Reviews

Authored by Todd Johnson and Berklee College of Music professor Jim Stinnett, two of the world's finest bass educators, Fishin' For Grips is the first instructional DVD to document the application of melodic harmonization on electric bass. On this video, Johnson lays the foundation of his chord-melody approach by spelling 3-note chord voicings consisting of triads and seventh chords constructed from the major, minor, and dominant scales. While it would be helpful to understand fundamental theory such as intervals, triads, seventh chords, and scales before you begin studying Johnson's methodology, it certainly isn't required to achieve success with this presentation. Johnson and Stinnett walk you through each example in a step-by-step fashion so that even a beginner with little or no prior musical training can benefit from the instruction and attain a level of proficiency. The proper fingerings and hand positions presented by Johnson in his teachings solidify the essential principles and reinforce the mechanics that are required to physically execute and internalize the sound of the grips. The structured programming of the video chapters range from basic triads to more advanced voicings which permit you to choose the degree of difficulty you would like to practice. To demonstrate the musical application of his innovative chordal techniques, Johnson utilizes several classic songs and standards from the jazz repertoire throughout the video including "You Are My Sunshine," "Autumn Leaves," "Mr. P.C.," "C-Jam Blues," "Misty," "Cherokee," and "Surfer Girl." Although the examples illustrated on this video are played by Johnson on his Zon signature model 6-string bass guitar with a high C-string, all of the grips can be easily performed on a standard 4-string bass if strung in tenor tuning (A-D-G-C). Several short comedic interludes provide brief moments of rest as you proceed from one section to the next. In the accompanying 40-page book, Johnson reveals his rules for gripping and outlines a collection of 15 tips including suggestions on how to improve the positioning of your bass to play those grips that are more difficult to finger and muting considerations. The book also features fretboard diagrams, chord charts, and practice techniques to maximize your learning experience as well as interviews with both Johnson and Stinnett. For the past two decades, Todd Johnson has been at the forefront of the extended range movement and has expanded the traditional role of the bass guitar with his pioneering performance style. Fishin' For Grips is an indispensable resource for the contemporary study of chordal vocabulary on bass guitar.

Release Date: May, 2009

Running Time: 84 Minutes

Street Price: $40.00

Artist Contacts: ToddJohnsonMusic.com & JimStinnett.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - September 1, 2009

Compiled by Jim Stinnett, a professor at Berklee College of Music, Secret Chambers features 70 transcribed bass solos as performed by Paul Chambers. Often referred to as "the Bird of the bass," Chambers was a master of the bebop style. In addition to his own work as a leader in the studio, Chambers was an integral part of many classic jazz recordings released during the 1950's and '60's. Alongside Miles Davis and John Coltrane, Chambers contributed to some of the most influential and best-selling recordings in the history of jazz music. Secret Chambers is the fourth installment issued by Stinnett covering the music of this jazz bass icon, but unlike Stinnett's other publications, Secret Chambers isn't just a collection of transcribed solos. Considering all of its analysis, this 180-page book extends much further beyond standard transcriptions as it clearly illustrates Chambers' mastery of the bass and the language of jazz. Stinnett begins by outlining the fundamental building blocks of Chambers' vocabulary through a series of short melodic phrases that he calls licks. These licks, which are characteristic of Chambers' style, are then systematically categorized using a Lick Distribution Chart that places a numerical analysis on the appearance of the most commonly played licks by Chambers during his solos. Throughout this comparative analysis, Stinnett provides insight to Chambers' tendencies as a soloist. Following the transcriptions, Stinnett includes a complete discography of all the transcribed tracks so you can listen to and play alongside Chambers on the original recordings in order to imitate his phrasing and articulations. Stinnett also supplies several easy-to-read bar graphs and a pie chart that ranks the top licks utilized by Chambers when soloing. As an educational tool, Secret Chambers should be adopted by all bass instructors at the college level as required research for students and for anyone interested in learning the history of the jazz bass tradition. Secret Chambers is the most authoritative resource for the study of Paul Chambers' legendary style and bebop soloing on bass.

Contact Information
Stinnett Music
145 North Rd.
Candia, NH 03034
Web Site: JimStinnett.com

Reviewed By: Cliff Engel - August 1, 2009