Fretless Bass with Tony Franklin

This DVD was a big disappointment... Tony Franklin is with out a doubt one amazing bass guitarist that said I don't know how he could have agreed to this release. You can find better stuff on youtube in regards to Tony Franklin....

***WARNING***The DVD Cover shows Tony from about 2007 (DVD Release date) but the content is from circa 1992, as per the hair, clothes, and video quality - this is another Video to DVD conversion, and NOT new material!!! That being said, let us move on with the review...This is pretty decent for what it is which is an introduction the to Fretless bass, and nothing more - the book that comes with it may hold more information than the Video / DVD, but I do not have that to reference from - I have always been a huge fan of Tony Franklin, so this was a Joy to watch for nothing else other than to watch him play - this is NOT if you are trying to become a Fretless master - no such Video exists - you must practice and jam and play for that to happen, but this does open your eyes to the world of the Fretless Bass1st, the Mad Hatter shows his face (no purpose, but for Tony's dry British Humor)JAM #1 - Harmonics Jam - very cool and beautifulJAM #2 - Chord Jam with Carmine Appice - this is another nice jam, with neat sounding chordal ideasJAM #3 - Groove with Carmine - feels like a bit from Blue Murder to meJAM #4 - Purple Haze jam - very cool sounds from the duo for this 30 second bitNow, Tony goes into the difference between Fretless and Fretted - Fret Markers and such - beginner stuff here -JAM #5 - Groove Jam again with Carmine - "Ready as I'll never be" - very cool jam with slide examples - MAD HATTERFeel and Conviction - Now 45 minute jam - "no we're not" - back to feel and groove - "Less is More" - talks about the Talking Heads "Once in a Lifetime"JAM #6 - "Once in a Lifetime" - with fills and slidesPicking your bass - Fingerboard discussion of Ebony vs Rosewood vs Maple - Tony suggests hardwood Ebony over others - and he suggests Roundwound strings over Flatwound - this is a personal preference I believe and not a huge deal - he discusses fret-markers - again, personal choice - Bridge pickup a must, which I do agree with on a Fretless - Active Electronics, but that is a money thing, so it depends on if you want to invest in that off the bat - depends on if Fretless is your main instrument or a goof-off toy - he also shows the use of Chorus and Octave with the bass setup that he uses - tuning with harmonics -Lesson #1 - Octaves with open strings - basic beginner stuff here -Lesson #2 - Open, 5, 7 exercise - finger stretch - then Open, 7, 9 - Markers training basicallyExample #1 - Whole Lotta Love - Led Zeppelin using that interval lessonExample #2 - Living on a Prayer - Bon JoviExample #3 - Closer - The FirmExample #4 - the bluesLesson #3 - Chromatic exercise - with Octaves alsoLesson #4 - Sliding - Sliding with an Open string to get the Octave -Lesson #5 - Vibrato on the Fretless - as apposed to guitar -Scales #1 - 5-7-9 Scale - Modified Blues scaleScales #2 - Arpeggios -Scales #3 - Chords - he talks about it for a second, but doesn't actually DO any here - here, he says about Learning to read music and Music Theory - he refers to the book at the time here, which I do not haveScales #4 - Major Scale - 1 Octave back and forthScales #5 - Minor Scale - 1 Octave back and forth (Harmonic)Scales #6 - Minor Scale - 1 Octave back and forth (Melodic)Scales #7 - Diminished ScaleScales #8 - Whole Tone ScaleScales #9 - Chromatic ScaleArpeggios #1 - MajorArpeggios #2 - MinorArpeggios #3 - DiminishedClarinet Break - seriously - Tony plays the Clarinet too - with Golem Voice at the end - what the ...JAM #7 - Swing - "Chattanooga Choo-choo" -Chords #1 - Major Chord - Actually Root-10, which is the Octave thirdChords #2 - Minor Chord - same as above - Playing E and G string to make an open sounding chordJAM #8 - "You've Lost that Loving Feeling" - The Firm versionHarmonics #1 - Octave, 7th, and 5th - plus the 4th and 3rd areas - *bridge pick-up helps ALOT here*Harmonics #2 - Sliding Harmonics - he shows how to hit and slide the harmonicJAM #9 - Harmonics tuneSlapping Technique on Fretless - Rhythmic first - he shows hand position and his technique of thumb thumping on the wood of the neck - no popping here just slappingJAM #10 - Slap jam - again, not popping, just slapping -JAM #11 - Slap Jam - add the pop now -Alternate Tuning - Drop D Tuning -JAM #12 - Drop D tuning - with a pickJAM #13 - Drop B tuning - with a pick"Alice" shows up - another Mad Hatter ReferenceWords of Wisdom - about Rock and Roll and be warned - "Live the fantasy, but take care" - his Bass Hero = Jaco Pastorius -"Bout of Musical Madness" - Free-form Jam with Carmine Appice and David Michael Phillips

