ParrotDye Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Hi all, What is the going cost for bass lessons? A short and sweet question huh. ParrotDye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuliusGroove Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Depends on who's teaching you! I'm about to start lessons with Franc O'Shea and that's £30 an hour which I think is fair. Anthony Wellington's Skype lessons are $80 an hour Depends how much you think you will learn from this person and their professional level I suppose.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Horizontalste Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 20/25 is the average round here I guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParrotDye Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 Thanks. Is it normal for teachers to offer classes in multiple disciplines? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JuliusGroove Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 Sure, but be wary as some may add other instruments to their 'cv' as such to seem more employable but may not be at the same level across the board.. Theory is transferable but application of ideas and roles of the instrument in a band context are not.. (to a degree) I'd say as a rule study with someone in their main discipline unless they can prove as well in other instruments! But that's just me.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParrotDye Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 That sounds good, thanks for the advice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 It all depends on how good the lessons are,what kind of level you are at, and what kind of help you need. I used to give lessons to relative beginners, ( two of whom have gone on to become very good pro players, I am proud to say) and I used to charge £3 in the mid-to-late 1980's and then eventually by the early 1990's £5 an hour. During the same time in mid 1980's I paid £8 an hour for lessons myself with a top pro player who had lots of teaching experience and a very impressive C.V of artists he had worked with. That £3 is the equivalent to £7.71 , and the £8 is equivalent to just over £20 nowadays, and seems about fair given the disparity between me and the top local pro. However, it has to be said that nowadays you can glean so much information for free off the internet and from You Tube in particular that a lot of what you used to have to pay to find out is available for nothing if you know what it is you need to look for. A good teacher is invaluable, but by the same token, if you are motivated, there has never been such a good time to teach yourself as much as possible under your own steam. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ambient Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I think most charge £25 to £30 an hour, and usually there's a discount for 2 hours. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 (edited) It is £20 an hour around here, but if you pay for 5 lessons up front, i get a lesson free Edited March 17, 2014 by timmo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oggiesnr Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 I've paid £17 and £30 per hour for lessons. Check that your teacher is actually teaching their primary instrument (ie isn't actually a guitarist who reckons they can play bass). Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jellyfish Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I wouldn't worry about the initial cost, but instead focus on whether the lesson was worth the money or not as the costs can vary so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dyer Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I currently pay £25 for a one hour lesson, although it invariably extends to two hours with an extra hour of bass therapy discussion. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seashell Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='Mark Dyer' timestamp='1395149619' post='2399179'] I currently pay £25 for a one hour lesson, although it invariably extends to two hours with an extra hour of bass therapy discussion. [/quote] Lol, me too. My lovely teacher always gives me extra time. In fact he sometimes says to [b]me '[/b]How are you for time, can I just show you one more thing?' Great value for money - and therapy as well, as you say Mark. I remember the first time I realised we'd actually become friends, when he suddenly said in the middle of a lesson 'What do you think of the Budget then?' (As in the Chanellor's budget, not some obscure band) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dingus Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 (edited) I pay a lot more more than £25 an hour for therapy, and I don't get an extra hour of bass lesson at the end. I don't even get that much therapy, when I think about it. Edited March 18, 2014 by Dingus Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
d_g Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I charge £25/an hour but this is in an area with a lot of pretty well-to-do parents. Also do 10% discounts on booking blocks of four so I'd agree with the £20-£25 others have said. It's worth you knowing that most peripatetic teacher in schools get paid £30+ an hour (at least around here!) On the multiple disciplines, I teach both bass and guitar. All of my playing work these days is on bass but I am a pretty good guitarist (Grade 8 or so) although much more comfortable with bass. There are so many more people looking to learn guitar that nearly 3/4 of my students are guitar. I would say being a good teacher is actually more important that being a good player...to a degree... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Admiral Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='oggiesnr' timestamp='1395084685' post='2398520'] I've paid £17 and £30 per hour for lessons. Check that your teacher is actually teaching their primary instrument (ie isn't actually a guitarist who reckons they can play bass). Steve [/quote] Couldn't agree more with this. I had some lessons years ago with a guitarist - who played occasional bass in his band, and therefore felt qualified. I didn't really get much from him in terms of learning and canned it after a few months. I've since picked up more in a few hours from the internet via resources such as Scott's Bass Lessons - and I think primarily because the teacher is actually a real bass player, and isn't just teaching the guitars poor relation (in their mind). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
