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

[nickcarey]

Hi Mark,

I think the lack of movement is partially due to the bass being sat towards my right leg as I was sitting down.

You could try:
> moving your bass to the right of your body so the 1st fret is not so much of a stretch,
> adjusting your strap so your bass is at the same height sat down and standing up,
> A bass with a thin neck such as a Jazz or Ibanez SR series bass
> Try applying minimal pressure on notes to avoid muscle fatigue

I think your point about 'the right' bass is relevant. I think the best suggestion is to try as many as possible before buying one rather than going on specs. alone.

I hope one of the above work.
Cheers
Nick


[quote name='Mholland' post='854160' date='Jun 1 2010, 09:27 PM']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]

Edited June 3, 2010 by nickcarey

[musiclover2010]

I love playing on my classic guitar.

[nickcarey]

Please note lesson availability update on page 1 at the top.
Cheers, Nick

[MythSte]

Oh! Does that mean Phil got in touch with you Nick?

[nickcarey]

Hi Ste,
Yes, he did. Thanks very much for recommending me to him.
Cheers
Nick

[quote name='MythSte' post='964862' date='Sep 22 2010, 08:09 PM']Oh! Does that mean Phil got in touch with you Nick? [/quote]

[Random Toxy]

My first post on Basschat, and it has to be to recommend Nick as a bass tutor.

I've recently had my second lesson with Nick, and it was of the same high standard as the first. I live near Skipton and travelling to see Nick is a bit of a hike, so between lessons I tried another tutor in easier reach of me; to say the experience was dire would be an understatement, and I'll save you the gory details - suffice to say that being a good player does not make a good teacher. In conclusion, the two hours spent driving is a small cost to pay for Nick's brilliant tuition.

Nick has an understated approach which is deceptive, because his quiet enthusiasm is infectious. Suddenly I found myself thinking "I can do this!" He is very personable, very approachable, has the patience of a saint, and a great way of putting you at ease. As a complete beginner I have never felt that what I was attempting was beyond me, as Nick's pace is spot on. However, that is not to say you are in for an easy ride, because he did persuasively push me to try more difficult and unfamiliar things to stretch me - exactly what I need to improve. Between lessons I am using various "teach yourself" materials, which are fine so far, but I do tend to stick with the familiar and only reluctantly try something new or harder, so Nick making me try harder things (e.g. 60bpm still seems impossibly fast!) and challenge me is exactly what I benefit from, however uncomfortable is feels at the time.

Nick has a great eye for detail, picking up on small things which make all the difference. His technical knowledge of music and bass playing for me is beyond question. For my second lesson I brought my own bass (I didn't own one for the first), and Nick immediately offered to check it over for me, recommending some adjustments to the truss rod and bridge to get the strings closer to the frets, which he then quickly did. He then test played it which was a pleasure to hear (unfortunately it now means I can't blame my bass for any weird noises or duff notes because he proved it can sound great). For saying he only made a couple of subtle adjustments with an allen key, it made a huge improvement to the feel of the strings and sound, and now seems easier to play.

His studio is pleasant and well equipped, and I like the way Nick uses a mixture of traditional and modern teaching methods. He seamlessly blends state of the art technology with good old fashioned practice and technique; the combination of which gives me a real feeling of making progress - learning, putting that knowledge into practice, and then getting results. Another thing I like about Nick is that he is always ready when you arrive, as others have written in this thread. He doesn't start by saying "er, remind what we did last time" because he does remember, and will have prepared something to work on.

I am in my late 40s, and rather than eloping with the secretary or getting a flash red sports car, buying a bass is my mid-life crisis. It is the first musical instrument I have tried to learn apart from a primary school recorder, and I am sure that with Nick's help the bass will last much longer than a quick ride (!), get me into less trouble, cost less, and be something I can continue to enjoy for many years to come. He has also given me some confidence that I might actually become reasonably competent in the long run.

It goes almost without saying, I have no hesitation at all in recommending Nick as a bass tutor.

[soupdragonDan]

I'd been playing bass for about 15 years when I first went to Nick for some lessons. I wish I had gone to him sooner, the lessons are well structured and tailored for the individuals needs in a relaxed and friendly atmosphere and in three months my playing has improved exponentially.

I would recommend Nick to anybody who wants to improve their playing regardless of their ability.

[kiwikiley]

Hi everyone

I've always wanted to play bass guitar but have never ever got around to it..... until about 3 months ago I went out and purchased a Bass, i didn't want it to just sit in the corner of my conservatory and gather dust so i decided to search the internet for Bass tuition in my area, thats where i found Nick, i emailed him and left my number, i rang me back the next day and arranged a taster lesson, from the very first time I spoke to Nick i felt at ease ( although on the day of my first lesson i was extremely nervous!!!) Nick soon cured my nervousness with his laid back friendly attitude.
i've been having lessons for 3 months now and am extremely happy with my progress, Thanks to Nicks patience and brilliant teaching, he's always encouraging and helpful if i'm struggling with something, which makes it so easy to relax and concentrate on improving without worrying about someone losing paitience and making you feel like you're not improving fast enough.
If theres anyone out there like me who has always wanted to learn bass, forget sitting in front of a computer trying to teach yoursef.... book yourself some lesssons with Nick and learn from a great teacher who'll show you how to play bass properly.

on a final note... Cheers Nick you've been brilliant.