North West Bass Tutor - Are You Interested in Lessons in 2010?

[lowrentdiscographer]

This morning I booked my first lesson with Nick, for Monday afternoon of next week.

Seemed a thorougly nice chap on the 'phone and was only too happy to listen to me drivel on.

Very much looking forward to it!

S.

[lowrentdiscographer]

I've just got back (well actually I've had my tea inbetween times) from my fourth lesson with Nick.

Nick is an excellent teacher. He listens, he seems to understand my particular problems, and he deals with them very well. Even though we're only working through the early-stages gradebook at the moment, I can definately hear improvents in my playing as a result of his direction.

I'm not exactly a confident player, but one thing that has helped alot is that Nick has never pulled out all his chops in an attempt to impress ( although you can tell that he definately could ); He pushes you a little bit, but I've never felt intimidated. One of the reasons I've gone so long without lessons was through the fear of playing infont of an accomplished player, so in some respects I'm kicking myself now: That said, If I'd gotten a tutor 10 years ago it probably wouldn't have been Nick, and I would probably have been a lot less impressed!

If you read some of the earlier posts in the thread Nick explains his teaching and lesson planning. I can honestly say that [i]every[/i] lesson has brought me and my playing on.

Needless to say I've booked my next round of four with Nick, and would readily reccomend him to anyone.

Steve.

[KennysFord]

Nice playing Nick, !! oh,and a very cool guitard solo on 110th street.
If anyone out there is considering lessons with Nick have this thought in mind.
My last lesson with Nick was particularly challenging,well for me anyway.I left feeling a tad down and beating myself up about it.Anyway,the next day Nick very thoughtfully called [u]me[/u] to go over what we'd done and the reasons for it,totally lifting my spirits again.I doubt there's many other teachers out there that would care enough to go the extra mile like that.
Top guy that Nick Carey Bloke.

Edited October 4, 2008 by kennyrodg

[RayFW]

Hi Nick,
I've been considering lessons for some time now but as a self taught player (been playing on and off for 20 years) I'm a bit concerned that my bad habits will make lessons a very difficult experience for me and my tutor. Do you have any thoughts on teaching players like me?
Cheers,
Ray

[nickcarey]

Hi Ray,

Thanks for your enquiry. To be honest as long as the student has enough determination bad habits can be overcome.

It can be a bit frustrating at first where your technique is changed and you are in the 'transition period'. Although the changes make your technique easier in the long term it can initially feel like you are taking a step back. Many changes feel unnatural at first until they have had time to settle in.

Once you have got through this stage though you are laughing. Think of it like learning to drive, again. At first you have to think about a lot of things at once but eventually it all becomes automatic.

Hope this helps

Nick


[quote name='rayfw' post='300348' date='Oct 6 2008, 11:07 AM']Hi Nick,
I've been considering lessons for some time now but as a self taught player (been playing on and off for 20 years) I'm a bit concerned that my bad habits will make lessons a very difficult experience for me and my tutor. Do you have any thoughts on teaching players like me?
Cheers,
Ray[/quote]

[nickcarey]

Hi all,
To make life easier for my students I have recently included some free bass lesson tracks on my website.
I thought I might as well share these with you all on BassChat. They are for the Funk Fusion Book (see att). by Jon Liebman.

The book is great as it is well structured and is comprehensive as it covers scales, techniques and hand strength exercises, plus of course some great Funk licks.
[u]The only drawbacks are[/u]:
> Chapter 4 (Techniques) has no recorded tracks on the CD that comes with the book.
Fix: The tracks are on my website. If you need some support with these drop me a line.
> Chapter 4 & 5 go on a bit with tons of licks

Fix: I have produced a list of 'highlight' licks for both the chapters.
If you go ahead and buy the book, just drop me an email and I will send you the list.

If any of you feel you have reached a plateau in your playing and are tempted to raise your playing to the next level in the New Year I would seriously recommend the book.
Even if you are not an avid Funk fan the book is comprehensive and will improve your playing no matter what style you play.

