Bass Tutors

[Bass-ic]

I have been trying to find a Bass tutor in Bristol. Most seem to want to come to my house to teach, but I have noise issues here. Im sure they must have noise problems with teaching at home as well. I was under the impression that if someone were to teach, then the ywould have some kind of space to teach in.

I spoke to one person who said that he wasnt insured to teach at home. FFs Im not 8!

Am I being unrealistic here?

Matt

Edited December 21, 2008 by Absolute-beginner

[Happy Jack]

In my (London) experience, music tutors are either linked to shops and use a practice booth or quiet room at the shop, or they come to your house for lessons. I've only ever once been invited to a tutor's flat for a lesson.

As to noise issues, just turn the amp down! It's not a practice session, still less a gig. You only need to be able to hear what you're playing, so your practice amp can be set as quietly as your stereo or TV.

[Matty]

That sounds normal to me.
Unless there is a dedicated music school, teaching at home is the standard.

[MacDaddy]

Sounds dodgy to me. If he(she) is a MU member they have public liability insurance.

The area of musical instrument teaching is unregulated though. I wouldn't trust any instrumental teacher who couldn't read music, and didn't know about the Alexander technique.

[jay249]

You have a PM, A.B

Edited December 21, 2008 by jay249

[Bass-ic]

Hi.
Thanks for the replies.
indeed, a gig it is not, but just a small amout of bass here seems to reverberate around the four flats in this house. Its an old house not a purpose built block, so the place can shake a bit! Mostly i play through headphones, which isnt perfect, but there are very few times when I can use my amp, even quietly without someone complaining.

Hi Jay, and thanks for the PM. The problem is that i cannot do Saturday. We did in fact talk about this earlier in the year. But thanks for the response. Perhaps you could ask id anyone might be able to help me out.

I just thought it was odd that if anyone advertises as a teacher, then you would have somewhere to teach in. I think that it is the norm for the student to go to the teacher not the other way around. Perhaps I am being old fashioned about this.

THanks for all your input.

Cheers
Matt

[jay249]

Another PM..

[BassBod]

Again - PM me if you're interested in some lessons...happy to teach here at mine (but usually teach in a College)...

BB

[Shockwave]

I would really like some tutoring in bassing in Bristol please! Need help on my three finger technique, And Slapping. Its hard to find someone to teach me Technical bass!

Let me know if anyone here can do that!

Cheers. -Rob.

[Oscar South]

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='360174' date='Dec 21 2008, 12:44 PM']Sounds dodgy to me. If he(she) is a MU member they have public liability insurance.

The area of musical instrument teaching is unregulated though. I wouldn't trust any instrumental teacher who couldn't read music, and didn't know about the Alexander technique.[/quote]

Whats this Alexander technique? I'm pretty well educated in bass playing, had a few different teachers, been playing a moderate while and done some teaching of my own, and I've never heard of it.

[bottomfeed]

[url="http://www.drumbankmusic.co.uk/acatalog/Musical-Instrument-Tuition.html"]try here[/url]

[phil_the_bassist]

around here you usually go to the guys house. My tutor's got his own full studio setup, and all the other teachers I've heard of are the same...

[mewsie]

i do either, depending on how lazy i'm feeling. owen charges £5 more for coming to my house, but i'm usually working, so it saves me 40 minutes in driving, which is worth more in my time than £5.

not sure what is normal or not, i suppose its down to the teacher whether they want to invite people into their home, too.

[steve-soar]

I teach from home in the study, which has Cubase, amps and comfy chairs, I will teach at a pupils house but at mine, I have the benefit of recording pupils and then showing the progression with a history of recordings.

[AM1]

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='360174' date='Dec 21 2008, 12:44 PM']Sounds dodgy to me. If he(she) is a MU member they have public liability insurance.

The area of musical instrument teaching is unregulated though. I wouldn't trust any instrumental teacher who couldn't read music, and didn't know about the Alexander technique.[/quote]

Is this for real? So anyone can teach music, even without any music or teaching qualifications????

Regards
AM

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='Oscar South' post='360372' date='Dec 21 2008, 06:03 PM']Whats this Alexander technique? I'm pretty well educated in bass playing, had a few different teachers, been playing a moderate while and done some teaching of my own, and I've never heard of it.[/quote]


Some info for you here, explains it better than I can.
[url="http://www.alexandertechnique.com/musicians.htm"]http://www.alexandertechnique.com/musicians.htm[/url]


[quote name='AM1' post='360494' date='Dec 21 2008, 09:19 PM']Is this for real? So anyone can teach music, even without any music or teaching qualifications????

