Cyprusbass92 Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 Hi to everyone. I was wondering if anyone can tell me which are the best colleges-universities to study music to. I am considering going to London Center of Contemporary music, London College of Music(Basstech) or the Goldsmiths University. any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Master blaster Posted October 23, 2009 Share Posted October 23, 2009 ive been told that bass tech, drum tech and guitar tech arnt worth the tuition fee. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyprusbass92 Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Why is that? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyprusbass92 Posted October 23, 2009 Author Share Posted October 23, 2009 Can anyone say to me what is the best college in England to study bass to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyprusbass92 Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 Does anyone knows what is the best university in the uk to study bass to? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rayman Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 University of life. Find a band, and do hundreds of gigs, there's no better way of learning than that. Sorry if that's no good to you , I've had a few scoops tonight, but I still believe it's the only way to learn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urbanx Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 University of life +1 My suggested syllabus: 1) take your favourite album, 2) print off the tabs 3) take both of these, and you bass into a room, and lock it. 4) unlock it when you've learnt it. Repeat as required... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 (edited) Play hundreds of gigs with sh*t bands, good bands, great bands, fall in love, have fights, see as many live bands as possible, get wrecked, (if it's your thing), get pissed, be irresponsible, make the wrong choices, which at the time you think are right and try to find yourself. NO college course will make you a bassist, it may help but don't rely on it. Have a sound in your head and make that work in your chosen bands. [url="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Cyprus"]http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Music_of_Cyprus[/url] Lokks like you have a pretty cool scene over there. Edited October 24, 2009 by steve-soar Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 [quote name='urbanx' post='635561' date='Oct 24 2009, 08:09 PM']University of life +1 My suggested syllabus: 1) take your favourite album, 2) print off the tabs 3) take both of these, and you bass into a room, and lock it. 4) unlock it when you've learnt it. Repeat as required...[/quote] Sorry, can't say I agree with this at all. The OP wants to study music - so using tabs would be completely pointless. Surely using your ear would be more beneficial, and learning to read music. My tip: stay away from tab! I hear ACM in Guildford is good. A guitarist I know is studying there. The place where Dave Marks teaches bass (BassTech or BassX or something) is excellent too, I hear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iamthewalrus Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 If you're coming to the UK, ACM would probably be the best bet, but if you've got the money - Berklee.... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfunk Posted October 24, 2009 Share Posted October 24, 2009 I studied a HND in Popular Music Performance at City College Manchester. I loved the course and as well as teaching the theory and techniques needed to be a musician, it teaches other skills like website building, tour planning and music technology/recording. So I gained more skills than just how to play in a band, and being in an environment where you have other students and professional musicians to bounce ideas off and learn from is far more valuable than playing in a hundred sh1tty bands and venues (although this is valuable experience as a right of passage). I also chose Manchester as it has quite a vibrant music scene but isn't as large as London so it's easier to get to know people and make a name for yourself. So I would say decide what you want to gain from your studies. i.e do you want to purely improve yourself as a player and musician or do you want to gain more skills that you can transfer to whatever you decide to do with your life. And pick a city you want to live in and find the courses on offer. For instance in Manchester you have the more academic Salford Uni that runs a couple of good music courses or several colleges that offer Diplomas that are probably more vocation based. But I think the most important thing to remember is to not just become a bedroom player, but to get out there and be involved with music as much as you can. That way you'll gain the invaluable experience hundreds of gigs and sessions can give you, mixed with the extra knowledge of the industry and your instrument studying can give you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cyprusbass92 Posted October 24, 2009 Author Share Posted October 24, 2009 (edited) Thank you all very much for your replies. If anyone's got any other university-college suggestion please let me know. Edited October 24, 2009 by Cyprusbass92 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnmarley Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 Hey. Nice to meet you all. I'm a newbie to the forum. I don't know about the uni to study at...I went to LCM but they all have different good points. However...LCM has a great set of bass teachers. Zoltan Dekany is incredible and studied himself with Charlie Haden and Jeff Berlin. They also have Gary Jackson and Dave Kane who are both wicked. Although...I hear at Birmingham you get some lessons with Dave Holland and RAM have Steve Watts who is one of my favourites. