Success ! - Testimonials for the Kai Eckhardt Mentorship Program

   

                       

                                                                                      Hello Kai !!

What an honor it was to learn from Kai and complete his Bass Mentorship program.  After 108 days of practicing bass, I can confidently say that my overall musicianship has improved.  I have strengthened many facets of my playing and have a more complete understanding of my bass.  Doing anything everyday in this day and age can be difficult with so many distractions.  Kai's course gave me the discipline to "learn" the bass by repeating lessons daily.  I was astonished by how quickly my ear improved and it was a real treat to learn some of Kai's wonderful tips on harmony and rhythm.  I will continue to expand my knowledge of the bass and I thank Kai for giving me the opportunity to study with him.  If you want to improve your understanding of the bass guitar and structure good habits for practicing, then Kai's mentorship is right up your alley.  Enjoy!

 -Ryan Stasik / USA -   Umphrey's McGee   

I think it's safe to say that I've had what could be considered a breakthrough  over the past few days!  I played shows this Friday and Saturday with my blues/soul band (4 hours each night!).  I felt more connected to my bass and the music that naturally flowed out of me, than I have in a LONG time!  I feel that it has to be a direct result of a month of practicing every day.  I've logged more personal practice time on my bass lately than I have in many years, and it shows...and will continue to show! 

-Brady Millard-Kish / USA -  the Kora Band 

First of all, I never really got bored. I really needed this and it helped me gain balance during a stressful period. What really changed my playing, in my opinion, was the "free nonstop practice" segment.  After some repetition, you have this light bulb moment and you realize that the part is warping a little bit and adapting itself.  I don't want to sound overtly Zen, but you do feel one with the part after a while. And that's what changed my approach.  On the extra topic, it was an honour and a pleasure to be tutored by you. I need to thank you for your kind and easygoing mood. I'm still digesting the material you sent me for the added topic and it's starting to creep into some of my bass fills.

-Nicola Franceschini / Italy 

I think your programme is wonderful. It certainly helped me to bring more focus and necessary routine back into my practice. I can honestly say that my playing have improved over the course of last three months and that my confidence and also ability to extract emotions and listen to the 'self' has grown. Thank you! I think the way the system works is very good

-Maciek Pysz (Guitar)  / United Kingdom 

The 15 minutes of non-stop free play has yielded some new songs that I'm going to record and publish eventually. Furthermore, the exercises that you taught me I do at the beginning of every practice session and will continue to do until I can't.

-Kenny Wilcox / USA 

I'm feeling great about the mentorship.  It's been an eye-opener and my playing has definitely improved in ways I hoped it would when I started.  The free-play portion of the sessions has been a great exercise for me and has transferred over to how I approach improvisational playing with my band...just what I was hoping for!
Thanks again Kai.

-Ray Spencer / USA

Hello Kai,  First I would like to thank you for such a great plan and all the helpful tools you have giving to me. I have finished my 108 days and it was some of the best concentrated work and production I have done in a while. Thank you again!  

-Joseph Veloz/ USA

In the last 118 (ten late) days I have improved more than the previous year. The fundamental practices you have presented to me have helped me gain control, dexterity, clarity, dynamics and articulation in my playing. I thank you so much! My solos are much more clear and fluid now. I apologize for placing in my daily practice scores so late. I have begun the habit of recording on paper, it helps keep an idea of how to practice the next day. This song was my most recent piece. Listening to the first few songs I can hear a huge difference. 
I will continue to practice what you have taught.  The next step is in mind! Are yellow belt sessions available?
Thank you again! 

-Alex Kalicinski 

#1 - "The journey is the reward."   I like to practice now!  I haven't enjoyed practicing in 16 years...and I never had a consistent practice routine until now  and I've been playing music since I was 6.
#2 - "If you want to find water dig one deep well, not a bunch of shallow ones."  I have had that quote hanging around for years, but never successfully lived it until this program.
#3 - "If you want to know, you have to go."  Henry Rollins said that referring to understanding what people were like in different countries.  Don't rely on the words of someone else, but I think it applies equally to learning.  sure you can take lessons, watch dvds, and read instructional books.  They all contain good material, but the true learning and knowledge comes from actually doing the work and finding your own answers to questions.  This program was great for that. 
I also learned when I did not need more information from you.  For the first 70 days I did the Konnakol stuff which was great for gaining dexterity with the pick, but I new at the end that I really needed to focus on getting the subdivisions to feel and sound like what a drummer would play.  Your original lesson about playing less variety in the groove and working on varying the intensity was enough direction.

 -Anonymous  

Some "extra" things I did or learned during the program:
- At first, I was trading off between a couple of basses...one day of the P-Bass, another on the 5-string. etc.   By practicing the "play every note on every string" example I could quickly see how the variation was making more work for myself.  From the second week on I played only one instrument.  Consistency is a good thing.
- I am getting ready for grad school auditions and have been pulling the requirements together.  I shedded all the modes of the major scale, plus the jazz minor, melodic minor, and harmoding minor scales, and all 7th and 9th chord arpeggios (up to 8th notes at 140bpm).
- I transcribed Gary Willis' solo on "Say Never" from Actual Fiction.  That took about a month.  It's a great example of building intensity through rhythm. 
- I learned Jimmy Haslip's solo on "Downtown" from Live Wires.  It has been one of my favorite solos for 19 years...so melodic. 
- I became more comfortable using my computer as a practice and composition tool.  Transcribe and Sibelius for transcriptions, Ableton Live and EZDrummer for writing tunes. 

-Benjamin Rose 

This is a great program for bass players and all musicians. I participated in an early form of the mentorship program and indeed I experienced profound transformation in myself and my bass playing (all one). It's hard to describe what it was like to transform as it happened very slowly and in subtle ways. Try it for yourself and see--it is the best way to know.

-Josh Atlas

Things are going great here in Cambridge. I am getting started and am very happy with the new things to learn. Lights are coming on all over the place and in all directions. It is good to be a student !
I am working on getting to know my practice and the new challenges. Lots to learn!
I waited to do the ear training exericse until last and it really got me! I have a lot to learn and will report more as I figure out what is going on here. Ditto for the chromatic scale. Let's say I got ten right but saw that there was a pattern going on here. Will get better as I get more comfortable for sure.
Thanks again for taking me on as a student. I feel great and the timing is right on.

-Scott Barnes 

I learned and grew a lot as a bass player these past few months.   All in all the journey of discovery was all there in front of me
Thanks for all you have provided,  it really was terrific.
best to you and your family,  

-Richard Silberg

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