Re: [Harp-L] Berklee will be offering Jazz Harmonica studies with Hendrik Meurkens

[Ken Deifik <kenneth.d@xxxxxxxxxxxx>]

> The joke about Berklee students years ago was that the ones who make it in 
> the industry are the ones who dropped out rather than completing their degree.

I've worked with Berklee grads of both stripes.  In the end of course there 
are some killer musicians emerging both ways, and of course alot of 
duds.  Chops and gear, too often the focus of students at the top jazz 
schools, are 2% of what makes a musician great.

Two Berklee grads I've worked with:

1. Carl Verheyen, one of the top call studio guys in LA, member of 
Supertramp for 20 years and touring the world with his own trio.  I always 
look forward to playing with him, I always learn alot.  I once went in on 
an overdub session where Carl came in and laid down 20 choruses of blues 
without repeating himself once, without playing a single cliche, constantly 
inventing and re-inventing the blues.  He then got a phone call, but the 
situation was so laid back that he continued playing, and WHILE TALKING ON 
THE PHONE his playing went up a notch.  He continued to invent and 
reinvent, to startle me and the producer, who have both heard our share of 
blues guitar.  I asked for a copy of that and on second and third listens 
over the next few days I realized that what I heard was real.  He was 
sitting there smiling and joking the whole time too.

Recall that Carl has also practiced for many hours every day since he was a 
teenager, but it sure has paid off.

2. A guy who graduated and came out to LA to see if he could get into film 
composition.  My wife used to use him on commercials, and he always did a 
serviceable job.  We talked music a whole lot and his technical knowlege 
was that of a Berklee grad - very thorough indeed.  He was also quite 
humble about his excellent guitar chops, as some serious monsters were in 
his class.  I think Steve Vai may have been one.

The problem was, there was a deadness in everything he did.  I tried to 
give him an insight into the notion of FIRE.  He had none, and he never 
broke through to it, and as technically adept as he was this wonderfully 
sweet guy never really got a career which he was eminently well trained to get.

He worked hard on his composition skills, but his composition skills were 
in the end highly academic.

My conclusion, and I've thought about this alot, is the boneheadedly 
obvious one.  I have to doubt that Berklee would kill your fire if you have 
it going in, learn the full course and work hard ever after.  I also think 
some players who have no fire when they go will in acquire it.  And some 
won't.  There is no predicting who will get it.

I am absolutely certain that a person without the fire can catch on 
fire.  I think that most people who go to Berklee and Musicians Institute 
in LA would benefit from learning to identify the music that gives them a 
strong feeling for reasons other than that the player has amazing chops.  I 
think, however, that selling the school to kids who want incredible chops 
is how they keep their doors open.

I think that if one goes to music school with the idea of creating music of 
great beauty and magic, one might actually learn how to do that.

Ken