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Where to study electric bass in London?


DAMN
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Hey there!

I'm looking for a place to study electric in London for a while now an the places I've stumbled upon until now are:

The Institute of Contemporary Music Performance
Middlesex University (Popular Music)
London College of Music 

and that's pretty much it (at least what I found)
I really want to study for R&B, Jazz, Funk and Pop and not just Rock and Blues. I wanna become a very versatile and technically trained player.

Does anyone know a place where I could find those kind of genres?
Thanks!

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I did my BMus at ICMP, and can personally highly recommend it. It got my onto the path that I’m currently on, just started my PhD at UoB.

A friend started at BIMM and left, doing his final year at ICMP. His opinion was that the ICMP course was far better.

If I had one criticism of the course; this is just me personally, it lacked a little bit of customisation. It was kind of this is the course, these are the modules. I was starting to do solo bass stuff, and be a little more experimental by year two, there wasn’t really the provision for that. It was the amazing composition tutor who kind of became a mentor for what I personally was doing, rather than the bass tutors.

Edited by ambient
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Just now, DAMN said:

@Silvia Bluejay @ambient

It seems like BIMM and ICMP are more rock oriented, right?

ICMP you study a different genre every 6 weeks. It takes you through blues, into rock, RnB, funk, jazz, fusion, metal, soul etc.

There were modules in year two that I enjoyed, where bass was treated as an instrument rather than a role, they were very good. I recommend the course, it was definitely life changing for me. They have open days through the year.

The audition was very tough. It’s a two part process, there’s an initial audition to see if you’re up to taking the full audition. The full audition has various sight reading tests, aural and transcribing tests, a harmony and theory exam, and a chance to demonstrate your personal skills by playing a solo piece of your choice.

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My info is less up to date than @ambient's, because I did a bass course over a decade ago, when BIMM was still GuitarX (!) and based in Acton, a short walk from my home in Chiswick. In their case, too, even thrn, the course would take you through all modern genres as you go along.

Worth going to an open day for both, perhaps? :)

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17 minutes ago, Silvia Bluejay said:

My info is less up to date than @ambient's, because I did a bass course over a decade ago, when BIMM was still GuitarX (!) and based in Acton, a short walk from my home in Chiswick. In their case, too, even thrn, the course would take you through all modern genres as you go along.

Worth going to an open day for both, perhaps? :)

Definitely!

At the end of the day, it’s you that has to be happy. 

ICMP started in Acton as Basstech, Guitartech and Drumtech. I used to go once a month as a teenager for a lesson. I think where they were is where BIMM moved to?

I auditioned at BIMM in Bristol at the same time as auditioning for ICMP, the audition at BIMM was a lot easier. 

Its been 3 years since I graduated now, the courses keep evolving. I was there last year as a guest speaker, and the course had changed since I’d left. I’m guessing it’s changed again since then, so it’s definitely best to go along, look around, meet the tutors and get a prospectus.

Another thing to consider is ICMP have just moved into brand new and purpose built premises. Where they were before was good, but a bit of a compromise.

Edited by ambient
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Yes, almost immediately after my course finished, GuitarX changed its name to Guitar/Bass/DrumTech and then, later, left Acton for (IIRC) Fulham. ICMP and BIMM both evolved from that a few years later, but are now separate and independent, and have been for a long time.

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I know a guy who’s studying his Masters in jazz bass at the Guildhall. Birmingham conservatoire have a brilliant jazz course, a friend of mine did his degree there. They even have a little jazz club of their own. I did a workshop thing there earlier this year, they have brilliant facilities, it’s only a year or so old.

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2 hours ago, SubsonicSimpleton said:

Might be worth checking out Leeds College of Music's jazz courses if that is what you are interested in primarily - certainly living costs will be significantly lower than studying in London.

True, anywhere outside of London will be cheaper with regard to living expenses.

 

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11 hours ago, SubsonicSimpleton said:

Might be worth checking out Leeds College of Music's jazz courses if that is what you are interested in primarily - certainly living costs will be significantly lower than studying in London.

I'm from West Yorkshire and I lived in Leeds for 15+ years, and yes it's a lot cheaper, but if you are studying music and can afford London there is sooo much more going on. I still wouldn't live there for any money, but I get why people do.

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On 19/11/2018 at 11:22, SubsonicSimpleton said:

Might be worth checking out Leeds College of Music's jazz courses if that is what you are interested in primarily - certainly living costs will be significantly lower than studying in London.

Yeah I've heard about Leeds and that they have a great program there but as @adamg67 said, I would rather prefer London because of it's high amount of music being played every day. So does anyone have any experience with University of West London (London College of Music)?

and again, thanks a lot guys!

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1 hour ago, DAMN said:

Yeah I've heard about Leeds and that they have a great program there but as @adamg67 said, I would rather prefer London because of it's high amount of music being played every day. So does anyone have any experience with University of West London (London College of Music)?

and again, thanks a lot guys!

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Jake Newman (on here) used to occasionally teach there. Great teacher who gave me some lessons on double bass when I was beginning. I studied at ACM (just outside London) but frequently was in London and moved there for 5 years after I graduated. Theres loads going on but once you're out of the student bubble, getting gigs is hugely competitive which is something to bare in my mind. I eventually ran out of energy and made the move to Manchester which also has a good scene.

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8 minutes ago, OliverBlackman said:

I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure Jake Newman (on here) used to occasionally teach there. Great teacher who gave me some lessons on double bass when I was beginning. I studied at ACM (just outside London) but frequently was in London and moved there for 5 years after I graduated. Theres loads going on but once you're out of the student bubble, getting gigs is hugely competitive which is something to bare in my mind. I eventually ran out of energy and made the move to Manchester which also has a good scene.

Yeah looking at the tutors there it looks like a great school. Could you recommend any teachers there?
 

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