showtopic=8191&view=findpost&p=86200"][b]Paul, the[/b]'s link to Bassko.com[/url] and have a look in the videos section.), here's the sum total of the instructional bits...


'I only play with pick when I have a pick in my hand'

Q: 'What about your fingers then?' A:'well, there's this one' [[i]lots of rapid alternating of index and middle finger on left hand[/i]] Q: 'Do you always do it left right left right?' A:'I always do it LRLR, although I'm sure there's other ways to do it. you can use your thumb aswell' [[i]plays a bit using thumb to pluck with, classical guitar style[/i]]
'left hand is pretty simple, there's exercises to make it stronger and stuff, and you just press down on the strings. There.'

'Q: What equipment do you have'...'A: Well, equipment is really meaningless.' [[i]yeah, thanks mr Flea, I agree with the sentiment that a good musician can make a plank with a string on it sound good, but it doesn't help if you're trying to work out how to get the 'flea sound'[/i]]

[i]useful bits to take away...[/i]
'You have to listen more than you play... if you don't listen to what's around you, you might as well shut up.'

'Above all, don't be lame... If someone says something, and you don't think it's right, then just don't deal with it.' [i]OK, at least we agree on that....[/i] [Click]

[Kev]

[quote name='SteveO' post='318777' date='Oct 31 2008, 05:39 AM']What a knob. The whole vid is a total self indulgent 'look how good I am' pile of crap. I'm only glad that I didn't buy this.[/quote]
iv not seen the dvd, but i dont believe flea would ever give that kind of impression whatever he does. iv seen snippets of it and he's casual as f***, and he doesnt try to make out at all that he is a good player, quite the opposite, most times iv seen him interviewed he says his lines are piss easy. look at interviews with tw*ts like wooten, then you see a self indulgent individual

Edited October 31, 2008 by BassManKev

[SJA]

I regret buying this DVD a few yrs ago.
all i can assume is that both Flea & River Phoenix had been at the marching powder.

the bit where he conveys the bass sound of a dumptruck falling off a cliff is funny, though.

[Rodders]

The Flea DVD was bought for me and although i enjoyed the jams with Chad Smith I didn't learn anything from from the other parts of the DVD

the thing that annoyed me most about it was at the beginning of the DVD Flea says "we wont be talking about theory as i don't know any"

But when he is asked about his exercises he says " I play major scales at varying speed up the neck and i like to slap octaves"



Rodders

[Galilee]

[quote name='SteveO' post='318777' date='Oct 31 2008, 05:39 AM']Anyway...

What a knob.[/quote]

That caught me so much by surprise that I laughed out loud.

[artisan]

yes this DVD is a total pile of rat sh*te.

[Dubs]

[quote name='SJA' post='319233' date='Oct 31 2008, 05:46 PM']all i can assume is that both Flea & River Phoenix had been at the marching powder.[/quote]

+1

This is quite an old video from the early 90's though, and was just pressed to DVD in 2000. Some of it's quite funny and a bit interesting, but I wouldn't take it as a serious bass DVD.

[Wil]

[quote name='BassManKev' post='318840' date='Oct 31 2008, 10:06 AM']iv not seen the dvd, but i dont believe flea would ever give that kind of impression whatever he does. iv seen snippets of it and he's casual as f***, and he doesnt try to make out at all that he is a good player, quite the opposite, most times iv seen him interviewed he says his lines are piss easy. look at interviews with tw*ts like wooten, then you see a self indulgent individual[/quote]

But you haven't seen the DVD?