The Great Bass Teacher Hunt
The search for an instrument teacher can be time-consuming. I suppose if I was a beginning student it would be a lot easier. As a reasonably experienced guitarist who is learning to play bass, the challenge is finding a teacher who (1) doesn’t regard this as a strange move and (2) can deliver some guidance in the right direction.
Today I contacted a local teacher to set up an initial meeting. This is the third bass instructor to be “interviewed”. To speed things up I’ve declared my bass influences; one of the absolute requirements for any instructor is that he has to appreciate Tony Levin and Mick Karn. This is what I mean by “in the right direction”… I want a teacher who is willing to help me analyze and internalize the individual style of the musicians that I like.
Most fretless players / teachers get all hung up on Jaco Pastorius, and they assume that anyone with a fretless bass should swim those jazzy seas. I do recognize that he was a brilliant player, but honestly I’ve never heard anything by him that really moved me. Maybe it’s my world-music leanings. At any rate, I’m cautiously optimistic that I will begin lessons next week, and that is exciting.
Bass is very tasty and can be tough to catch. They hide by large submerged logs and wait for prey. I’m just not sure how you would play one.
Wow! Is that what a typical bass creature looks like? NO WONDER guitarists get all the chicks.