Teaches online
Teaches all skill levels
Age: 8+
Speaks English
Teaching since 2013
Jazz Studies, BM
About Alec S.
5.0
(3)
I'm a professional jazz bassist, freelancing in and around the New York City area for the past 4 years. Since graduating from SUNY Purchase, my bass has taken me from West Village basement clubs to the Hong Kong International Jazz Festival and everywhere in between!
My teaching style reflects my own history, which has a strong classical foundation to support excellent technique. The bass is a difficult instrument to get around on, and we don't want to be inhibited by that when we're trying to be musical and creative in any given situation.
For students who want to excel in jazz, we focus on:
- getting a good, full sound
- generating strong time and a relaxed feel
- constructing thoughtful bass lines
- improvisation in soloing and accompaniment
- learning repertoire, and learning HOW to learn repertoire (possibly my favorite)
I'm happy to teach students of all ages and skill levels, exploring the many genres the bass supports. Over the years I've performed/recorded in classical, jazz, rock, fusion, pop, musical theater, country, bluegrass, folk and indie contexts, so whatever you want to play I'm sure I can help!
Instructor details
Location:
Student's Home
Teaches Online
Teaching Hours
Monday
8 AM-5 PM
Tuesday
8 AM-5 PM
Wednesday
8 AM-5 PM
Thursday
8 AM-5 PM
Friday
8 AM-5 PM
Saturday
11 AM-5 PM
Sunday
8 AM-5 PM
Times are shown in your local timezone (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Pricing
30 minutes
$47
45 minutes
$62
60 minutes
$82
ReviewsWrite a review
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5.0
3 Reviews
Shirley
Online
I haven't played bass seriously in years, but have found myself with much more free time during quarantine, and began taking bass lessons with Alec. Lately, we've been focusing more on bass guitar, my first love! Alec is a phenomenal teacher (and musician!!!), and he's helped me so much to get my bass-guitar game back in shape. So glad I found him as a teacher :)))))
Posted Jul 20, 2020
Elijah
Student's home
Alec has been teaching my 14-year-old son upright bass for two years now. Not only has Alec been extremely professional, reliable, and accommodating as a teacher, he has transformed my son's playing from a virtual beginner to a well-rounded bassist who can hold his own in any rhythm section. Alec's style of teaching is accessible and precise --he has helped my son master the basics of technique while also inspiring him to build his musicality and love for his craft. I cannot stress enough how grateful I am to Alec for helping my son grow as a musician and as a person.
Posted Jul 20, 2020
Sunny
Student's home
Alec has been helping my 11-year-old son with upright bass for almost a year now. We started out in home and switched to online during the pandemic period. Alec is a great teacher: patient, cheerful, organized, punctual, polite, flexible and able to connect with my son. My son is not always the most focused child, but Alec keeps him on task and, as a result, my son has been steadily improving. Alec was also instrumental in helping my son prepare for NYSSMA and the Westchester County orchestra, both of which are rather competitive forums.
Posted Jul 8, 2020
Experience
Freelance Musican
Jan, 2015 - PresentSelf-Employed
I perform all over for various groups in a dynamic range of settings. Most calls I receive are for my services as a jazz musician - which is a broad category anyway - but I am occasionally called to work on projects outside of the genre.
Education
Jazz Studies, BM
Sep, 2011 - Dec, 2014SUNY Purchase College
Languages
English
Native Proficiency
Alec's Gallery
Instructor details
Location:
Student's Home
Teaches Online
Teaching Hours
Monday
8 AM-5 PM
Tuesday
8 AM-5 PM
Wednesday
8 AM-5 PM
Thursday
8 AM-5 PM
Friday
8 AM-5 PM
Saturday
11 AM-5 PM
Sunday
8 AM-5 PM
Times are shown in your local timezone (UTC-08:00) Pacific Time (US & Canada)
Pricing
30 minutes
$47
45 minutes
$62
60 minutes
$82
Private Lessons
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