If that was a question, then my answer is that the problem may lie in the delivery. I have yet to experience another educator that is willing to hold themselves alone as an example of superior music education.
Interesting thought. Here is a couple of forms of delivery to ponder.
1. Smoking isn't a wise choice. It could lead to health complications for some.
2. Smoking can kill you. It can also end up choking off your air supply without any hope of getting it back.
I frankly don't care if some people appear to be more affected by my writing style instead of the messages that I share. I've always been polite, yet clear. If people are more affected by tone than content, then for me, some bass players are willing to compromise their very musical futures based on the tone of a post instead of pondering the messages being shared. For me, this isn't mature thinking. I invite people to stop this.
I am mostly alone in the bass educational community because I choose not to embrace inferior musical education and justify it as having purpose because it is "different" from mine. Being different is no validation of quality. Like it or not, there are better methods and music to learn by and you are not being taught these methods. Learning via different approaches and philosophies is a poor way to justify musically insupportable teaching methods.
I do share a rich and vibrant interaction with many teachers of other instruments. I know academic excellence when I see it. Some great colleagues are members of various symphonies. Some are great jazz educators on a variety of instruments. I support fully their manner of teaching because their students improve. But, you won't find barely anyone that will improve their bass playing with popular methods because music isn't the core of those lessons.
My interest is to do two things: 1. to make bass players aware that they are not getting what they think that they are getting in their bass instruction, and seek better training, and 2. to get some teachers to work harder to learn more about music, not just for their own benefit, but for the benefit of their students. But, until this time, I don't see this happening.
Therefore, if anyone else is interested in improving your bass playing and are serious in using proven methods to do so, then go straight for jazz harmony, academically meaningful etudes and learning music via written exercises. Other than being self taught, there does not exist another trustworthy form to improve your playing. Good luck!