More info is on my website at:
[url="http://www.bassguitarlesson.co.uk/how_to_play_bass_guitar_lessons_resources.html"]www.bassguitarlesson.co.uk[/url]

I hope you enjoy learning from the licks
All the best
Nick

Edited May 30, 2010 by nickcarey

[KennysFord]

Cheers Nick.
very generous of you as always.

[Spikeh]

Bump for Nick

He was recommended by MythSte a few months back on another forum we both use. My Blackpool based bass teacher disappeared and there are still massive holes in my bass playing so I wanted to keep it going!

Suffice to say... I won't look back now. He's got a laid back but professional approach to teaching, which is exactly what I need. He's leaps and bounds above the last teacher I had who, whilst being an extremely good bass player, tended to spend more time "showing off" than actually passing on knowledge, and didn't stick to a structure! I almost feel as if I'm starting again and I've wasted my money in the past!

I travel from Blackpool (about 40 mins drive) once a week for one hour lessons. Nick has a way of making the penny drop with everything we've covered so far... he hasn't struggled to answer any question (and convince me that he knows what he's talking about) whether it be theory or practical, and I get the impression I ask some difficult questions that we shouldn't be covering in the early grades!

For the first lesson he sat me down with a brew and asked me what I wanted - what I've got is a structured lesson taking me through the grades, that can quite often break off down other paths (because I want them to, not because we get distracted!). It feels like I'm in control of the lesson... but Nick directs it and stops it from going off course (as I blatantly don't know what I'm doing most of the time! ).

For example; I asked if we could go through a cover I was struggling with for one lesson (breaking away from the RGT grades we're going through). The next time I came he had three different versions of the song ready, all in different keys, all with tabs and sheet music available. We didn't just go through the notes and the key changes, we went through the whys and whats. He obviously plans every lesson and caters for every eventuality!

The travelling is a bit of a nightmare for me (especially after a Friday night out ;P), but it's certainly worth every mile and every last penny. In summary, I would, and have, recommended Nick to anyone... I've been a "competent" player for a while now, but I learn something new every single lesson, and everything he's taught me has come in handy in my band, song writing and recording studio. I hope to use him for a long time in the future and bleed him of every last bit of musical knowledge I can

[lowrentdiscographer]

Bumpetty Update Thing.

I've been 'using' Nick for about 6 months now, and I just thought I'd say a few words on the experience so far.

There's plenty on this thread already that tells you how highly rated Nick is by those who use him, so I'll just make the point that yes he is that good.

By far the biggest plus point for me was and still is his ability to not make me feel stupid/uncomfortable/rubbish.

Other than that he puts alot into his planning and prep, whilst remaining adaptable and flexible, but still ensuring progress is made.

He is genuinely interested in seeing you develop as a player and not just getting you through the grade books.

He's also really good from a 'coaching' point of view, helping you make the best of what you've got and working on what you haven't, rather than letting you get hung up about it. (From the start he pointed out that whilst I might be struggling with the theory on my own, I had a strong sense of rhythm, and feel, in my right hand (his words sic), which was some nice positive feedback to get early on.

Before starting with Nick I thought I'd always be a bit rubbish and was feeling a bit low about playing bass in general. Now I enjoy playing more, I'm more optimistic/confident, and I'm endeavouring to get more involved in playing with other musicians.

If you are considering lessons and are in his locality I would reccomend him in an instant. He's easily good enough to warrant the drive up from Manchester.

S.

[KennysFord]

Plus the 1 to all of the above.I felt i'd reached a "plateau" a while back,i was getting a bit frustrated if i'm honest. Thanks to Nick and some direction on the way to think about things i'm over it and finding more enjoyment in my playing than ever before.All good stuff.

[p£t£]

I'm a complete newbie, no idea how to hold a bass or plug it in.
Spent the last 15 years bashing things with sticks
but to be honest really always wanted to learn bass

I have to say I tried a few teachers in my area, but they were all guitarists who also teach Bass

I spoke to Nick and explained I wanted to learn BASS! not guitar on the bass
I must admit, I've been so impressed with Nick (had half a dozen lessons or so, so far),
he makes you feel comfortable, relaxed, has a teriffic purpose built studio, which really stops distractions! and has a great attitude towards even the dimmest of pupils.
Not only am I now playing the bass, but I also understand what I'm doing and why!
No longer does it sit in the corner and look pretty! it's now I tool I can use!

