Courses

A continuation of ILBS-111 and ILBS-112. Material presented will advance the concepts taught in those labs. The focus will be on out-of-class preparation of written examples as well as in-class sight-reading at an advanced level.

The student will study style, interpretation, and creativity, via performance of transcriptions and études from various artists in the metal style. Weekly lessons will consist of harmonic, rhythmic, and technical aspects of metal bass playing. Topics will include playing in odd meters, tapping, finger style, energy level, attitude, picking, slap, alternate tunings, and focus on economy of motion.

A lab based on singing and performing bass synchronously. Topics covered will include when to harmonize or de-harmonize a melody, how to organize riff ideas along with melodic lines, and what rhythmic grooves work best. Assignments will include singing and playing contrasting rhythms at the same time, while songs will be chosen by the instructor as well as originals and other covers. This lab is open to all bass principals with an interest in singing, or by instructor permission for non-bass principals. 

Development of the ability to grasp and maintain a tempo. Exercises including metronome games to improve accuracy and steady time while developing suppleness and flexibility to meet the wide array of rhythm section challenges found in contemporary, live, and studio environments.

The intention and purpose of this lab is to offer electric bass players the opportunity to focus on and develop an authentic voice within the modern jazz idiom. Sensibility and awareness to sound, feel, time, articulation, note duration, will be developed through listening, analysis, and performance. Listening will include the styles of iconic acoustic bassists as well as innovative electric bassists such as Steve Swallow and Bob Cranshaw.

A general overview and application of different types of knowledge applied to five- and six-string bass, including but not limited to different muting techniques, two- and three-octave scales, arpeggios, intervals, reading in positions, and also discussions on various neck widths, string closeness, pick-up placement, and bolt-on necks versus neck-through basses.

This lab prepares the Berklee bass student to record themselves and deliver studio-quality performances to clients anywhere in the world. Increasingly, bassists are expected to work remotely with producers---they find jobs online, are sent project files, record and edit their own parts, and deliver high quality recordings---all from their home studio. To stay competitive in this environment a contemporary bassist must master the interpersonal and technical challenges of remote collaboration. Weekly assignments and in-class activities give the student the experience of working with producers to develop the perfect tone and performance for a project, then performing, recording, editing, processing, and delivering on a tight deadline. Topics include effective communication, remote collaboration, mic placement, recording equipment, performance techniques, DAW configuration, editing, sound processing, and preparing deliverables.