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Press: The Art of Tapping with Dewayne Pate |
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| Bass
Player Magazine Instructional value: A Production value: A Okay, first the warning: As Jeff Berlin has pointed out (see April '92), tapping is not a requirement. No bass player has ever been hired because he or she can tap; bass players get hired for their abilities as solid ensemble players. So if you're a beginner, leave this video alone. You'll need to put in many months of work on the basics before you even think about tapping. But if you're an advanced player ready to expand your musical horizons, then The Art of Tapping might be one of the best investments you'll ever make. This 90-minute tape is the second bass offering from Video Progressions, the company that produced The Slap Bass Program by Alexis Sklarevski. Like that video, this is a comprehensive, well-paced training program, not just a slap-dash "home movie" featuring a famous player. Dewayne Pate may not be a marquee name, although (irony of ironies) he's a former student of Jeff Berlin and has played with such notables as guitarist Steve Lukather and keyboardist Tom Coster. Even more important, Dewayne is an excellent teacher, one who can carefully dissect and analyze everything he does. Pate moves from the fundamentals - how to get a clean sound on single-string riffs - through a series of tapping exercises and études that gradually increase in difficulty, ending with complex, melody-and-accompaniment solo pieces. Dewayne's clear, relaxed verbal instructions are enhanced by the excellent camera work, with split-screen shots providing close-ups of both hands and an over-the-shoulder camera presenting the player's perspective. Every example is written out in notation and tab in an accompanying booklet, and on-screen references tie it all together. Even if you think that tapping is a circus trick that's irrelevant to your gig, you'll learn something from Pate's presentation - and you may find yourself working some of his ideas into your playing before too long. Highly recommended. |
| - Bass Player Magazine (JR) |
| Bassics Magazine In the tradition of their previous video The Slap Bass Program, Video Progressions presents a well planned, meticulous production, this time on the two-handed tapping technique. Together with drummer David Garibaldi and guitarist Eric Orme, Dewayne Pate takes us through 90 minutes of intense techniques guaranteed to improve your tapping abilities. Even if you're not yet convinced that you should be tapping, this session is worth checking out. As part of the non-tapping population, I found myself considering it after seeing Pate's first few techniques, and gave them a try "on the gig." It wasn't perfect, but it gave my playing a new dimension, and used tastefully I could see it being quite effective and musical. Pate moves systematically through simple definitions and exercises to complex simultaneous tap/slap and bass/melody lines. Different styles like latin, reggae, blues and rock are demonstrated with the assistance of groove master Garibaldi, proving the versatility of this technique. Emphasis is also placed on balancing the traditional supportive role of bass with this aggressive technique. Pate explains that tapping works best in small group situations, where there's more room for it. In fact, I've noticed that some of the best applications of tapping involve solo bass, which in itself is exciting. The entire presentation is well documented in a 15-page book, including full notation and tablature. Production quality is exceptional and features a stereo hi-fi audio track, split-screen and over-the-shoulder video shots and extensive pre-production planning to ensure clear views in all shots. I highly recommend this video for anyone interested in adding to their arsenal of techniques, regardless of what style they play or how often they intend to use it. |
| - Bassics
Magazine (RG)
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