Bass Lessons in Newtonville, MA

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

My name is Dennis, Ive played the guitar since I was 8 and I have a degree in Music Performance (Classical Finger-Style Guitar) from Middlesex Community College, and I am studying Music Ed. @ UMASS Boston. I have studied for years with world renowned classical composers and instructors, performed across New England, and taught a diverse group of students over the years. The guitar is my life! The Blues, Bluegrass, and Metal are my personal favorite genres to play. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Bass Guitar Euphonium Tuba

As a guitar teacher, I like to start with getting the student accustomed with each string, including how to tune a guitar and how to play different notes on each string. Next, I start teaching chords by starting with E minor and then moving as little as possible with the fingers so the student can understand the relation between certain chords. For voice, I start with posture and breath support and work on vocal techniques before we even start with singing songs. 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 Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

The most important thing for me as a teacher is that my students continue to grow their love for music. Learning how to play an instrument is a very challenging and often frustrating experience. It's a lifelong process that requires lots of patience. When I first started taking guitar and bass lessons, I had no idea how much joy these instruments would bring to my life more than ten years later. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Drums Bass Guitar French Horn

Usually involves forcing student to use a metronome, teaching the student to slow down when a piece is too difficulta tempo,and making sure the student is addressing problem areas of a piece rather than starting at the beginning every time. Last 10 min.: Improvisation. This covers a broad range of subject matter. It might involve me playing something like chords while the student improvises. This is a chance for me to try and hear the student's natural musical voice. Read More

Instruments: Bass Guitar

My personal pedagogy is a combination of the basic technical and theoretical aspects of the instrument and what music the student is interested in. It is paramount that students of all levels are learning their instrument through performing their favorite music. All necessary technical exercises can be adapted to a specific genre of music. My lessons are structured around an appropriate, often small, amount of music theory. We can then play some of the student's favorite music that incorporates that lesson. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Ukulele Mandolin Double Bass

I tailor my teaching method on a student to student basis. For beginners, I find what bands and music they are interested in and then pick some songs that will be easy for them to get started on quickly. I also try to incorporate basic music reading and notation, especially with younger students. For more advanced students, I assess where they are at and make sure that all fundamentals and techniques are strong, and then come up with a plan to help them progress. Read More