I do a 35 mile round trip to see him, and I can honestly say, I'd happily travel twice as far if he moved!


Cheers Nick

[Jon Liebman]

[quote name='nickcarey' post='325755' date='Nov 10 2008, 05:35 AM']Hi all,

To make life easier for my students I have recently included some free bass lesson tracks on my website.

I thought I might as well share these with you all on BassChat.

They are for the Funk Fusion Book (see att). by Jon Liebman.

The book is great for students who are not doing their grades as it is well structured and is comprehensive as it covers scales, techniques and hand strength exercises, plus of course some great Funk licks.

[u]The only drawbacks are[/u]:

> Chapter 4 (Techniques) has no recorded tracks on the CD that comes with the book.

Fix: The tracks on my website are ones I have recorded to make learning the parts much easier on your own.

> Chapter 4 & 5 go on a bit with tons of licks

Fix: I have produced a list of 'highlight' licks for both the chapters.
If you go ahead and buy the book, just drop me an email and I will send you the list.

If any of you feel you have reached a plateau in your playing and are tempted to raise your playing to the next level in the New Year I would seriously recommend the book.
Even if you are not an avid Funk fan the book is comprehensive and will improve your playing no matter what style you play.

You can buy it on Amazon at the moment for £11.20

More info is on my website at:

[url="http://www.nickcarey.co.uk/page10.htm"]http://www.nickcarey.co.uk/page10.htm[/url]

I hope you enjoy learning from the licks

All the best

Nick

[/quote]

Glad you like my books. Thanks, Nick!

Jon Liebman
www.JonLiebman.com

[nickcarey]

Thanks for getting in touch Jon.

Jon has mentioned you can now get his books cheaper from his own site:
www.JonLiebman.com. Plus several other cool products just for bass players!

Edited May 30, 2010 by nickcarey

[edstraker123]

Having been looking for a tutor for a while I came across Nick in this forum but wasn't sure whether the travelling from Sefton in Liverpool would prove to be a bit too much. I took my first lesson on Saturday and got to Nick's in about 30 minutes via the M58 / M6 (it probably would have taken me as long to get into Liverpool city centre). I was quite nervous having never taken lessons before and found Nick to be really friendly. Initially I felt really embarassed about every mistake I made (pretty much everything I played !) but Nick soon put me at ease.
Even after a single lesson I can see that having neglected the music theory side of learning has proven detrimental to my improvement as a bass player and whilst I know I have got a lot to learn and it is not going to be easy, I'm really looking forward to taking the journey and getting my playing to the level I want.

[Deep Thought]

Another recommendation for Nick-although I've not had any lessons from him (although if he lived down this way I think I would!), he's been an absolute star in helping me with a claim against DHL (grrr!) who dropped and damaged a cab I was buying from him. I'm sure your dealings with him will be as positive as mine.

[geilerbass]

Another recommendation from me! I just bought a Trace Elliot Compressor pedal from Nick. Payment went through on Thursday morning and it was in the post by the afternoon, arriving special delivery the next day.

The pedal was exactly as described and was safely packed in foam to prevent damage. He even supplied an 18v power supply!

Would definitely recommend trading with Nick.

Thanks,

Mark

[nickcarey]

After being PM'd by someone asking to explain the options around which sources are good for theory I thought it would be good to share my response with all fellow Bass Chat folks.

[color="#FF0000"][b]Which sources do you recommend for studying theory?[/b][/color]
[color="#0000FF"]
Mmm.…theory - tricky one really. I would recommend finding a good tutor your end to guide you through what can be a complicated subject if it's not explained properly. Books wise, the most formal route are the ABRSM grade books in theory. They are rather formal but you won't miss a trick.

