4590796150 169fffe057 Alexsis Sklarevski The Slap Bass Program DVD Review For Bass Players
Image : http://www.flickr.com

What’s The Slap Bass Program About?

This DVD by Alexsis Sklarevski is an instructional DVD about learning how to play the slap style of bass playing. Alexsis Sklarevski is a great bass player – but just as importantly he’s a great teacher (which a lot of great bass players are NOT!). He used to write for Bass Player Magazine, and if memory serves correctly he teaches in the LA Area.

This Program was originally released in the early 90s on VHS – thankfully it has been remastered and put onto DVD!

How Is It Presented?

The Slap Bass Program was produced by a company called Video Progressions. And their production values are excellent. There are lots of shots where you can see the fingerboard and the fretting hand close up – and there are close ups of the ‘slapping’ hand too. There are over the top of the fingerboard shots, plus there are some clever mixes of playing grooves in a studio setting dissolving into those same grooves being played in a trio band context.

What Topics Are Covered?

In the 80 or so minutes that the DVD lasts the Slap Bass Program goes from basic topics – just the thumb and then adding pops. But it quickly moves on and covers many topics that bassists interested in learning slap are probably familiar with – hammer ons, pull offs, trills, blues scales, patterns, vamps and muting.

There is also a really interesting advanced section too – machine gun triplets, double plucking double stops, flamenco style strumming, and ‘typewriter tapping’ in the style of John Entwistle and more.

There is also a booklet which has some of the examples written out in notation and tab, along right and left hand articulation markings.

How Could This DVD Be Better

There are two areas where this DVD could be improved in my opinion.

Firstly this Program was originally produced in the early 90s. At that time it was extremely advanced – however it was released just prior to the emergence and subsequent popularity of Victor Wooten. Of course Victor Wooten brought the ‘double thumb’ technique to the attention of bass players all over the world – and since his emergence it has become a requisite technique for slap bass players.

As a result an additional section on the double thumb technique would be a great addition to the advanced section of this DVD – indeed a good, visual explanation in the style of much of the rest of this DVD is something that’s missing from bass literature in general.

The second area where this instructional program could be improved is in implementing the techniques that Alexsis Sklarevski teaches. Although there is the booklet with examples notated out, you really need a host of riffs and licks to practice with. And ideally those licks and riffs should be in different keys and different tempos. A good place to get those licks and riffs is from Tony Oppenheim’s book Slap It! – make sure you transpose and adapt the examples from Slap It to different keys!

Review Summary

I thoroughly recommend it – this is a 5 Star instructional package in terms of quality of presentation and also the information that’s presented.

Don’t expect to cover the information in a few days – there are months of study to be gleaned from this DVD. My suggestion is to make lots of notes and devise lots of exercises to practice the techniques that are taught here. Slow and perfect practice of the techniques is the best way to make sure you have the correct physical application of the techniques before you try and bring them up to tempo.

See Also : Gibson Musical Instruments Yamaha Musical Instruments

Tagged with: • • • •

Filed under: Articles

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!