Teacher Info
I am a professional bass guitarist and double bassist based in Leeds. I frequently tour the UK and have also performed internationally in France, Germany, Holland, Belgium and Ireland.
I have been teaching bass and double bass privately since graduating from Leeds College of Music in 2014, working with a range of students to help them achieve their personal goals on their instrument. I have also worked as an assistant tutor on the Falmouth Jazz Summer School, and have experience leading workshops in schools and as part of summer camps in various ensembles.
I always try to relate what is covered in lessons to real-life performance situations and will aim to explain how lesson topics can be applied in a range of circumstances. I am happy to guide students through grade exams but also happy to focus on particular aspects a student may want to work on outside of these syllabuses.
I am most familiar with the Rockschool syllabus for electric bass and also an experienced double bass player. I specialise in jazz, in particular, the construction of bass lines and solos over chord changes. I am also comfortable teaching essential core fundamental skills such as technique, scale/fingerboard knowledge, harmonic knowledge, sight-reading, ear training, time-feel, recommended listening, practice tips and composition.
I am able to provide students with handouts and will be able to design and recommend exercises to students to help practice topics covered in lessons. I also have experience teaching students within an ensemble setting and would be comfortable leading a workshop/rehearsal for an ensemble.
Music Qualifications & Achievements:
- Rockschool Grade 8 Bass Guitar
- ABRSM Grade 5 Music Theory
- A-Level Music
- BA (Hons) Music (jazz) Leeds College of Music (2014)
Performance highlights:
- Bandleader, manager and composer for Leeds based jazz quintet ‘Wandering Monster.’ Recipients of the ‘Jazz North Introduces’ award 2016. Performances at Ronnie Scott’s, Manchester Jazz Festival, Liverpool International Jazz Festival, Band on the Wall amongst other numerous jazz festivals
- Member of ‘Mik Artistik’s Ego Trip.’ Performances at Glastonbury Festival
- Member of British bluegrass band ‘The Often Herd.’ Recipients of ‘Best European Band,’ La Roche Bluegrass Festival, France (2018.) International tours in Ireland, France, Germany, Holland and Belgium
- Member of ‘Voronoi.’ Performances at The Vortex (London) and Arctangent Festival
- TV performances Songs of Praise (2014) Don’t Tell The Bride (2014)
- Other notable performances: Leeds College of Music Big Band, Leeds College of Music Contemporary Jazz Orchestra, Leeds Town Hall, The Sage (Gateshead), The Victoria Hall (Manchester), The O2 Arena as part of C2C Festival, The Jazz Café (London)
Prices:
| 1/2 hour | £15.00 |
| 1 hour | £30.00 |
Location:
I teach my lessons from a teaching space located in Kirkstall, Leeds LS5 3JF, UK. My full teaching address will be provided upon your first lesson booking. I also offer mobile lessons (subject to my availability and your location). For more information about my mobile lessons simply get in touch.
Contact:
To book your first lesson with me, or to find out more about my music lessons, don’t hesitate to get in touch by emailing me on [email protected].
“Thank you so much for all the tips and advice over the week. My playing has improved tremendously and you’ve inspired me to work even harder in future and to continue playing the bass.”
“I had the pleasure of taking lessons with Sam as part of the Jazz Summer School at Falmouth University. Sam is a great teacher well as an incredible player and the short time I spent learning from him has been invaluable to my playing. He was able to demystify walking bass lines and helped me to understand exactly what I need to be practising. Using his advice over the last few months I have seen a massive improvement in my playing.”