Private Bass Guitar tutoring lessons Somerville, MA.

I earned MM in Jazz Performance, Bass Guitar Major, in 1993, and play/teach lessons for Bass Guitar since that time. My prospective students will receive rigorous training in both Bass Guitar performance and musicianship focused on the specifics of the subject of study. The level that we would begin lessons with will depend on the student's abilities and potentials. We will strive to create professional and friendly working atmosphere, and will begin lessons with careful assessment of the student's performing abilities; we will also set our goals, based on both individual expectations of students and on professional experience of the instructor. My teaching philosophy lies on three aspects; on patience with people; on love for the subject of teaching/study; and on rigorous training, offered to people, for their benefit and general musical development.

Bass Guitar:
Also called Electric Bass puts down the foundation in the band or orchestra. Besides learning notes, chords, finger exercise and theory the student will also learn how to play with a pick or their fingers and incorporate plucking, slapping, popping, and strumming techniques.

I meet you where you are at as a student and go from there. I like to teach methodically, building on new skills each lesson as building blocks towards bigger goals. I assign brief, targeted technical exercises as a venue to work on foundational technical skills, and incorporate these skills as much as possible into musical application. The ultimate goal is to play music and have fun, so technical practice will always be in service of playing the music you want to play. We will look at theory concepts when relevant. I will also incorporate my perspectives on tone, style, ensemble skills, practice skills, and real-world gigging.

I tailor lesson plans based on your musical background, if any, and your goals. I think of lessons as collaborative, working together to figure out what works best for you. I studied academically, and I also grew up playing in punk bands in basements, so I can offer advice and exercises from multiple perspectives. I use both approaches to music fluidly in ...

I custom build a lesson plan for each individual student's needs and goals.

I have been playing bass guitar consistently for over four year now and have spent a great deal of time refining my technique and working on what I believe makes a bassist both a strong individual musician and member of any rhythm section. While playing bass in my university’s jazz program as well as freelancing in bands during my undergrad, I worked to develop a strong rhythmic and harmonic foundation which I will use to guide our lessons, as these are important for any bassist whether they are playing alone in their bedroom or on a stage with a band! I have experience playing a wide variety of styles, ranging from jazz and bluegrass to rock, pop, and country.

Regardless of the style, my lessons typically focus on reinforcing a strong technical foundation and productive practice routine including, but not limited to, scales and arpeggios, rhythmic training, ear-training and theory, and reading (sheet music, tabs, and chord charts). I am prepared to work with my students on any bass ...

David enjoys teaching students from all different backgrounds and levels of proficiency. Whether you are just starting out or a virtuoso shredder in the making, he is happy to teach you! Over all, he is fairly laid back, as long as you practice. He usually combines work with reading off of the treble clef (what he likens to "eating your vegetables." You may not want to do it, but it will make you a healthier musician!) with learning more popular songs (or songs the student says they would like to learn) through tablature and chord charts, depending on the style of the song.

David is also very pro music theory. He usually incorporates music theory into the curriculum in conjunction with the material already being discussed. He is also very knowledgeable about composition/songwriting, and if the student is interested in learning more about this area, he is happy to share what he knows!