Random Toxy

My first post on Basschat, and it has to be to recommend Nick as a bass tutor. I've recently had my second lesson with Nick, and it was of the same high standard as the first. I live near Skipton and travelling to see Nick is a bit of a hike, so between lessons I tried another tutor in easier reach of me; to say the experience was dire would be an understatement, and I'll save you the gory details - suffice to say that being a good player does not make a good teacher. In conclusion, the two hours spent driving is a small cost to pay for Nick's brilliant tuition. Nick has an understated approach which is deceptive, because his quiet enthusiasm is infectious. Suddenly I found myself thinking "I can do this!" He is very personable, very approachable, has the patience of a saint, and a great way of putting you at ease. As a complete beginner I have never felt that what I was attempting was beyond me, as Nick's pace is spot on. However, that is not to say you are in for an easy ride, because he did persuasively push me to try more difficult and unfamiliar things to stretch me - exactly what I need to improve. Between lessons I am using various "teach yourself" materials, which are fine so far, but I do tend to stick with the familiar and only reluctantly try something new or harder, so Nick making me try harder things (e.g. 60bpm still seems impossibly fast!) and challenge me is exactly what I benefit from, however uncomfortable is feels at the time. Nick has a great eye for detail, picking up on small things which make all the difference. His technical knowledge of music and bass playing for me is beyond question. For my second lesson I brought my own bass (I didn't own one for the first), and Nick immediately offered to check it over for me, recommending some adjustments to the truss rod and bridge to get the strings closer to the frets, which he then quickly did. He then test played it which was a pleasure to hear (unfortunately it now means I can't blame my bass for any weird noises or duff notes because he proved it can sound great). For saying he only made a couple of subtle adjustments with an allen key, it made a huge improvement to the feel of the strings and sound, and now seems easier to play. His studio is pleasant and well equipped, and I like the way Nick uses a mixture of traditional and modern teaching methods. He seamlessly blends state of the art technology with good old fashioned practice and technique; the combination of which gives me a real feeling of making progress - learning, putting that knowledge into practice, and then getting results. Another thing I like about Nick is that he is always ready when you arrive, as others have written in this thread. He doesn't start by saying "er, remind what we did last time" because he does remember, and will have prepared something to work on. I am in my late 40s, and rather than eloping with the secretary or getting a flash red sports car, buying a bass is my mid-life crisis. It is the first musical instrument I have tried to learn apart from a primary school recorder, and I am sure that with Nick's help the bass will last much longer than a quick ride (!), get me into less trouble, cost less, and be something I can continue to enjoy for many years to come. He has also given me some confidence that I might actually become reasonably competent in the long run. It goes almost without saying, I have no hesitation at all in recommending Nick as a bass tutor.