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ENSEMBLE COACHING INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO CLIPS WHY TEACH? LOCATION / SKYPE COST CONTACT BASS LESSONS So you wanna be a bass player? Great, you've come to the right place. Whether you're a beginner or someone who has been playing bass for awhile, I can help you become a better musician. I'm a patient, professional bass instructor who has spent over 30 years developing my skills as both a player and teacher. If you want to study with someone who will really listen to you and pinpoint the things you need to focus on, then I'm your man. Here are some of the topics we'll cover in your lessons: - Technique - Musical vocabulary (scales, arpeggios etc) - Improving your groove - Creating excellent bass lines - Practical theory and harmony - Ear training - Note and chart reading - Repertoire - Improvising I've written a couple of textbooks, A Practical Workbook for Bass Players, and A Workbook for Jazz Bass Players, which are for sale on this site. I wrote them specifically for the benefit of my students, without any of the usual explanatory language found in textbooks. I've posted some of excerpts right here for you to download if you like. I've been writing a column for Bass Musician Magazine since 2010. You can check out those lessons HERE. ENSEMBLE COACHING In addition to private instruction, I am now offering coaching for bands that are in need of a "tune up" in any of the following areas: - Physical set up - Dynamics and sonic space - Improving the groove - Defining roles and listening - Rehearsal technique and etiquette - Comping skills - Chart reading - Repertoire - Pacing a set - Developing a pro attitude Coaching sessions are 90 minutes long and can be arranged either at your rehearsal space or in my studio. Please see below for my coaching fees. STUDIO EQUIPMENT: - Yamaha P-85 digital keyboard - Gretsch jazz drums (bring your own cymbals) - Bass, keyboard, and guitar amps - Zoom H2 digital recorder INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO CLIPS I've created and posted a number of bass instruction videos on YouTube. Here's a sample lesson you can watch. In it I explain how to connect one chord change to the next when you are playing a walking bass line. I'm using what I've learned from the greats: Ray Brown, Paul Chambers, Charles Mingus, Ron Carter, et al. The techniques I discuss are ones I've used with great success with my students over the years. Here's the same lesson on electric bass: Here are a couple of other YouTube lessons that folks have enjoyed: WHY TEACH? Why do I teach? "Hey, it's a living" could be one answer, and I know plenty of professional musicians who teach to augment their performing income. However, teaching has more personal meanings for me as well: I feel an obligation to "pay it forward", to pass on the wisdom I've managed to accumulate during the first half of my career (I'm assuming I've got another 30 years or so!). I feel a responsibility to teach what I've learned about playing the bass, about music generally, and about the music biz. I've had some wonderful teachers (bass players as well as other mentors) and I wouldn't be the person I am had it not been for their generosity and occasionally pointed criticism. I also feel a deep respect for music as an art form. My goal is to help you to integrate all of the tools available for your own self-expression. Those tools are: your ears, your intellect, your physical technique, your eyes and your innate musical instinct. My students have ranged in age from nine to their mid 60's and have included absolute beginners, bass players looking to get into local bands for fun and pocket change, and hardcore music junkies who have the fire and patience to "go for it" as full time players. A few of my students have been kind enough to offer a sentence or two on what kind of experiences they've had in my studio. LOCATION I teach out of a studio in my home in the Fullerton/Cicero area on the northwest side of Chicago. I am also now available for lessons via Skype. You will need a computer with audio/video capability and a relatively fast Internet connection to make this work. Drop me a note for more details. COST And now for the most important question: what do lessons cost? As of January 2011, my hourly fee for private lessons (in person or via Skype) is $45. Fees for ENSEMBLE COACHING : At my studio: $100 for 90 a minute session; this includes the use of drum kit, keyboard, amps and a digital recording of the session. At your rehearsal space: $125 for 90 minutes (assuming a 30 minute drive time). CONTACT Please contact me for more information or to set up a meeting time. |
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