Bass Lessons in Baldwinsville, MA

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I tend to emphasize basics and fundamentals, as most teachers do. Developing facility, dexterity, and muscle memory is very important. I use simple exercises at first. In turn with various other exercises, confidence will gradually develop. Learning to play chords (rhythm guitar), and transitions between them is vital, to almost every style of guitar. Rhythm and awareness of the tempo and meter (beat) is also important, especially if the student will play music with others. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I am a guitarist, bassist, singer-songwriter and composer from South Hadley, Massachusetts. Ive performed extensively throughout the Pioneer Valley and hold a bachelors degree in Songwriting American Song, as well as a minor in jazz studies. Original music of mine has been performed by the Holyoke Civic Symphony, The Groovy Truth Jazz Ensemble and presented at Historic Northamptons Fast Forward Film Series. I have extensive experience performing as a jazz guitarist, a solo folk artist, a pit orchestra bassist and everything in between. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar

I have found, especially for beginner and younger students (I.E. friends and family members I have taught), it is best to first see where they are in ability to play the instrument. From there, we work on correcting bad habits that develop from being self taught, things such as poor picking technique, finger placement, hand placement, minimal understanding of rhythm and basic theory concepts. Then we discuss what the student would like to learn, and after a solid foundation of basic concepts has been developed, I can create more personalized lessons from there! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar

A class once or twice a week is beneficial I believe for keeping up the continuity of practice. We will work on first the guitar as an instrument, basic chords, chord structures, some basic scales, and over time making chord changes happen as the minds memory/muscle memory for remembering chords grows! This is crucial for making the basic song happen. I encourage my students to find a handful of songs they really enjoy and may want to learn, so that we can learn them piece by peice. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Cello Bass Guitar

Through my time working with students I have found that it is very important to get to know them on a more personal level, i.e. music they like, their interests, their hobbies etc, and that way I can tailor my lesson plans to them as individuals and make them feel as comfotable as possible. I've learned a lot from my experiences in and out of the classroom, and I use my knowledge to the best of my ability in every lesson. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

Beginning students are taught to read bass clef and are given introductory exercises to familiarize them with the strings and fingerboard. From there, I begin to teach more advanced music theory to build off of the established foundation. Some of the books I use for theory study are the Real Books and Dover Music's Bach Keyboard Music for jazz and classical theory respectively. Additional materials for intermediate and advanced students include Oscar Stagnaro's Latin Bass Book, Jimmy Haslip's Melodic Bass Library, and the Charlie Parker Omnibook depending on the student's genre of interest. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Because I have gained so much in terms of amazing experiences from playing, writing, recording and performing music, I want to pass that passion on to those who are interested in learning music, and an instrument, themselves. I am very plan-oriented, knowing that students learn differently and progress at their own pace. In following the structure of a plan for learning, I build in some opportunities for students to experiment with what has been learned, in a way that other students have found to be fun, so that a deeper understanding of the fundamentals of the instrument, and musical structure, are gained by the student. Read More