Scott Devine. That intro song.

[Al Krow]

5 hours ago, chris_b said:

Sadly, in the UK, with success comes the negativity! We've seen it with others and now it's Scott's turn.

Actually sometimes the opposite - Scott can be / is a bit of a hero for some of us in what he's achieved; but that can lead to unfair expectations of him as a standard bearer for the bass community.

5 hours ago, chris_b said:

Most of us come and go and leave no impression on bass playing. I think its a no-brainer that the bass world is a far better place for Scott Devine being in it.

He isn't always to my taste but as he isn't always talking to me, I wouldn't expect everything to be relevant. SBL is a quality product that I guess is designed to reach and help the widest range of bass players who are at many levels of development and have many interests. 

+1 ^^ absolutely to all of that

5 hours ago, chris_b said:

A tough task and I don't see anyone even half as good at it as Scott.

I'm going to give a shout out to Mark Smith from Talking Bass, who for me is a better tutor than Scott (and not merely half as good!). Appreciate that's a personal view and others may quite properly disagree.

[Cato]

8 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

I'm going to give a shout out to Mark Smith from Talking Bass, who for me is a better tutor than Scott (and not merely half as good!). Appreciate that's a personal view and others may quite properly disagree.

I've benefited a lot from some of Mark's videos.

I think what he does is slightly different to Scott in that Talking Bass puts some full length lessons and courses free on YouTube.

Scott's free YouTube output tends to more  about a couple hints and tips about playing. If you want a full lesson from him you have to sign up.

Edited April 13, 2019 by Cato

[Woodinblack]

1 hour ago, Cato said:

Scott's free YouTube output tends to more  about a couple hints and tips about playing. If you want a full lesson from him you have to sign up.

No he has full lessons on there, including with download sheets, especially the further back you go when it was only on there. Its only the recent ones that are a bit more '10 tips for playing with your thumb' type stuff. 

[Rocker]

I listened and waited for the music to start and it never started!  Self indulgent noodling, that is kinda typical of a lot of bass & guitar 'playing'.  He is not the first and probably won't be the last to engage in playing nonsense, from observation that stuff and style of music impresses young males.  Males who are easily impressed by bass played at the dusty end of the fretboard.

[Newfoundfreedom]

1 minute ago, Rocker said:

I listened and waited for the music to start and it never started!  Self indulgent noodling, that is kinda typical of a lot of bass & guitar 'playing'.  He is not the first and probably won't be the last to engage in playing nonsense, from observation that stuff and style of music impresses young males.  Males who are easily impressed by bass played at the dusty end of the fretboard.

Ooh just you wait for the daggers to come out now. 

How dare you have an actual opinion on a discussion based forum. 

Run for cover!

Run I tell ya! 

[Stub Mandrel]

It seems to me that people are

6 minutes ago, Rocker said:

I listened and waited for the music to start and it never started!  Self indulgent noodling, that is kinda typical of a lot of bass & guitar 'playing'.  He is not the first and probably won't be the last to engage in playing nonsense, from observation that stuff and style of music impresses young males.  Males who are easily impressed by bass played at the dusty end of the fretboard.

I'll rise to the bait.

I'm quite happy to accept a lot of people don't like that sort of music.

Me, I like a bit of Weather Report, Mahavishnu Orchestra or Stanley Clark and George Duke, much of which probably would sound much the same to you.

I may be male, but I'm not young... and I'm impressed by the fact it's good melodic playing, not in your face. I aspire to play like that - technically I'm quite capable of doing so but I'm just not inventive enough when it comes to improvising.

I can't help feeling that if he'd been pumping out some super-slappy funk or eight to the bar blues some people would be just as quick to criticise.

[AndyTravis]

46 minutes ago, Newfoundfreedom said:

Ooh just you wait for the daggers to come out now. 

How dare you have an actual opinion on a discussion based forum. 

Run for cover!

Run I tell ya! 

It’s not though is it? It’s just oppositional nonsense.

”i’m Cool because I said something’s crap”.

