leftybassman392

I cod have sworn I saw Alex Salmon eating there recently, complete with kipper tie and ray-bans. Me thought, "minnows who that is: it's that Scottish Salmon chap. Looks a bit pike-y in that getup." The band was good though: it was Walter Trout.

[quote name='lonestar' timestamp='1427222777' post='2727547'] Is this the part where you storm over to the door, open it realise it's a cupboard close it and then flounce out of the other one ? [/quote] Could be. Certainly a possible scenario. What I actually had in mind was a spring-loaded hydraulic piston (I'm sure they have a name but I can't remember what it is) over the top of the door that prevents - in fact is designed specifically to prevent - the door closing too quickly, thus rendering any attempt to slam it completely futile. Come to think of it, I should probably have factored in some kicking noises associated with the failed slamming attempts.

Much as we would like it otherwise, people just like to gawp at a car crash. Visual news media reporting in recent years has hoodwinked us into thinking it's ok to do so, and that it's also ok to chirp about it when we're told we can't. I'm with the mods on this one - it's none of anybody's business but the team and the individual involved.

[quote name='icastle' timestamp='1427208990' post='2727197'] Hang about - isn't this the cheesy quip thread? [/quote] We've moved on. Still on a culinary theme though; nothing fishy officer.

Well at least I didn't carp on about it.

[quote name='Big_Stu' timestamp='1427207267' post='2727148'] I just assumed from the way he couldn't spell "vigour". [/quote] If they banned people for Iffie Inglish this place would be all but deserted!

[quote name='skankdelvar' timestamp='1427168036' post='2726691'] don't worry about pecking orders; they don't exist. [/quote] What!!! You mean all these years I've been...? Right! That's It! I'm off! And don't try to tempt me back! If anybody wants me I'll be in my trailer not taking any calls! *Flouncity flouncity flounce* ([i]noises of stomping, harrumphing, tutting, etc. followed by brief pause[/i])... I'm going out for a short walk now. I may be some time... ([i]sound of failed attempt to slam a non-slam door followed by continued but rapidly receding sounds of stomping feet and further harrumphing, tutting, etc.[/i])

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1427136494' post='2726291'] I've tried, but Rick Banana doesn't seem to work. [/quote] I'll have to tell you then: It's Rick Parfait of course! (Actually now that I think of it I should probably have said he's really cool as well. And not actually all that fruity. Sorry about that. Apart from that it was quite funny... sort of... maybe... Did I ever mention that we don't really do desserts in our house these days? No? I think I possibly should have... probably... )

[quote name='ezbass' timestamp='1427123822' post='2726031'] Is that Rick O'Shea? [/quote] Indeed it is. Did you get the first one as well?

Come to think of it, I know another one as well. Used to be a soldier; I think he used to be a sniper but wasn't very good at it. Of Irish descent I believe...

I know a Rick as well. Not a bass though. Not an instrument at all really (though some may beg to differ in a workmanlike kind of way). More of a person. A guitarist actually - and a very fruity one too. Some would say quite tasty in fact.

[quote name='Bronner' timestamp='1427062779' post='2725408'] But hopefully you realize that the real point is that he suggested that Lennon has a greater right than others to criticize a brand (in his case Jesus). Whereas, I say people have an equal right to criticize. [/quote] I used to have one of those. Not one of 'those' you understand; mine was the full sized version (345 - that one is a 325). Bought in 1973 for £95 - they weren't that highly thought of at the time. Sold in 1990 for £1000. Dread to think what it might be worth now (made in 1964). I can turn this into a much longer story if anybody wants me to...