waynepunkdude Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='timmo' timestamp='1395084530' post='2398512'] It is £20 an hour around here, but if you pay for 5 lessons up front, i get a lesson free [/quote] So I pay for 5 lessons and you get the free one? Doesn't seem fair. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Dyer Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='d_g' timestamp='1395154299' post='2399251'] ...I would say being a good teacher is actually more important that being a good player...to a degree... [/quote] Couldn't agree more, however, my bass tutor is also a busy working player. He tours and records regularly with a well known blues guitarist as well as gigging and recording with a wide variety of artists ranging from dance to prog. All of this real world experience is channelled into my lessons which you just don't get from online tutorials not matter how good they are. If you can find a good teacher that actually plays for a living, they are well worth the tuition fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
geoffbassist Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1395159417' post='2399319'] So I pay for 5 lessons and you get the free one? Doesn't seem fair. [/quote] :-) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mornats Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 I pay £25 an hour for my bass tutor and he's a professional working bass player who is incredibly talented on both the electric and double bass. He himself will book a lesson in with any of his idols if they're in the area to keep on top of his technique. I believe he's got at least a degree, maybe a masters in music so his theory is first class. He also knows how to apply it to the instrument. My technique is noticeably better and by that I mean people who heard me play before the lessons now say that there's a massive improvement in technique and tone. So if you can, grab a working pro bass player as a tutor. None of these "I play guitar but can teach bass" people. You really want someone who lives and breathes bass. The conversations I have with my tutor about general gigging, playing and gear before the lesson are almost worth the money for the lesson alone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skej21 Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='Mornats' timestamp='1395172603' post='2399487'] I pay £25 an hour for my bass tutor and he's a professional working bass player who is incredibly talented on both the electric and double bass. He himself will book a lesson in with any of his idols if they're in the area to keep on top of his technique. I believe he's got at least a degree, maybe a masters in music so his theory is first class. He also knows how to apply it to the instrument. My technique is noticeably better and by that I mean people who heard me play before the lessons now say that there's a massive improvement in technique and tone. So if you can, grab a working pro bass player as a tutor. None of these "I play guitar but can teach bass" people. You really want someone who lives and breathes bass. The conversations I have with my tutor about general gigging, playing and gear before the lesson are almost worth the money for the lesson alone! [/quote] Plus one to this! When I had lessons, my teacher was a pro bassist and gave me hundreds of bits of useful advice about gigging and reading... You're unlikely to get advice on sight reading bass from a guitarist who 'can do a bit of bass'. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
timmo Posted March 18, 2014 Share Posted March 18, 2014 [quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1395159417' post='2399319'] So I pay for 5 lessons and you get the free one? Doesn't seem fair. [/quote]It seems a fair deal to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParrotDye Posted March 31, 2014 Author Share Posted March 31, 2014 I can't remember exactly which site I saw this on, but one piece of advice was "ask your perspective teacher for referees", so I tried it out on a couple of teachers. One never got back to me and another argued himself out of it. [quote name='Dingus' timestamp='1395084173' post='2398503'] However, it has to be said that nowadays you can glean so much information for free off the internet and from You Tube in particular that a lot of what you used to have to pay to find out is available for nothing if you know what it is you need to look for. A good teacher is invaluable, but by the same token, if you are motivated, there has never been such a good time to teach yourself as much as possible under your own steam. [/quote] [quote name='The Admiral' timestamp='1395159210' post='2399315'] Scott's Bass Lessons [/quote] I'll be checking this guy out. Thanks [quote name='d_g' timestamp='1395154299' post='2399251'] It's worth you knowing that most peripatetic teacher in schools get paid £30+ an hour (at least around here!) On the multiple disciplines, I teach both bass and guitar. All of my playing work these days is on bass but I am a pretty good guitarist (Grade 8 or so) although much more comfortable with bass. There are so many more people looking to learn guitar that nearly 3/4 of my students are guitar. I would say being a good teacher is actually more important that being a good player...to a degree... [/quote] I can see why this is true; when I was studying I met a few maths and physics supervisors without the teaching skills to get their knowledge across easily - why would bass be any different. None of them offered therapy either, mores the pity. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 31, 2014 Share Posted March 31, 2014 £15 for 45mins for a few starter lessons and £20-25 per hour thereafter. Some shops want to pay you £10 per hour. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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