The Journey of a bassist under my tuition (Part 2)

BassCiao maestro,



Set list: Cast Adrift - Steve Hackett (postponed); Starless - King Crimson; To be
over - Yes; Prairie Angel - Steve Hackett; Owner of a lonely heart - Yes; The Fish -
Yes/the late great Chris Squire.

Guest list: Andy, Chris, Holly and the
animal chorus. Jo & Shirley had gone out to
the Indigo fusion restaurant.
 
Wine list: Enville Ale, Fruit Shoots.

~ 

The journal begins. My fingertips, on both hands, are so sore after two hours of
almost incessant practice, rehearsal and "performance". The tunings needed repeated
amendments, largely to Chris's six string leads. Even though we were essentially
performing to camera (Holly was doing her own viola stuff and Facebooking in the
front room, not in the "studio"), I ended up learning, leading and accompanying
Chris on "To be over".

Chris is NOT a teacher. He likes to play anything at random and rehearse his own
stuff too. Yours truly has to bring him into line, position him to face the
potential audience at home and get him to stop riffing wildly so that I can follow,
accompany or, at least, get the timing right. When dealing with a tetchy yet
accomplished younger sibling (of only 53 & a half), from the position of a far less
proficient performer, the gloves could have been off. However the MUSIC was always
the maestro!

Despite this being a performance, Chris and I complimented one another during the
"To be over" piece so that I was actually learning it then playing it "for the
record". His tablet memory is now full but I hope that both producer brother Chris
and engineer Holly (12 & a quarter) can transfer all the takes to their PC then
AirDrop them to me by email. If so, I'll send them over to you after some pretty
necessary editing.

Actually, I'm quite happy with the first results before any editing. My confidence
got quite a boost, lastly, from the improvisation section from "The Fish
(Schindleria praematurus)" by Yes [Fragile 1971] on which the lead loop of the
six-string guitar lays the foundation for the bass to improvise in E. Thanks to my
mentor and teacher's unfaltering patience and motivation, I took confidence from my
learning so as to then incorporate the minor notes I'd practiced into my ramshackle
attempts e.g. E minor, B flat minor etc, in order to add variation and colour to the
piece (probably outshone by the ceiling light reflecting off my Gianni
Infantino/Telly Savalas/Yul Brynner coiffure)!!

One final aspect of the event/experiment was the refreshing reconnection which Chris
and I felt about performing, in future (on or off camera), the wealth of material
that we still mutually appreciate from our adolescent years...and well beyond! 

As an experiment, we now know that we need more than thirty minutes rehearsal time!
As a performance musically, it was pretty heartwarming. We'll arrange another "gig"
before they all head off to Mexico for the Easter holidays. Caramba! 

Have a top night, maestro!

For part 1 click here

Learning Bass (Part 1)

Bass

AS approached me for bass lessons and has recently tried the electric guitar.  Recently he has passed his grade and felt ready to share his playing.

I have intended to learn the bass guitar since I was a teenager but never

had the patience nor self-discipline to begin in any realistic sense. In

July 2014 I walked into an independent retail outlet and bought an amp,

lead and a crimson & black bass guitar, making a commitment to myself to

then finding a guitar teacher.

Read more

Autism Don’t Panic

Autism Don’t Panic

Biography4

In March 2011 a student by the name of Christopher Hampton  founder of ‘Autism Don’t Panic’, performed a piece of music to the class that he had practiced on his own ready to be recorded with his partner.

The recording involves Chris and his friend playing together as the rest of class contributed.

I’m extremely proud of Chris for his hard work learning to play the Guitar in the short time he has studied it.  He is already considering his next musical project

Biography6

Achieving guitar with hearing loss

Achieving guitar with hearing loss

With hearing difficulties learning an instrument can have implications.   But with time and practice mastering chords can done.  My student proves it.

Gav’s course has helped him immensely because learners sit round a table so eye contact is level. I’ve noticed that Simon has looked across to other learners whilst enjoying strumming his chords which shows he is developing his communication skills for bonding, communicating, and socialising, this is still quite new to him in this particular surrounding on the guitar course. Perhaps possibilities were otherwise limited in other situations outside of taught sessions.  Basic social skills have been learned in other voluntary gatherings which Simon enjoys, such as Deaf Club.

In a familiar social setting that he is becoming more comfortable with, he has achieved chord construction, achieving a one finger variation of ‘C’ and ‘G’ chord,  with this he will get better at remembering the three finger version of ‘D’.

He will now start to learn bass in 2016.

SImon Screen shot_Snapseed

Learning Bass pic1_Snapseed

Simon bass picking_Snapseed

Thursday, 10 December 2015

Learning A Musical Instrument As A Child

The benefits of learning an instrument are considerable, boosting brain power, self esteem and concentration. What’s more, making music can be a fun, rewarding and lifelong pastime. You never know,

Source: Learning A Musical Instrument As A Child

Ready for the guitar test?

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Source: RGT Guitar Exams| Electric guitar grade exams, rock guitar grade exams and performance awards, acoustic guitar exams, bass guitar exams, classical guitar exams, popular music theory exams, electric guitar diploma exams, jazz guitar diploma exams and guitar teaching diplomas

Guitar Exams

The main page of Registry of Guitar Tutors Guitar Exams including electric guitar, acoustic, guitar, bass guitar, classical guitar, rock guitar and jazz guitar examinations.

Source: RGT Guitar Exams| Electric guitar grade exams, rock guitar grade exams and performance awards, acoustic guitar exams, bass guitar exams, classical guitar exams, popular music theory exams, electric guitar diploma exams, jazz guitar diploma exams and guitar teaching diplomas