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1426945480' post='2723783'] The person i went to had something like a 98.8% pass rate. He is a classical guitar player, and a very good one. I have no idea what he was like as a bassist. I assume most guitar players did pass. No idea what the pass rate is for bass players. I seemed to be his only one at the current time. That is the problem i have with RGT. Fine if you want to go down that road, but if that is the only way you can teach, then you are limited, in my opinion as a teacher. [b]Anyone can teach through a book[/b].On the other side of the coin, he was a really nice person [/quote] (My emphasis) Actually I'm not so sure about that one either as it happens! But I digress... Trying to remain even-handed (and notwithstanding all that's been discussed up to now), there aren't really any hard & fast rules about teaching what we might call 'popular' music styles and techniques. In classical tuition the rules and requirements are generally set in stone so that anybody going to learn, say, clarinet will normally have a pretty good idea what to expect. Everybody here seems to agree that just being a good player isn't enough by itself, but beyond that there are different approaches that can be made to work. Yes a good tutor is likely to be adaptable and organised, but IME tutors can differ markedly in their approach and in their particular strengths & weaknesses. Just because a particular student can't get on with a particular tutor, it doesn't necessarily follow that either is at fault; and even then, it isn't automatically the tutor who is at fault. I won't bore people with sordid details of my teaching nightmares, but I suspect all experienced tutors can relate tales of 'students' they wish had never walked into their studio.

[quote name='oldslapper' timestamp='1426932439' post='2723535']If an RGT tutor who advertises Grade 8 lessons, openly admits that they can't prepare a student to grade 2 then they should be reported to RGT, it is a breach of membership. [/quote] Is it? I'd certainly agree that the RGT wouldn't want somebody like that as a member and would look to remove him from their list if this could be established beyond reasonable doubt, but my recollection of RGT membership is that it has procedures in place to prevent someone like this gaining membership in the first place - which would render such rules unnecessary. Once a tutor is a member, getting rid of them is quite difficult IIRC. (To be fair, I resigned my membership when I retired from teaching about 5 years ago so my information isn't up to date.) It's a very picky little technical point that doesn't affect the main topic at all, but all the same...

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1426856917' post='2722770'] I understand the point of qualifications. They are good for youngsters, plus it is can be good for older people who like to test themselves. My point really, is that it seems a easy way too teach people, without being able to teach. If student says that they are not interested in grading, and ask what you want out of it, then tailor the lesson to suit, then they are not good in my opinion. I am not interested in playing the bass without understanding how or why I just played something. A bit like taking up a language, being able to talk it, but not understanding what it means sort of thing. £30 is a good price if you come away learning something valuable every lesson [/quote] As I said, people want lessons for a variety of reasons. Most tutors will guide younger students towards grades more or less automatically for a whole bunch of very good reasons. With adults the situation tends to be a lot more fluid (for example it could turn out that the student doesn't really know what to do for the best, or worse still want something that is not really going to help them progress). One of the hallmarks of a skillful tutor is adaptability; another is the ability to give students sound, clear advice (even if that advice is not to give up the day job - which I've had to do once or twice) rather than imposing the tutor's preferred way of doing things on them. 'My way or the Highway' is a sure sign of an inflexible tutor, and in the absence of a compelling reason not to, my advice would be to walk away. The OP's situation is a very good case in point.

[quote name='timmo' timestamp='1426847724' post='2722573'] Do qualifications make a lot of difference? [/quote] To a student or a tutor? Students take lessons for any of a whole bunch of reasons, and although grade study is open for anybody who wants to do it, the consesus as I understand it is that they are of most use to youngsters who may be looking at a career in the business - higher grades count towards 'A' level point scores. Tutors don't actually need to be qualified or accredited in any way, and it's quite possible to find a very good one with no letters after his/her name whatsoever (and a bad one with a whole string of 'em ). At heart, effective teaching is as much a mindset as anything else. In general, a qualified and/or accredited tutor will have had training that covers issues such as identifying student needs, organising study sequences, and so on. Although it's not a given, a qualified tutor has a better chance of being good at the job than an unqualified one. Sadly, it's a profession still populated by rather too many cowboys, charlatans and well-meaning but incompetent teachers for my personal taste. Better qualified personnel can only serve to drive up standards. £30 an hour is pretty standard these days in many parts of the country, meaning that an hour a week for a year or so is going to be costing around £1500 (the price of a very good instrument). I believe it's not too much to ask for a tutor to be able to properly justify that kind of fee from his customers.

