FAQ's

No, not at all, beginner students are welcome. While some of the topics on my Lesson Plan page are advanced, not all of it applies to every student. I believe in working at the students pace, and I make sure all my students feel comfortable and enjoy their lessons in a no pressure atmosphere which is really important for beginner students. How fast we go is really up to the student and their practice habits.

Do I have to read music to take lessons?

For beginners, reading music is part of what I will be teaching you, so of course you don't have to already know how.

For players with some experience, I can teach you all about music theory/harmony and playing even if you don't read music. Music theory really is about how chords, scales and keys work than reading notes on a page. Once you understand theory and harmony you will see that in any kind of music, country, rock, metal, etc., it is still the same chords, scales and keys. In my opinion, it is much more beneficial for a student to walk away from my lesson program with a firm knowledge of music theory and harmony than being a great reader. If I have to use scale diagrams and tablature, than that is fine.

But I do ask that my students become functional readers. "Functional Reading" and "Sight Reading" are two different things. Sight reading is what a lot of people picture when they find out they will be learning to read music. Being a good sight reader is a very difficult skill and takes quite a bit of dedication or years of reading music to master.

"Functional Reading" is just learning and understanding the written language of music so that you can take things from paper and make them into music, at whatever pace, even just a few notes at a time. There is a so much great material out there for the bass but a lot of it isn't in tablature, so learning "functional reading" really opens up your options.

I also teach chart reading, which is a very useful skill. As opposed to reading notes on the staff, chart reading is the ability to look at the chords symbols and being able to construct a bassline or solo over those chords, playing your own lines. The chart will also tell you how the order of the song or "arrangement" goes. In my experience I have found that chart reading is an invaluable skill that you can use in so many different playing situations.

I buy a lot of instructional books and videos but they always confuse me and I get nowhere, why would lessons be any different?

The books and videos, no matter how basic they are, always seem to assume the person has some musical knowledge or background. Also, there are a number of different ways to describe the same thing in music, so it can get confusing when one book calls something by one term or name and the next book calls it something different. You start to get the impression that there is so much to learn. Not to over simplify things, but there really are just a handful of chords and scales that you need to know to begin to understand music. You need to have a clear understanding of this small amount of information before you move forward because all of it can be expanded on to almost limitless possibilities. A lot of the instructional material out there is about expanding this basic knowledge so it can be very confusing if you don't have the basics down.

I myself played for quite a few years "by ear" before I studied music on a more serious level. I only knew whatever small bits and pieces of knowledge I picked up along the way, so I remember the feeling of how confusing it all was. I always try to keep that in mind when I am explaining something to one of my students.

I am an experienced guitar player but I still don't know the modes, pentatonics, how to use them or play in key, can you teach me?

Although I don't teach guitar lessons, I have helped quite a few guitar players to finally understand the modes, and music theory/harmony. My lessons for guitar players are strictly theory/harmony based and as I said earlier about bass students studying with a bass instructor, the same holds true for guitar. I feel for any guitar technique or style, you really need to be studying with an actual guitar teacher. But if you are already playing, and just can't seem to see the big picture of how scales, chords and keys work, then my lessons would have something to offer.

I just want to learn to play slap, without all the theory, modes, and reading music, can you teach me?

Sure, if there is just a specific technique you would like to learn, we can start with that. However it is much harder for me to teach you and for you to comprehend the information without a little musical knowledge. Usually when a student comes to me for a technique, we start with that technique, and over time I end up making so many references to theory, scales, chords, etc., in order to teach the technique, that we start to head in the direction of more theory based lessons. As a teacher, it is important to understand that you can't make someone want to learn something. It is the job of the instructor to get you interested enough in studying these things, and if it takes learning how to play slap bass first to get you to that point, then I have no problem approaching it that way.

What should I look for in a bass or music teacher?

Here are a few things to look out for when looking for a bass/music teacher

First, don't assume because someone can play really fast, has a degree, or played in a band you might have heard of, that they can teach you correctly. Teaching is a skill just like playing is, but not the same skill. Being a good teacher is all about being a good communicator of facts, ideas and concepts.

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This is a big one "If you are taking bass lessons with a guitar teacher, you are not getting the proper education" Most guitar players claim that they can teach you bass because guitar and bass are similar, but when it comes to playing and learning they are completely different instruments. I always hate to hear when a young player is taking lessons somewhere that doesn't have an actual bass teacher, so they are sent to the guitar teacher. Unless you are strictly learning music theory or harmony, you should be taking lessons from someone who plays the instrument you play.

Avoid teachers that just teach parts or riffs to songs, that is not teaching, just transcribing. It is one thing to learn a riff, but another thing to know why it works in the song, and how it was formed. Learning riffs and songs is fine if it is being taught along with some solid musical education such as chords, arpeggios, scales, rhythm, technique, reading, harmony, etc etc

Your teacher should be professional, punctual, not cancel a lot of your lessons, and not waste a lot of your time during a lesson. They should be, for the most part, organized and have a clear plan as to what you are learning. This one is really important "You should not be intimidated by your teacher!!" You can't learn anything if you are scared to make a mistake, or the teacher makes you nervous.

What books do I need and what should I bring to my lesson

Beginners will need to bring their bass, a manuscript book and the book we will be working from "Teach Yourself Bass" by Mike Hiland. I always keep both in stock so for the first lesson just bring your bass and you can purchase the books with your first lesson payment.

All other students just need to bring your bass, a manuscript book and a blank cassette in case we need to tape examples for you to have at home. All other materials will be supplied.

I always have an extra bass here for use by my students. If for whatever reason you cannot bring yours, it will be available for you to use for your lesson.

I play 5 and/or 6 string bass, do you teach that?

Because my lessons rooted in theory and harmony, which is universal, it really isn't a problem to apply any of the information to 5 or 6 string. I do prefer to teach on 4 string, and I always have a 4 string available for my multistring students to borrow for their lesson