It’s missing the point on purpose. 

The bloke can play bass well, it’s not full of slap bass or harmonics etc (another thing which causes people’s undies to get twisted), it’s played in time and with dynamics and a good bit of feel to it.

It’s not “noodling” because there’s a pattern to it. It repeats every few bars. 

As I said in an earlier post, it’s actually structured verse/chorus/verse/chorus/middle/verse/ chorus pop song. It’s just a bit “jazz” sounding.

I dare say Jazz purists baulk at stuff like this, pigeon Jazz...or whatever.

It’s easier to say “that’s crap, it’s not music...” etc - it’s like disagreeing with someone and referring to them as a “snowflake” or something.

Do you know punk bores the derrière off me? I can’t stand reggae...do you give a sh*t? Probably not.

It’s like comparing an art house black and white movie to a Michael Bay blockbuster - futile nonsense. Everything has its place.

 

[Ricky 4000]

"Run for cover"? Was that a Marcus Miller pun? 😃 Fair dos mind, he can slap thepiss outta that bass...

Anyway, back to the OP. I don't like it. And I don't like that I'm not arty enough to like it / get it... I just ain't.

 

[AndyTravis]

8 minutes ago, Ricky 4000 said:

"Run for cover"? Was that a Marcus Miller pun? 😃 Fair dos mind, he can slap thepiss outta that bass...

Anyway, back to the OP. I don't like it. And I don't like that I'm not arty enough to like it / get it... I just ain't.

 

Just think of it as a punk tune, but it’s very far away and you’ve got fluffy earplugs in. 😉

To be honest, I don’t mind some jazz - this just needs a nice vocal on it and it’d be a decent tune. Half of the “noodling” suggests a vocal line.

That all being said, it’s balls all to do with “arty” - it’s alright not to like stuff innit, but not liking something rather than just dismissing it is the difference.

Edited April 13, 2019 by AndyTravis

[Burns-bass]

If Scott knows one thing it’s what his audience wants to hear. It’s not entirely my thing but his tone is fantastic, and the tune is obviously just a way for him to bust out his chops for the lads. Drummer is a force of nature too.

Personally I wouldn’t want to listen to a bass virtuoso noodling for hours anymore, but I used to love it. 

There are enough notes on the fretboard for everyone. If he goes high, you go low etc.

Edited April 14, 2019 by Burns-bass

[petebassist]

What is about this talented, successful & professional musician that people don't like? 😉

 

 

 

[Burns-bass]

6 minutes ago, petebassist said:

What is about this talented, successful & professional musician that people don't like? 😉

 

 

 

His hair.

[ordep]

Nice video, I’m feeling it.

now I wish SD do a bass cover of U2’s with or without u for all the anti self indulgent jazz noodling crowd.  

[chris_b]

16 hours ago, Al Krow said:

I'm going to give a shout out to Mark Smith from Talking Bass, who for me is a better tutor than Scott (and not merely half as good!). Appreciate that's a personal view and others may quite properly disagree.

Mark Smith isn't bad. Is he making a living from teaching bass? I've looked at several of his videos and gained from them, but IMO he's selling you a 2 bed terrace while Scott is selling you a 3 bed semi-detached with planning permission to extend as big as you want.

Really, this isn't a put down for MS, it's just that SBL seems to be designed to take you further.

[Ricky 4000]

I don't like the way Mark Smith says "Okay?" then looks at the camera as if he thinks I'm stupid. 😬

[Rocker]

If my post got you thinking about what is music to you, then I can take all the hullabaloo thrown at me. Musically I was brought up on trad Irish and Country. I have broadened my listening in the intervening years but I like my music to have clearly defined structure, verse, chorus, bridge etc. A track that goes nowhere irritates me, like so called chill out music. YMMV. 

[chris_b]

5 minutes ago, Rocker said:

. . . .  I like my music to have clearly defined structure, verse, chorus, bridge etc. A track that goes nowhere irritates me, like so called chill out music.

