where i could find someone to take lesssons from in the northeast pennsylvania region??

Hi, where exactly in NEPA are you? I take bass lessons at Galluci Music Studios in Scranton, PA. $15 for half-hour lesson. Just got a new teacher and I think he's great.

i live in hamlin, near moscow. like 20 mins from scranton. i bought the bass i got now from galluci's about seven months ago. where you at?

I live right in the city of Scranton. I know where Moscow is. I don't know if you'd be willing to drive 20 minutes for a half-hour lesson, but you will profit from that half-hour. I don't know what my teacher teaches other students, or what their level is, etc. but you will learn theory. I'm learning mostly Jazz method, but he knows I like classical, melodic stuff as well. And he's not about showy stuff.

Originally posted by erotomaniac
where i could find someone to take lesssons from in the northeast pennsylvania region??

check this site out, it's a instructor locator, it may be useful.

http://www.basslessons.com/teacherdb/datasearch.cfm

So Steph, it's working out well with the new teacher? I know you were a little apprehensive before you last guy left - who does the new one compare? :)

hope all is well,

Steve
www.steve-lawson.co.uk

once i get money and get myself a bass that works im gonna look into lessons. i wanna learn theory and all the basics b/c right now all i know is how to read tabs. theres noone around me that teaches that i know of, except my friend and i dont want him to do it b/c he is way too immature about everything. i dont need to know anything showy until i know what the stuff means (theory, chords, and all that fun stuff)


ohh and thanks tps for the link but there was noone in my area. anywhere i go is gonna be at least a 20 minute drive so i might as well go to someone worth the time and money

Originally posted by Steve Lawson
So Steph, it's working out well with the new teacher? I know you were a little apprehensive before you last guy left - who does the new one compare? :)

It's going very well. He's a jazz buff like my old teacher and keeps giving me all these chord charts to read. LOL. Also, big on site-reading right down to dynamics and what all the Italian words mean lol. The lessons are alot of fun. He makes fun of me cuz I always want to make my basslines melodic hehe. I tell him that's cuz of my leaning towards solo bass and the stuff I write. :) So he even gives me some melodic stuff to learn.

Steph,

sounds like you've had two good teachers in a row - I'm really pleased for you! :)

now when do we get to hear some MP3s? :)

Steve
www.steve-lawson.co.uk

Wow! A lot of people here seem to take 30 minute lessons. I don't know how you do it. I take 2 hour lessons, (which are essentially one hour per week, since I go every other week), and while that's a long time, and a little tiring, I just can't imagine doing a half hour. That's just when I start getting warmed up.

For all those that do do half hour lessons, how does that work out for you?

Originally posted by jazzbo
Wow! A lot of people here seem to take 30 minute lessons. I don't know how you do it. I take 2 hour lessons, (which are essentially one hour per week, since I go every other week), and while that's a long time, and a little tiring, I just can't imagine doing a half hour. That's just when I start getting warmed up.

For all those that do do half hour lessons, how does that work out for you?

Personally I can't stand it. I wish I could take 1 or 2 hour lessons, but 1. I don't have enough cash for it and 2. My teacher doesn't have room on his schedule for more than 30-min lessons. I take a long time to learn something, and I like to go at it real slow, but with only 30-mins, I always feel rushed.

Originally posted by BrettAM


Personally I can't stand it. I wish I could take 1 or 2 hour lessons, but 1. I don't have enough cash for it and 2. My teacher doesn't have room on his schedule for more than 30-min lessons. I take a long time to learn something, and I like to go at it real slow, but with only 30-mins, I always feel rushed.

Personally, I've never understood how you can really explore a topic in 30 minutes. I can understand you not having the money, but the teacher not accommodating it? That's not really fair. I don't like teachers that are that structured. My teacher is overly flexible though. I feel bad for the poor guy.

What about one hour lessons every other week, with a teacher that is willing to accommodate that? I bet you'd accomplish more in that scenario. The only con being that since you don't have the lesson every week, you have to remain disciplined and not procrastinate on practicing.

Originally posted by jazzbo


Personally, I've never understood how you can really explore a topic in 30 minutes. I can understand you not having the money, but the teacher not accommodating it? That's not really fair. I don't like teachers that are that structured. My teacher is overly flexible though. I feel bad for the poor guy.

