Lessons:

The following is an overview of my teaching style, and was written for prospective bassists interested taking lessons.

I've also written an article titled, "How To Pick A Great Bass Guitar Teacher", which you can read here...

The article is in .pdf format. If your computer needs a .pdf viewer - download Adobe's free viewer here...

Teaching Philosophy:

Like most teachers, I enjoy seeing and hearing students’ progress. I have found that students progress faster by not only learning mechanics, technique, songs, styles, and music theory, but also understanding how to modify their thought processes with respect to overcoming physical and conceptual barriers; in other words, and musically speaking: learning how to learn.

This involves breaking down and isolating every aspect of playing the bass - instrument stability, left & right hand placement, finger positioning, rhythmic concepts, fret-board familiarity, reading skills, patterns, and choice of notes. It also involves honing other important aspects of playing music such as concentration, determination, observation, patience, problem solving, and repetition. I have been applying this approach since I began teaching electric bass in 1998.

I teach classical & jazz music theory (scales, arpeggios, chords), improvisation, meter, rhythmic patterns, sight-reading, and ear training. Specifically, I help students learn to read music (notes), develop left and right hand finger strength/independence/dexterity, and provide transcriptions of pizzicato,  & slap bass-lines as exercises; for all musical styles. I encourage students to create and play their own bass lines - conveying as a skill set a fundamental understanding/interpretation of chord progressions and composition. I also help students learn specific songs and styles they request.

I try to split each lesson roughly 50/50 as far as structured aspects (exercises, reading, technique building, etc.) and working through song requests. I also highly recommend students be open to acquiring a fundamental skill set for playing a variety of generic styles and forms - for example: 12-bar blues, I-IV-V rock, shuffle, 2 beat, waltz, walking jazz/blues swing bass lines, funk pizzicato technique, and funk/slap technique. These are simply guidelines though - ultimately it's up to you how we spend our meeting time.

Essentials:

Most people get started with the obvious basic items (listed in order of importance):

- a bass, strap, tuner, instrument cable, and small practice amplifier/speaker combo.

There are a few other items that will facilitate faster progress (again listed in order of importance):

- a metronome*, music stand, bass method books and/or other exercise and bass clef reading material.

For learning songs, having access to an audio playback device with enhanced bass response and easy, well designed mechanism for fast-forward and rewind within a specific song is very helpful. Your computer, phone, or .mp3 player, by themselves may not be ideal for picking out and hearing the bass part unless combined with an significantly upgraded audio system (i.e., sub-woofer, stereo, docking station, etc.).

*The one item that will immediately challenge and push you to a higher level of musicianship is a metronome. Listening to, playing with, and counting with a metronome will facilitate development of your internal sense of time. Learning to become comfortable with the metronome will have a direct impact on how well you are able to synchronize with other musicians when playing together.

Practice:

You will need to practice between lessons...

How much? The most important first step is to try to get the bass into your hands every day - 15 minutes every day is a great starting point for new students, with the goal of eventually reaching 30-60 minutes daily.

Try to find a quiet place where you can focus and concentrate without being interrupted or distracted by family, friends, neighbors, room-mates, phone, television, etc.

For practice time spent in the seated position, find a sturdy straight-back chair (without arms) - stay away from couches, recliners, beds, etc. Standing during a portion of your practice sessions is also a good way to become comfortable with the instrument in preparation for jamming with other musicians during rehearsals and performances.

When & Where?:

I teach out of my home studio in Carmel Valley Mar (near I-5 & CA 56). 

The schedule out of my home is very flexible: mornings, afternoons, or evenings, weekdays or weekends are all possible.

I also provide some lessons at the student home.

Most of my students schedule a lesson every week but many take lessons every other week, and some once per month. Whatever your schedule, I generally recommend hour long lessons as I feel the you'll acquire a better and faster level of understanding this way.

If you have any questions please let me know, and/or call or email to schedule a lesson or a meeting...

Policies:

Payment is due at the end of each lesson. There is no need to pay in advance (although some students prefer this). I do not have a cancellation fee per se, but do ask for as much notice as possible if you are unable to make a lesson. Likewise, I will do my best to provide you as much advance notice as possible if I am unable to get together.