As a life long guitar player…( and a retired video production pro … go to Wikipedia & look up "linear editing" and you'll see a picture of me )I picked up this DVD prior to attending Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp in Las Vegas in February of 2014.I was lucky enough to learn that my camp counselor was going to be "the man" himself, Mr. Tony Franklin.Having spent 29 years in audio & video production ( including nearly a decade as an ACTIVE member in the AES… the Audio Engineering Society ), in my humble opinion, I was THRILLED that the standard definition video had been converted over.If you are a Blue Murder fan, as I am, think about it this way:2/3 rds of the band PLAYS on this dvd. To me, that's cool.Not to blow smoke up my own pipes, but I am a better than average guitar player.Anything finger tapped, VH, Journey, Whitesnake… after I knock the dust off… I can usually play it.I actually traded an old Pro-Tools 4 track system for a Fender Fretless Bass about a decade ago, but after a day or two of sheer frustration, I just "couldn't" grasp fretless concepts.In my fleet of almost 60 guitars, the bass collection includes a Music Man Bongo, the aforementioned Fretless Fender, an Ibanez six string, and recently a Fender Dimension Bass, which I bought exclusively to fly out to Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp.Here's the coolest part about it all.The "guy" you see on this DVD, is exactly the guy that "IS" Tony.BS you say?I say, "Sorry friend, WAY"My twitter account ( of all of four followers ) actually now INCLUDES Mr. Franklin himself.He "followed" me ( TSABares if you really wanna check, feel free )That's just the kind of classy "giver" this FRETLESS MONSTER "be".Why say all of this?After Rock & Roll Fantasy Camp, I went right back & rewatched the dvd.( right after I combed YouTube for fretless lessons )Don't bother. This DVD gets it done.Plain simple period.This is the ONLY Tony Franklin Instructional DVD available.I've met the man & he was so incredibly gracious to me, that had I not have just purchased his complete "Not Just Another Pretty Bass" loop library, I'd gladly buy two DVDs.Sure, you might be able to find a few of the scenes on YouTube…But as a video guy, I know what it costs to produce & distribute this stuff.The bottom line is that the content contained within, is worth its weight in gold.After watching & rewatching the DVD, I figured out "why" I'd struggled with the fretless.I also learned a few tips and tricks that were applicable to a six string.One final thought…Just because Led Zep was recorded on analog nearly fifty years ago, doesn't mean that the music sucks on CD.Why anyone would think twice about "older content", is beyond me.I'm a video guy, been there done that, both in 4:3 & 16:9.The "age" of the material just isn't an issue.This IS the BIBLE on FRETLESS.My guess is the Pope still reads the Good Book… because the information within is still relevant to today.If you want to learn fretless, again, this ole guitar player KNOWS what's out there…And this is "just plain IT".Don't "FRET" over it.

This guy is obviously an excellent bass player, but unfortunately he is NOT a qualified instructor! He flies through his scales and guitar playing tips without bothering to break down, slow down, or explain how to do what he's doing. Thiswas a huge disappointment & a waste of time and money. You would be much better off taking some lessons from a qualified bass instructor.

Tony is definitely knows his stuff. However, the production is dated. Carmine Appice is the drummer on this DVD and is killer!

Outstanding video by an incredible bass player AND my fretless hero!

If you are interested in starting to play fretless bass, this is DVD for you.Tony is the master of fretless, and this with get you in THE groove!!