ABRSM cover treble & bass clefs & alto. Would make sense to start at grade 1 and breeze through rather than starting at grade 3 and getting confused due to there be holes in places.

A word of warning you may be better off doing your performance grades with RGT THEN do theory afterwards for two reasons:

1) RGT bass performance grades include theory (This theory may be sufficient for you with the tutor chipping in extra bits)

2) The ABRSM Theory grades require serious ground work and are classically orientated

Hope this helps
Nick
[/color]

Edited December 21, 2009 by nickcarey

[niceguyhomer]

Hoping to get to this one Nick

[nickcarey]

Hi all,

Please note I've updated the initial thread with a new website link. This is still being developed and I look forward to adding more to it soon.

Also I have attached the RGT Bass Guitar booklet which gives you an overview of the grades and helps to plan lessons. It is well structured and gives students an idea of where their playing level may be at present.

If you have any questions feel free to ask.

Cheers
Nick

[grimbeaver]

I have played bass in various bands for the last 20 odd years and have been completely self taught, I have my own style and play mainly by ear and have coasted along using a small array of runs, tricks, and twangs of my own and copying other peoples bass lines.
I would hardly ever play my bass at home unless I had to pick out a new song and if I ever did have a practice at home would just play the same old lines and songs that I always played. I have had many compliments on my playing over the years and have always got by as a "bass player" in a whole host of cover bands and a couple of originals but I always knew I was not a good or talented player when comparing myself to other players, I just coasted.

I had tried a couple of teachers prior to Nick but never for more than 1 lesson and to be honest I went to Nick initially to get a few extra "tricks" to sound good and perhaps improve my playing a little.

After lesson 1 I was hooked. It's 6 months now and I have untangled my playing style and am in the process of changing how I play altogether. I have had some hard lessons and struggled to grasp certain issues but Nick has slowly and patiently worked with me and now the penny is dropping on theory. I have had some inspirational lessons that for me have opened up whole new areas of bass playing.

I am enjoying my bass playing more at the moment than at any other time in the last 20 years, my style and playing has improved so much its unbelievable to the point that people and band members comment on it regularly and I am playing in live situations well out of my old comfort zone and introducing new runs and licks of my own making. At the moment I could not go a night without picking up my bass and after 20 odd years thats something.

If you are considering bass lessons be it a complete beginner or someone with years of experience I could not recommend Nick more highly.


Rob Brooks.

[steve]

I've had a couple of lessons with Nick now, so I thought I'd add my comments. I started playing classical guitar at school, and then graduated to electric guitar before switching to bass around 15 years ago. Had a couple of breaks from playing but I've got around 25 years of playing in total. I'm self taught (except for the classical guitar lessons), with bits of theory and scales picked up from books and internet sites. My goals for the lessons were to sort out the various nuggets of theory I had into a cohesive, usable framework; improve my reading, and to take some grades with a view to ultimately teaching bass guitar myself.

Nicks lessons are friendly, relaxed and tailored to what I am aiming to achieve, I have left each one feeling inspired and motivated - even to practice scales. I've already had some 'penny-dropping' moments, both in the lessons and when I've been doing the subsequent practice, and I'm approaching playing with a renewed vigour and enthusiasm. I'd be happy to recommend Nick as a bass teacher.

[Mholland]

I would also like to add my reccomendation for Nick Carey as a Bass tutor, and his new website [url="http://www.bassguitarlesson.co.uk"]www.bassguitarlesson.co.uk[/url] Being self taught I thought i had reached a point where i couldnt get any better and was quite frustrated at not being able to some styles, riffs etc - and by that i mean i couldnt teach myself anything... what a wake up call.
Tried a few books, DVD's etc with little success - still couldnt do what i wanted to be able to do - so i had a plan find a proper bass tutor, not a guitar tutor or piano teacher that does [i]some bass[/i] too. Belive me a pure bass tutor is not easy to find who is able and qualified to teach at an advanced level - quite a gem.

Even if you "think" your good - there is soo much more to learn and to be gained..

My reasons why i think Nick Carey is quite a find for any bass player.

