Bass Lessons in Concord, CA

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I developed a very good relative pitch. Luckily, my old teacher had taught me how to read music. While in college I fell under the spell of flamenco music and studied briefly with a blind Spanish guitarist in Manhattan. I performed in rock and pop groups throughout college. When I moved to California I studied with Jon Harris, a classical guitarist who had studied under Segovia. I began to compose my own music and to continue a grueling practice schedule. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Patient, judgement free, creative and adaptive. It takes time to adjust your body to a new instrument, and there will be freedom in the way you learn, and play. We will take creative approaches, and I will adapt to the style you want to take on as far as genre's and interest. For some of my more advanced students I might want to begin teaching songwriting approaches, song structure, and transitions as well. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar

When it comes to teaching, I find the most important thing is that we work towards the goal of what the student wants to learn - in the case of their preferred styles/genres of music, and the songs that they really enjoy. Every student has their own individual skill level and pace that can be developed and worked around. First, I would find out the level of skill and musical interests of the student, then I would create a lesson plan utilizing all of the tools at my disposal - both from my personal experience and from other educational sources, such as: Piano lesson books, Blues books, Rock books, Classical guitar/piano books, theory books, and tablature books, or music from popular bands. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Electric Guitar

Most of my curriculum will be based around what you'd like to do. For example, if you'd like to get into the start of great electric bass playing, we can cover Larry Graham, James Jamerson, Chuck Rainey, and all the intricacies of the lines that they made. And if you'd like to learn how to keep up with 16th note double bass at 280bpm or higher, I can show you that too! Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

I prefer tailoring my teaching approach to suit the individual's interests. When I initially began taking lessons, my primary focus was on learning how to play Death Metal. However, my instructors were unable or uninterested in guiding me through that genre. Unfortunately, this led me to discontinue formal lessons for a while. It was only years later, through my own musical experiences, that I started recognizing the close relationships between different genres. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My teaching style is completely focused on making music fun. I believe every person has innate ability to learn the fundamentals of an instrument, so working through the initial anxiety of learning a new skill is necessary. By letting the student set the pace and offering an array of modalities to tackle students' goals, we will create an environment in which the pure joy of music can shine. Each lesson will include warm-ups, goal-setting, and free expression, with a specific curriculum (either out of a book or customized) guiding us always. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Conga Latin Percussion

He has also studied voice with Jane Sharp and piano with Ellen Wasserman.  Jake has been teaching music since 2001. He was Music Program Director at Mission Hills Middle School, in Union City, for 3 years. He was also the guitar and percussion teacher at St. Paul’s Episcopal School in Oakland. Jake has also been a music instructor with COVA, Art and Soul Music Studios, Hayward Music Center and ALMA. Over the years he has performed with musicians such as Josh Jones, Michael Aaberg, Dayna Stephens, Ambrose Akinmusere, Jonathan Finlayson, Geoff Brennan, and Ray Brown. Read More