What about one hour lessons every other week, with a teacher that is willing to accommodate that? I bet you'd accomplish more in that scenario. The only con being that since you don't have the lesson every week, you have to remain disciplined and not procrastinate on practicing.

When he's just teaching me a song, for example, we just finished "Birdland", it isn't much of a problem, we play it together, and he critiques my technique and gives me tips on certain pieces, and it really isn't much of a problem. But when we get into complex theory structures and how to apply them to my own compositions, or doing some jazz such as Mingus or Tony Williams it gets to be very difficult, as I don't have the time to explore the concepts and structure of the song.

I would like to do the one hour lessons every other week, procrastination wouldn't be a problem, I play bass more than I sleep. The thing is though, he's the only guitar/bass teacher in the area that is really of top shelf ability. So he works 6-days a week, and his whole schedule is full, so there isn't any time of the week that I can get in a full hour lesson, it is aggrivating, but it's something I have to deal with. He's the best teacher in the area, and the only one that does regular studio work, so he's a guy that I'm probably going to stick with.

Originally posted by jazzbo
Wow! A lot of people here seem to take 30 minute lessons. I don't know how you do it. I take 2 hour lessons, (which are essentially one hour per week, since I go every other week), and while that's a long time, and a little tiring, I just can't imagine doing a half hour. That's just when I start getting warmed up.

For all those that do do half hour lessons, how does that work out for you?

I agree a half hour is way short. My lesson always seem to go over the 30 minutes LOL. We lose track of time a lot. I've been given a couple hour lessons at no extra cost. Usually when the student after me cancells or whatever. It's nice. I wish I can take hour lessons every week. Would cost $30 tho.

As not to waste any time at the lesson I usually do warm-up exercises at home right before I leave. Then we can dive right into things. We get through a lot in the space of 30 minutes surprisingly....still it's never enough. :D I take advantage of the time I have with the teacher and make the most out of it. :)

Cheers,
Stephanie

PS: Hehe Steve...still working on some songs. Wish I had a computer (this darn WebTV!) to make MP3s but alas...Really hope to do some recording......

PPS: By the way, Erotomaniac, if you do decide to take lesson from Matt (that's the teacher's name), let me know! I'd love to hear how your lessons go and all.

I don't think I'd agree to teach someone for just half an hour - it takes a lot longer than that to get into anything in any depth, especially if you want to be able to actually have a conversation through the course of the lesson, rather than just rant!

I teach mainly for an hour at a time, or for two hours at less frequent intervals - quite a few of the guys here on TB in the south of England go for that option...

cheers

Steve
www.steve-lawson.co.uk

Having had both half-hour and hour long lessons, I agree that the hour-long ones are far more productive. With the half-hour ones, it always seemed like it was time to go right after I got there.

If I could take two-hour lessons with the guy I'm studying with now, I would. Without a doubt.

Since I found my current teacher, I don’t think I’ve had less than an hour of lesson time per week. I pay for a half an hour, but we always go longer. My first lesson with the guy, we went two hours plus. The time always flies.

I contrast that with my first “teacher” – the guy was a jackass. I’d be waiting a good half hour or more past my lesson start time, and he’d be constantly checking his watch. Without fail, he’d boot me out right in the middle of whatever we were talking about after 20-25 minutes. One good thing about it is that I got inspired to switch from guitar back to bass – I thank him profusely for that.

My new teacher kicks butt. Between him and the new band I find myself in, I think I’ll be okay.

How about lookking into U-Scranton or some of the other schools' music programs.

Moravian in Bethlehem has a great Jazz program, as does Lehigh. I'd hope you can find the equivalent up there.

I think that would be a better place to start off.

Less worry about ending up with some shred-head who's more worried about showing off his/her chops than teaching you anything about musicianship. PLus, you're bound to get more theory. Profs can also hook you up with someone trustworthy in the area for private lessons.

Good luck!!!

But i think im gonna talk to the guy that Stephanie goes to. Im not gonna be starting college until at least january, if not later and i wanna get some stuff under my belt before then.