Guys like Archie Shepp tried to develop free-form music but in reality there is structure in most music. Sometimes it's just harder to workout where the verses and choruses start and end.

[Leonard Smalls]

6 minutes ago, Rocker said:

If my post got you thinking about what is music to you, then I can take all the hullabaloo thrown at me.

The point is that not liking something doesn't mean that it's necessarily bad music - it just means it's not to your taste. But it's just as valid as music as any other music - I'm quite keen on free improvised jazz which many folks would think isn't actually music, just a noise. But if it sends me on an emotional journey, despite being possibly atonal or arrhythmic, that makes it music!

Personally I can't stand  most British and Irish folk music (though I like the Unthanks), it makes me want to put a hole in their bodhran and take a drill to their mandolin, which means that despite hating it I've been taken on an emotional musical journey.

[lownote]

 

On 14/04/2019 at 10:18, chris_b said:

Mark Smith isn't bad. Is he making a living from teaching bass? I've looked at several of his videos and gained from them, but IMO he's selling you a 2 bed terrace while Scott is selling you a 3 bed semi-detached with planning permission to extend as big as you want.

Really, this isn't a put down for MS, it's just that SBL seems to be designed to take you further.

I'm finding Mark much more accessible on slap than Scott. 

Edited April 15, 2019 by lownote12

[Al Krow]

36 minutes ago, lownote12 said:

I'm finding Mark much more accessible on slap than Scott. 

+1 ^^

[chris_b]

1 hour ago, lownote12 said:

I'm finding Mark much more accessible on slap than Scott. 

Yeah, I was listening to that as well.

[LeftyP]

I've watched that video several times and it just keeps getting better!  There's an almost telepathic connection between Scott and the drummer.  It certainly isn't noodling as there is a clear structure to it.  Thanks to the person who posted that young males would like it - at 68 years old I'll take that!

I can listen to most styles of music; from Irish folk to country, pop, jazz and classical.  I've spent nearly 50 years in broadcasting so have been exposed to just about every style of music.  With the exception of rap - which is singing for people who can't sing - and heavy/thrash/death/whatever metal - which is noise - I can enjoy most forms of music.  Scott's video has a great groove and I just wish I could play a tenth as well as he can.

[Leonard Smalls]

41 minutes ago, LeftyP said:

With the exception of rap - which is singing for people who can't sing - and heavy/thrash/death/whatever metal - which is noise - I can enjoy most forms of music. 

And just when you were doing so well!

Rap is effectively rhythmic speech or chanting, which (arguably! at least one scholarly type has said this!) has its roots in the medieval music of Occitan, or even Gregorian plainsong... You may not like any of those things but it doesn't make it less valid as music.

Similarly, thrash/death/heavy metal is thought to come from the industrial heartland of the Midlands, but actually originated with the Gamelan players of Indonesia, though some historians cite the traditional backing music to Japanese Noh Theatre as the true precursor of metal. Which means it would be churlish to dismiss it as mere noise!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

🤓

[Newfoundfreedom]

16 hours ago, lownote12 said:

 

I'm finding Mark much more accessible on slap than Scott. 

I'd certainly like to slap Scott much more than Mark.

All joking aside, and seeing as I seem to have started some controversy on this thread. I fully respect Scott as both a teacher and a musician. He's just not to my liking, which is purely a personal thing and most likely much more a reflection of me more than him. 

I find his videos extremely irritating because they're basically just click bait to attract people to his site. Although I'm sure his actual paid content is much better, based on the feedback from people on this site. I do actually much prefer Marks teaching style which is much more direct and to the point. 

Also from what I've seen of Scott's videos he seems to be extremely passionate about, and focused on jazz, which is fair enough, but personally I'd rather listen to roadworks. 

Edited April 16, 2019 by Newfoundfreedom

[stevie]

I normally dislike bass solos intensely, but found this enjoyable - and beautifully played. More than anything, it was not a piece that would have sounded better on another instrument, which is my problem with a lot of this stuff. IMO.