Coronavirus Info:
Covid safe face-to-face lessons and zoom lessons are available.
Mobile lessons suspended until the next peak is over.
I am a BASSTECH diploma graduate with over 25 years experience playing and teaching bass professionally, DBS checked and PTLLS qualified.
All styles, techniques and levels taught.
Grabbed by the testimonials
I teach at my home studio in Romsey and on mobile lessons in Winchester, Southampton, Eastleigh and surrounding areas*. Lessons are available afternoons and evenings on weekdays, weekly or fortnightly, one hour long. A weekly half hour is also available in Romsey.
Lessons cost £30 per hour and £16 per half hour, with discounts for block bookings.
As a student, you will develop a strong sense of rhythm and articulate playing technique. You will gain a versatile fretting hand and familiarity with fingerstyle, plectrum (pick), slap, tap and more.
You will learn a variety of songs, chosen by me and by other students. You may also bring in your own choice songs to learn.You may, if you wish, work on grade pieces.
"My lessons are handcrafted to the requirements of the individual student. I combine what they want to know with what they need to know."
Above all else, my lessons are flexible, able to take a tangent to address a student’s immediate questions, interests or problems.
My absolute favourite thing is to help a student develop their own unique voice on the instrument.
Working from score+tab you will learn to go beyond the written notes to elicit a musical performance.
You will learn scales, chords, how to read music, how it all interrelates. Thus giving you melody harmony and rhythm, the basic tools of improvisation.
Technical aspects such as amplification and effects, instrument care and maintenance, electrical safety will also be covered.
History
- • playing bass since 1983
- • gigging since 1985
- • 91-93 music college WLIHE/Basstech
- • Since 1994 I have been full time teaching, gigging, depping and sometimes recording.
- • During 1998 and 1999 I was in the resident band for various Brittany Ferries and P&O ships.
- • I was resident Bass Tutor at Barton Peveril College 1999-2011
- • I was Bass Tutor at the Academy of Music and Sound in Southampton 2010-2020 teaching BTEC Level 3 and Degree..
- • In 2006 I fulfilled a longstanding dream and bought a Chapman Stick.
Skillset
core skills
- • fretted and fretless bass
- • chapman stick
- • backing and occasional lead vocals
- • analogue and digital effects wizardry
- • imaginative improviser,
- • quick learner,
- • good ear,
- • good jammer
- • playing originals and covers in a wide variety of styles :- rock, pop, metal, funk, soul, blues, jazz, prog, grunge, punk, folk, latin. maybe more!
- • fluent in most playing techniques:-
- • fingerstyle, pick (plectrum), slap, tapping, double thumbing, slides, hammers, pulls-off, harmonics, even some flamenco techniques
additional skills
- • excellent bass setup skills
- • handy with a soldering iron (all my leads are self made)
- • good working knowledge and understanding of musical electronics and acoustics.
- • working knowledge of much music software including Pro Tools, Logic, Studio One, Garageband, Sibelius, Musescore, Anytune, GigPerformer, Mainstage.
- • basic keyboard skills,
- • fun with subtractive synthesis
*Including, but not limited to:-
Test Valley: Abbotswood, Abbotts Ann, Ampfield, Amport, Andover, Appleshaw, Ashley, Awbridge, Barton Stacey, Bossington, Braishfield, Brook, Broughton, Buckholt, Bullington, Charlton, Chilbolton, East Anton, King's Somborne, Houghton, Leckford, Linkenholt, Longstock, Michelmersh, North Baddesley, The Wallops - Over Wallop, Middle Wallop and Nether Wallop, Romsey, Shipton Bellinger, Stockbridge, Tangley, Thruxton, Timsbury, Wellow.
Winchester: Avington, Badger Farm, Beauworth, Bighton, Bishops Sutton, Bishops Waltham, Boarhunt, Bramdean, Brockwood Park, Cheriton, Chilcomb, Colden Common, Compton and Shawford, Corhampton, Crawley, Curdridge, Denmead, Droxford, Durley, Easton, Exton, Hambledon, Headbourne Worthy, Hinton Ampner, Hursley, Itchen Abbas, Itchen Stoke, Itchen Valley, Kilmeston, Kings Worthy, Littleton and Harestock, Martyr Worthy, Meonstoke, Micheldever, New Alresford, Northington, Old Alresford, Olivers Battery, Otterbourne, Ovington, Owslebury, Shedfield, Soberton, Southwick, South Wonston, Sparsholt, Sutton Scotney, Swanmore, Tichborne, Twyford, Upham, Warnford, West Meon, Whiteley, Wickham, Widley, Winchester, Winnall, Wonston.
Eastleigh: Chandler's Ford, Hiltingbury, Allbrook, Hedge End, West End, Botley, Bishopstoke, Fair Oak, Horton Heath, Bursledon, Hamble-le-Rice and Hound
Southampton: Avenue, Bassett Green, Bevois Valley, Bitterne Manor, Highfield, Holyrood estate, Itchen Ferry village, Lordshill, Lordswood, Mansbridge, Maybush, Midanbury, Nicholstown, Northam, Ocean Village, Peartree Green, The Polygon, Regents Park, St Denys, St Mary's, Southampton City Centre, Thornhill, Townhill Park, Weston.
1892 Ericsson Taxen Skeleton Phone. Photo by Holger.Ellgaard, CC BY-SA 3.0 <https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0>, via Wikimedia Commons