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gnasher1993 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 [quote name='johnmarley' post='636628' date='Oct 26 2009, 12:25 AM']Hey. Nice to meet you all. I'm a newbie to the forum. I don't know about the uni to study at...I went to LCM but they all have different good points. However...LCM has a great set of bass teachers. Zoltan Dekany is incredible and studied himself with Charlie Haden and Jeff Berlin. They also have Gary Jackson and Dave Kane who are both wicked. Although...I hear at Birmingham you get some lessons with Dave Holland and RAM have Steve Watts who is one of my favourites.[/quote] I thought Zoltan had gone back down South now? Perhaps not... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shaun Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 [url="http://www.icmp.co.uk/courses/bass.aspx"]http://www.icmp.co.uk/courses/bass.aspx[/url] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AM1 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) I researched quite a few of the London schools a while back, when I was considering studying bass. Having looked through the course material from several, my conclusion was that there was nothing there that you couldn't teach yourself. In other words, a complete waste of money. While I'm on the subject, one phone call to one of these "educational" establishments, was enough to convince me that they didn't have one iota of professionalism. I could have afforded some leniency since the monkey on the phone clearly had no business skills of any description and could have instead contacted the head of the course - but the monolithic incompetence and "can't be bothered" attitude soon deterred me from giving these buffoons a penny. My research confirmed my suspicion that many of these "schools" mainly just take the cash and churn out brainwashed factory boys with no real musicality. Not too dissimilar to several tutors I've encountered, whom will teach you to play bass, but not to be a bass player. These are two very different propositions. The best musicians I know are self-taught or had a few pointers along the way but mainly took responsibility for their own learning. If there is music in you, it will come out. If you see practicing as fun and not a chore, then you're on the way. Paying someone for a course is mainly the domain of someone who needs "structure" and a timetable of learning and someone else pushing the responsibility for that learning. It is better not to be constrained by a framework, especially not one set by someone else's agenda. If you are the type of person that lacks motivation or direction for self-teaching and needs spoon feeding, these courses could get you on your way, but if you have vision and drive and know where you want to go, crack on and do it. Save your cash and teach yourself. There's never been a better time, or a bigger wealth of materials to do so. Or find someone who has a musical personality that you admire - but don't steal it, cultivate your own. I had a private offer of free lessons from a member of this board whose musicality and ethos, I respect and admire and that person is committed to helping me get where I want to go. Just get a few bass "mentors". You'll never look back. Edited October 26, 2009 by AM1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdgrsr400 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 (edited) You could go to a "proper" university taking a more general degree, i.e. not one of those "specialist" music schools, while also taking private lessons from one of the independent bass teachers who are listed on here at: [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=26"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showforum=26[/url] The benefits of this are: 1) you'd probably get a broader education and a more widely respected degree and 2) you could learn bass at your own pace (which could be much faster than what would happen at college). The drawbacks are you could have a high workload and would have to manage the financial costs of course. Edited October 26, 2009 by sdgrsr400 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bass-ic Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 I went to the LCM, it was absolute bo**ocks. Mind you that was back in the eighties when it was in Great Malborough st. matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimR Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 What are your music qualifications? In my opinion any full time course worth doing will expect you to have a prerequisite level of music before you start. [url="http://www.mdx.ac.uk/study/undergrad/courses/az.asp"]Middlesex University[/url]do a number of music courses including Jazz and Performance., but you need the equivalent of an A level in music to enter. There are other universities well known for their Arts courses too. You would have Bass as your first instrument and have to be able to play Piano to some standard too. Otherwise its the likes of what others have said above which do Saturday courses too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sdgrsr400 Posted October 26, 2009 Share Posted October 26, 2009 [quote name='Absolute-beginner' post='636938' date='Oct 26 2009, 02:40 PM']I went to the LCM, it was absolute bo**ocks. Mind you that was back in the eighties when it was in Great Malborough st. matt[/quote] I think the previous posters were using LCM as an abbreviation for Leeds College of Music rather than London College of Music (which is now part of Middx Uni IIRC) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Davemarks Posted October 27, 2009 Share Posted October 27, 2009 Hey guys - just to clarify, the college that I teach at is the ICMP in Kilburn. [url="http://www.icmp.co.uk/courses/bass.aspx"]http://www.icmp.co.uk/courses/bass.aspx[/url] It's a very fine school and I've yet to meet a bass student that went and didn't have good things to say about it. If you want to study and you're looking for a school, it's definitely worth checking out. I'm not even gonna engage in the debate about school of life and all that stuff. If you study and you gig at the same time, you get the best of both words. I know a couple of very fine self taught players. I also know tons who are god-awful - study is a good plan - if not at a college, then perhaps with a private tutor. Best of luck with it, d Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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