A very relaxed and proffesional enviroment and approach, very well structured - it is a bit of a shock to start at the early grades I think thats a pride thing to swallow, but well put in the sense of we'll fly through these.


No clock watching, if it runs over it does, always happy to answer any question regardless of time, free advise and absolutely no showing off or ego.


* A bass guitar teacher not a piano or other with limited knowledge.

* Ability to teach - this is a skill in itself - one Nick qualified in

* Flexible learning program

* Approachable

* Very well qualified - to an advanced level in both theory & practical

* Cost effective ( he's cheap for his qualifications )

* Realization of efforts by his students - remembers what you struggled with and notices the improvements

* Understanding of other instruments - teaches guitar too but not to the advanced level of Bass

* Teaching environment - bright, clean very comfortable and proffesional

* Polite and professional - you dont feel stupid and explains what you dont understand very clearly

* One to one tailored tuition.


He's a good bloke too!

[splat1969]

I've been playing bass for nearly 20 years now,and decided that I would like to achieve my grade 8.From lesson one I realized what a sloppy bass player I actually was! Nick is a very patient man who structures all his lessons around the student in a very interesting way ,and I always feel motivated to play and learn after I have sat with him.If any of you are thinking about lessons,no matter how good you are,(or in my case thought you were!) I couldn't recommend Nick highly enough.Nothing but a 10/10 for this man!!!!!!!!

[nickcarey]

Hi,

Here are some initial videos I've posted on YouTube. They give a demo of one of the improvisation pieces in the RGT bass grades.
Sorry for the basic audio quality. The camcorder I used doesn't have an external mic input. Feel free to post questions about each video via YouTube. E.g. Diatonic / Non Diatonic Arpegios played in each video, Key Signature, Techniques etc..

Cheers

Nick

[b]Preliminary[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhHizk7wzGI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhHizk7wzGI[/url]

[b]Grade 1[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwgdnlaPbCA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwgdnlaPbCA[/url]

[b]Grade2[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txhlbya_e0Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txhlbya_e0Y[/url]

[b]Grade 3[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFzcoQRQhM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFzcoQRQhM[/url]

[b]Grade 4[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_0-TKc0II"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_0-TKc0II[/url]

[b]Grade 5[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSBMSvKaNk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSBMSvKaNk[/url]

[b]Grade 6[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJRG8eiMI2g"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJRG8eiMI2g[/url]

Edited May 30, 2010 by nickcarey

[Mholland]

Great stuff Nick - why didnt my early stages sound like that ?

Watching your youtube video's and thinking about technique and position, your left hand elbow hardly moves away from your body even when playing right down at fret 1, position is really over looked by many players until cramp sets in, for the shorter arms should we move the bass so we can reach fret 1 without lifting our arm away or is short scale the answer?

raises an interesting question - which bass ?

We tend to choose ones because of sound, look, tone etc but do we choose them on "fit" ?


Mark.

[quote name='nickcarey' post='851698' date='May 30 2010, 11:08 AM']Hi,

Here are some initial videos I've posted on YouTube. They give a demo of one of the improvisation pieces in the RGT bass grades.
Sorry for the basic audio quality. The camcorder I used doesn't have an external mic input. Feel free to post questions about each video via YouTube. E.g. Diatonic / Non Diatonic Arpegios played in each video, Key Signature, Techniques etc..

Cheers

Nick

[b]Preliminary[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhHizk7wzGI"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fhHizk7wzGI[/url]

[b]Grade 1[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwgdnlaPbCA"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EwgdnlaPbCA[/url]

[b]Grade2[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txhlbya_e0Y"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=txhlbya_e0Y[/url]

[b]Grade 3[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFzcoQRQhM"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-tFzcoQRQhM[/url]

[b]Grade 4[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_0-TKc0II"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sI_0-TKc0II[/url]

[b]Grade 5[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSBMSvKaNk"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-nSBMSvKaNk[/url]

[b]Grade 6[/b]
[url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJRG8eiMI2g"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VJRG8eiMI2g[/url][/quote]