|
Interview
by
Ben Schiavi. Published
by New York Underground Magazine. September 21, 2001.
After
all these years, you are still working full time on Bass Pro Tips.
Aren’t you tired of it?
Not
at all. It has been a true joy for me and all the people involved with
Bass Pro Tips. It’s a massive undertaking. Lessons, recordings, shows,
clinics and of course bassprotips.com.
Is
the web the most effective way of communicating your ideas?
Absolutely.
The thing I love the most about the internet is that you are in full
control. You made a change to the web site and the whole world sees it
immediately. I think it is fabulous. The response of fans around the globe
has been excellent.
Why
do you like teaching so much? Why not touring or playing with a band?
I’ve
toured and I’ve played with tons of bands. I still do a select number of
gigs and clinics every year. This year I was invited to tour South America
with a major rock act, but I could not do it because my schedule didn’t
allow it. Teaching is my thing. I’ve been blessed with a great music
education that is the foundation of my teaching. I discovered that
I had that ability at an early age and I’ve been teaching ever since.
What
do you hate the most about the biz?
The
biz itself. Music executives, record companies and publishing houses are
the ones that give the music business a bad name. I turned down many
offers for distribution of my books and recordings, and in 1999 I turned
down a record deal. The whole idea that a company or an executive can tell
you how you should play, sound and be compensated makes me ill. It defies
the purpose of being in a creative line of business.
Do
you have any regrets?
That
is a very difficult question. I walk through life at my own pace and I do
my own thing. I do not care about trends. I believe that my way of life
leave me very little room for regret and disappointment. Sometimes things
may not work out as planned, but if you are always trying, you have already
proved that you are a winner.
Is
there something you would like to accomplish?
I’m
not set to accomplish a specific task or project. I take projects one at
the time and they all get done. The next thing for me is to release some
of the material I have compiled throughout the years. I have file cabinets
full of music and shelves overloaded with recordings. The indexing of the
material is taking a lot longer than expected. It’s a huge project.
When
will you release this material?
Like
I said before, this project is very large. All updates about this project
will be posted on bassprotips.com. At this point, I’m afraid to guess on
a release date.
What
advice would you give to a novice player?
Stick
to your guns. If you like jazz, play jazz. If you like metal, play metal.
Don’t change to something that is trendy. Trends pass as fast as they
arrive. Study and practice very hard. To become a good player takes a lot
of dedication and hard work.
|