With all due respect to one or two of the above posters, there's a really important point that's in danger of being missed here. Teaching is a very specific skillset, which is different from playing. Whoever the student and whatever the situation, an effective teacher is much more likely to have a high degree of competence in both of the required elements. A great player who can't actually teach will generally look to display their genius to students in the hope that some of it will rub off. If the student needs a different approach (as most students will at some point), then everybody's time and energy (as well as the student's money) is being wasted. There is certainly a place for inspirational playing, but if the tutor can't offer help and guidance in the day-to-day practicalities of playing the instrument when needed - which means stepping down to the student's level rather than forever asking them to come up to yours - then they are doing their students a disservice. Over the years I've encountered lots and lots of great players - much better than I ever was - who should never have been allowed within a mile of students. If you want to be inspired by a great player, go and watch them in their natural habitat - a stage. To be effective as a teacher over a period of years one needs additional skills. Trust me, most students will get a lot more bang for their buck by engaging someone who can actually teach as well as play - hence my earlier comment about teaching accreditation or qualifications. Not sour grapes (I enjoyed my work and was good at it), just an appeal to end the culture of players doing a bit of 'teaching on the side' with a kind of 'how hard can it be?' approach. It's your money folks. [/rant]

I earned a fairly decent living as a guitar/bass tutor for nearly 15 years, and if I'd adopted the approach you describe I doubt I'd have lasted 15 minutes. Whoever he is, he needs to take a serious look at how he approaches the art of teaching the instrument. There's so much wrong with that kind of 'watch me then do it like I do it' approach that I hardly know where to begin. And what the hell is this 'So I can see what you don't know' twaddle? Honestly! People like that give the guitar tuition business a bad name - it's 2015 fer crissakes, not 1970. Oooohhh! My advice - my considered professional advice - is to tell him you're going elsewhere (and if he asks why then feel free to tell him - politely of course). Or if you don't feel able to do that then just walk away anyway. Put it down to experience and try somewhere else. Plenty of good tutors on this forum who will talk you through it before you commit to any lessons. The only thing I would say is to try to be as clear as you can up front about your playing situation and what you're hoping for from a set of lessons. A first lesson should indeed aim to clarify where your playing is ATM, but not this 'let's see what you don't know' rubbish. It's also true that sometimes tutors and students just can't see eye to eye on the way forward (and a lot will depend on how much practice you're prepared to do - oh, and be realistic about targets; sometimes things can take a long time, especially if the tutor has to try to unravel bad habits), but a tutor who can see your needs and know how to help you progress will be worth their weight in gold. Don't despair - try again. Hope it goes well for you. Edit to Add: I think it helped that I had previously been a schoolteacher for around 12 or 13 years before seeing the light. Not strictly necessary, but if your tutor has some kind of teaching qualification or accreditation such as RGT membership then so much the better.

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1426709068' post='2721210'] Ian Shawcross has just retired, I think. Not seen him gigging lately [/quote] He would have to be 70 or so by now. @Modman, he's a trumpet player. He's been a staple of the local music scene since I was a teenager - I actually worked for a while in his record library on Victoria Road. Long time ago; long, long time ago.

[quote name='Modman' timestamp='1426613732' post='2719872'] I am south east side in Deal and yes the maverick works well, lots of tonal options and we do 80s/90s funk and soul, not your usual motown stuff [/quote] Small world! I grew up in Deal (a long time ago mind - High Street was actually a road in those days! ) and quite a lot of my family still live in the area. Don't know if Jazz is your thing at all, but I'm quite keen to know if Ian Shawcross is still around... Oh, and welcome to the Pleasuredome.

It's on Wikipedia as well: [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andy_Fraser"]http://en.wikipedia....iki/Andy_Fraser[/url] Free were the first major league band I saw play live. I still have fond memories of that gig. Lees Cliffe Hall in Folkestone if memory serves (could have been Dreamland Ballroom). A sad day indeed.