Regards
AM[/quote]

Well obviously teachers' at school teaching Music GCSE (etc) are qualified, but anyone can stick a card up in the local muso shop saying [i]bass lessons[/i], or [i]guitar lessons[/i].

[thepurpleblob]

The Alexander technique?? This is for real, yes?

[i]His major discovery at this time was that he did not need to depend on words to instruct his students but could give them information directly through the kinesthetic sense. By using his hands he found that he could prevent a maladaptive set from developing and could give his pupil the direct conscious experience of carrying out an habitual action in a non-habitual, easier, and more efficient way. This is a way that usually seems better to the pupil so that, in Skinnerian terms, he is reinforced for changing his old habit pattern.[/i]

As they say here in Glasgow, that'll be right son

[MacDaddy]

[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='360547' date='Dec 21 2008, 10:37 PM']The Alexander technique?? This is for real, yes?

[i]His major discovery at this time was that he did not need to depend on words to instruct his students but could give them information directly through the kinesthetic sense. By using his hands he found that he could prevent a maladaptive set from developing and could give his pupil the direct conscious experience of carrying out an habitual action in a non-habitual, easier, and more efficient way. This is a way that usually seems better to the pupil so that, in Skinnerian terms, he is reinforced for changing his old habit pattern.[/i]

As they say here in Glasgow, that'll be right son [/quote]
LOL!
Not gonna win an award for plain English is it?

Basically it helps you play your bass properly, with the least amount of effort. So you avoid RSI, strains etc.

If for 10 years every time you did the washing up, you used your feet, by now you'd be pretty good with your feet. Maybe as good as some people using hands? But is using your feet to do the washing up the best way to do it, even though you are good at it?

So people playing bass may be good, and using technique that's works for them, but it may not be the best thing for them (bad posture, RSI, etc.)

It's all about who you choose to give your money to. My opinion, is that my hard earned will go to some that not only knows the bass, but knows the physical effects playing bass can have on the bassist. The AT goes a long way to addressing that.

Maybe the feet thing was a bad anology

[Count Bassy]

[quote name='MacDaddy' post='360586' date='Dec 21 2008, 11:16 PM']If for 10 years every time you did the washing up, you used your feet, by now you'd be pretty good with your feet. Maybe as good as some people using hands? But is using your feet to do the washing up the best way to do it, even though you are good at it?[/quote]

I didn't get married so I could do my own washing up!

[leschirons]

When I started playing, I had lessons from Henry Thomas (rock school on the TV) That was always at his house all those years ago.

[Brother Jones]

I taught quite a bit about ten or fifteen years ago. I couldn't read music and was not an MU member. People would just come up to me after gigs or as friends of a friend. You need to know theory in terms of the relationship between chords and scales, but as long as you're honest with someone about what you can equip them to do I'm not sure why you'd need too much regulation...

[LukeFRC]

[quote name='Shockwave' post='360370' date='Dec 21 2008, 06:03 PM']I would really like some tutoring in bassing in Bristol please! Need help on my three finger technique, And Slapping. Its hard to find someone to teach me Technical bass!

Let me know if anyone here can do that!

Cheers. -Rob.[/quote]

if you mean 3 finger technique on the right hand you could try it the way I did it.
Do something else with something sharp, cooking, woodwork, metal work whatever.
slip and stick sharp thing hard into end of your first finger.
big plaster to stop blood.
go home forget the wound and pick up bass, i found my self naturally using my 2nd and 3rd fingers!

[burno70]

Brother Jones has hit the nail on the head here!

I totally disagree that you need membership of MU or any teaching or music qualification to teach, or that you need to read music. You just need to be skilled and have good communication skills and that's about it.

I have a degree in music now but was teaching years before I entered uni.

As for "must be able to read music" - yes I can, but have I ever taught it over the last 10 or so years - no I haven't. I offer to teach all things theory as well as songs but I aim to keep the lessons enjoyable and stick to areas that the student wants to learn. Most students are simply interested in technique and songs they want to learn.

Incidentally, I'm from Liverpool if any fellow BassChatters are interested in lessons, (ooh shameless plug! :blush: )