Bass Lessons in Newton, MA

Instruments: Guitar Drums Bass Guitar

I strongly believe that everyone is very different.  Learning styles and musical goals are very much a part of this.  Some find reading from a book helps them, so for most students I begin by recommending "A Modern Method For Guitar" from the Berklee Press, however for others a book is not as helpful as listening to some music and watching someone play.  I like to introduce as much theory as is desired from the student because theory is a very important part of the musical process, but if the student prefers to get playing first and understand the “why” later then we can work something out in that regard.  Depending on musical interest, we can work with different genre's and pieces to promote specific techniques and practice routines. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar Double Bass

I have been teaching privately for 40 years. My approach is to find out and pinpoint the students goals which we work on together to find out what they are. Many of my bass students have gone on to start their own bands or been hired by working bands and have their own careers. The goal is to learn and keep it interesting having fun while we are working together motivating the student to practice and get better. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass

I've been playing professionally for over 18 years and have had the pleasure of being able to tour the country playing music. I've also had the opportunity to travel toEgypt, Iraq, Kuwait, Curacao, Canada, Mexico and Cuba to perform. I've lived and been able to immerse myself in two fantastic music cities, New Orleans and Memphis, both of which have had a profound influence on my playing. I like playing many different styles of music and have been in bands that played rock, jazz, funk, blues, soul, reggae, pop, country, and americana. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Recorder Keyboard Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I started playing bass at 11, playing in rock bands with friends. We gained a lot of experience performing in those days. I extended to guitar shortly after bass and began practicing other styles and improvising. Around age 16 I started getting into jazz and that is when I started to get serious about music. I went to salem state university and studied jazz and classical guitar as well as piano and ukulele. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For humor, creativity, and fun are a big part of how I teach. At the same time I am serious about being disciplined in regular practice. I try to find out what my students are passionate about and use that as motivation. One thing I do compared to my past teachers is use technology. Frankly this technology did not exist when I was young! I often "sample" musical phrases and have them play on a loop. Read More

Instruments: Piano Saxophone Flute Clarinet Bass Guitar Keyboard

For beginning and intermediate students, I like to assign short pieces from method books such as Student Instrumental Course and Rubank. For more advanced students, I will help them explore their particular interests, introduce them to traditional repertoire, and for jazz/rock/pop students, aid them in the process of transcribing the music they love, which benefits their vocabulary as well as their ears. In developing a complete musician, I want to offer support for my students' other musical activities, as well as provide them with resources that they might not have elsewhere. Read More