Stu Hamm

Tactician · #1 08-12-2007, 02:45 AM

Just spent the whole week with Stu Hamm on his course for the IGF in Bath in the UK. We all expected to turn up and have someone teach us all kinds of semi advanced stuff during the week - and then Stu would breeze in for an afternoon for a couple of hours and drop some pearls of wisdom on us. Nope, we were wrong!

We got all his time from Sunday morning through to the next Friday - and he even played along with us for the Friday Night Showcase Student Concert - and we got to see him in concert that week - and we got a few close up shows of his famous peices - and he was a thoroughly nice guy with a passion for teaching and sharing what he's learnt over the years. And we got to try the prototype Urge Bass - the famous one with the red sparkle and brass guard - he payed it all week.

What an awesome experience. We got Stu to ourselves beween 6 of us!!!! And a personal one to one lesson. This guy is just brilliant - if you get a chance to go to one of his masterclasses or clinics; take it!

We're all still shell shocked from 6 days coaching with a 'Legend'!

JimmyM · #2 08-12-2007, 05:04 PM

Nice! I never met him, but Stu seems like a great guy to ahng out with.

lowerclef · #3 08-12-2007, 06:28 PM

He is very nice - met him at a Berklee clinic he did in the early 90s when Kings of Sleep came out. Totally laid back, cool guy!

Tactician · #4 08-13-2007, 02:17 AM

Stu is a very good example of why the game-show talent contests trivialise what's needed to be great at music - you need to work at it in every department. Stu was constantly urging us to practice more, learn our scales, modes, arpeggios, chords - all the basics, everyday. By day three we were starting the day with group exercises on finger stretching/warming exercises, double octave major / minor scales, two octave arpeggios of major, minor, 7th, minor 7th, major 7ths. We all took the medicine and learnt the lesson (me more than most - it's a bugger when you lose your way halfway through these exercises).

Unlike the game shows route to fame, Stu showed us the secure way to be a great musician - work, focus, basics, application, innovation, composition and talent. So you can't do this in 8 weeks!

Baryonyx · #5 08-13-2007, 05:34 AM

Stu is an absolute class act. I've been a massive fan of his for years, he is without a doubt the musician whos influence has resulted in me being where I am today as a player!

It is fair to say that he is very down to earth, always downplaying his amazing skills! I mean, he really knows his stuff and it shows! It's great that you got to try out Mel too, last I heard he was looking through his basses trying to find a suitable full time replacement as Mel was giving up the ghost after 11 years of full time use!

Tactician · #6 08-14-2007, 02:03 AM

Well it was Mel being used in this workshop. As Stu says, it's getting pretty beaten up nowadays - the truss rod is beginning to come through the back of the neck, but the rest of it works fine. Very well used, but cool. He was telling us that he has 25 basses so plenty to chose from. He seems to mainly use a 4 but he also has some 5 Urges as well - as used on the Satriani recordings with G3. Those who played Mel said that it was soooo easy to play - low action, nice neck etc. Stu uses Boomers 45-105. Hardy ever uses effects - flat EQ, bit of top when needed to cut through and Hartke amps - he had a 3500 and 4x10 + 1x15 for this session. Says this gets his sound easily and many other well known amps don't. He's a solid state enthusiast.