What to Expect For Beginners

What to Expect For non-Beginners
The first lesson is free of charge.  In the first lesson, I will spend some of the time learning about the student and what their other interests may be.  The first lesson is also a chance for the student and/or parent to see how I teach. In the early beginnings of taking lessons with me, we will work a lot on how to play and take care of the bass.  We will work on how to interact with the instrument and the bow in the most natural way.  From there we will always start with the bow, learning how to make an awesome sound.  Once we have a good grasp on making good sound with the bow, we will work on the left hand.  We will learn tunes by ear and by reading music.
The first lesson is free of charge.  In the first lesson, I will spend some of the time learning about the student, and what goals they may have for the bass, and other interests.  We will work a lot on bowing exercises, scales and arpeggios, left hand exercises, shifting exercises, and etudes to develop the physical act of playing the instrument.  We will also clap rhythms, sing scales and arpeggios, sing pieces of music, and dance to develop musicality.  We will listen to recordings of orchestras, soloists, chamber groups, jazz bands, jazz combos, bluegrass groups, rock bands, funk bands, and more to explore what differing genres of music offer, and to develop our musical ears.  I also encourage my students to explore various ways of taking care of their body to better their experience of playing the bass.  I also want my students to read a lot of books that may relate to playing the bass so that they can explore ideas outside of the ones that I 

Rates

I prefer to teach hour long lessons, but I can also teach half-hour or 1.5 hour long lessons if that is a better option.  Please email me for the lesson fee.

Instrument?

One of the best, if not the best, instrument shop in the United States is right here in Albuquerque!
Robertson and Sons has many excellent choices of double-basses.  If you are looking at purchasing a bass, please contact me first so that we can make sure it's the best instrument for the student.

Bow?

There are two typical types of bass bows: French (overhand) and German (underhand).  One is not better than the other, and I can teach both, so it is up to what the student would like to play. Robertson and Sons also has an excellent selection of bass bows.

References