Having Trouble Fnding a Quality Instructor

[Dano59]

Here I am in a quest to get up to speed playing bass and a newbe to the instument.
I was going to get a few leasons to get me going in the right direction from the bass player at church but it's been 6 weeks and he just can't get together with me when I am available to get me started,
I have played other instruments and have started to work my way around the fretboard but I need some direction and answers to a lot of questions. Finding an instructor in my area is hard so I am going to try this out and see what the TBers think.
I live in Central Illinois, Charleston to be exact and only home on weekends most of the time.
I am not looking for a weekly apt but I would rather get together for a longer than normal session get my questions answered, get some direction, recomendations and go hit it hard until I have more questions or at the next step.
I hope I am making sence or if this is a "stupid" way of going at it, tell me.
I have the gear, I have the drive and desire, I just need someone that can get me going in the right direction, answer questions and be part of my journey.
Thanks
Dano

[Andrew Jones]

In this day and age correspondence lessons can be done VIA web cam.


Just throwing it out there.



Aj

[Dano59]

Originally Posted by Andrew Jones

In this day and age correspondence lessons can be done VIA web cam.


Just throwing it out there.



Aj

I could do that, any recomended teachers that teach via web cam? I am not set up for web cam from my end but that would be easy to fix.

[debassr]

It would help if you told us where you are located.

[Dano59]

Originally Posted by debassr

It would help if you told us where you are located.

It was in my original post

Charleston IL.

[debassr]

Originally Posted by Dano59

It was in my original post

Charleston IL.

My bad, sorry - I looked at your profile and didn't see it.

[Dano59]

Oh yes my profile I should up date that as well you are right.

Thanks

[Pacman]

Cliff Engle is one choice.

[Jayhawk]

Funny enough, I grew up in Charleston, IL so I can understand why you're having some issues finding a quality instructor. That said, I do think there are a few options you could look into if you're looking for someone local to work with.

The first thing I would do, if you haven't already, is to check with Z's Music on the square and see if they either have in-house instruction and/or if they let independent instructors advertise.

If that doesn't work for you there is always Eastern. Even though it's a small college, I'm sure they have some decent students in their music department looking to supplement their incomes.

Finally, you could either check with members of your church or members of other churches that have a bass player to see if anyone knows anyone that gives lessons.

Hope this helps and good luck with your search. I've just started taking lessons the last couple of months myself after trying to self-instruct for a couple of years and I can attest to the benefit of a quality instructor.

[Dano59]

Originally Posted by Pacman

Cliff Engle is one choice.

He has a cool site, have you used his services?

Looks like he custom builds the program to each student...

[Pacman]

I'm a student of Cliff's. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that nobody is going to give you more information for less money than Cliff. Correspondence lessons are unique in that you'll get out of them what you put in - and it's up to you - but Cliff's got his stuff together, for sure.

[chicagodoubler]

Face to face trumps digital 10 times over. A good teacher can fix problems in an hour it would take a bad teacher a year to create... In my own teaching, there's things that can be shown in person that you just never could get over a computer. No offense to guys who have had success with online lessons, but I personally feel they are supplemental at best.

Come up to Chicago and get a lesson with a real life working professional it just might change your playing forever.

Acceleratedmusiceducation.com has a chunk of my bio, and coming soon, free online lessons to get people going in the right direction.

There's tons of other guys in town, and the standard of education and performance is on par with anything you will find in NYC or LA... my 2 cents.


Good luck!

[Dano59]

Originally Posted by Pacman

I'm a student of Cliff's. I'm going to go out on a limb and say that nobody is going to give you more information for less money than Cliff. Correspondence lessons are unique in that you'll get out of them what you put in - and it's up to you - but Cliff's got his stuff together, for sure.

I just signed up for a set of 5 from Cliff. We will see how it goes. He said he would have my plan put together in a couple days.

Thanks

[Dano59]

Well I just got my first lesson pack from Clif Engel and I will tell you this right up from, There is so much info here I am actually feeling a bit overwhelmed.
Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining but I honestly don't know if my old worn out brain can assimilate this much information at one time. I know it's two weeks worth of stuff and I have just looked at and listened to the hour and a half audio file with Cliff explaining everything he sent and how to use it, but the sweat is beading up on my forehead.
I know that once I start getting into the lesson it will all smooth out for me and he is making sure I have the basics down to build on and man there are a lot of basics. I can see where this will be a true education rather than a situation where the teacher shows you a few patterns to make you happy and you haven't really learned anything other than the pattern itself.
This is not the "easy way" but I can see where this is the right way and the most intense, true musical education of my life and that when I am a few months into all this I will actually know something and have something to work with.
Scary but cool.

[sedgdog]

You won't be dissapointed. I took lessons from Cliff for over a year and he does a great job. Take advantage of all he offers - chats, critiques, etc.