(Bass) Guitar Lessons - How Much in Your Area?

$25-30 per half hour seems to be the going rate in the northeast Texas area.

 

I'm currently paying AUD$40/half hour (and quite happy with that) so around USD$28/half hour.

 

With Skype, there is no "your area." You can take lessons from around the world. My Skype lessons were $75 for 45 minutes. I take lessons locally for $65 an hour.

 

Have you ever used Skype? The instructor is right there on your screen. How can they be catering to several students at once? I've never had an instructor need to touch me, nor have I ever had a need to touch them. As for ergonomics, you may need to move the camera if the instructor needs to watch you play from a different angle, but it's not an insurmountable problem.

I find it odd that you think cooking may be a good application for Skype when smell and taste are so important to that skill.

You are, of course, entitled to your opinion, but I don't think the objections you mentioned are valid.

 

And you wouldn't notice if they were talking to someone else?

Good luck.

 

I've never seen or heard of a teacher using Skype to teach multiple students. That's not professional and it would hurt their business. This is a really bizarre aspect to bring up.

 

I only know a handful of non-professional teachers, that is, they have no license or training. Good players, nice guys, but not pros.

The going rate around here is about twenty dollars per half hour. Most seem to take 45 minute lessons once a week. Considering the price of living around here, that's insanely cheap (and one of the reasons it's not quite worth the hassle for me to do it). Of course it still pays better than your average minimum wage job.

No idea what the professionals or the music schools take, sorry.

 

You want to pay a little extra and get a "real" teacher... Trust me.

 

It ultimately depends on the teacher. In my experience an hour long lesson is the norm, and I personally don't teach anything less. Privately anyway, in schools I've got about half that. Generally I find orchestral players charged more than jazz musicians. Bass guitar players vary from peanuts per half hour to about $50 per hour (converting £ to $ here). I've also found that when it comes to bass guitar that very few people teaching it are really qualified to teach the instrument let alone music. I adjust my own rates each year due to inflation or whatever, it's part of my business and I have to treat it as such. As such I'm about $40 per hour.

The most I've paid for a lesson is $100 for an hour and those were with some big name people. Ultimately though I actually don't really have any issue paying a lot for regular lessons with a truly great teacher, it's an investment in your playing. Especially if you are/your goal is playing professionally.

 

It would depend on the instructor.

There is a local instructor who charges well over $100 /hr a decade ago for double bass, but he is the Jedi master when it comes to getting students into Juilliard and other top schools.

I wonder what GC charges?

 

At one point, I took lessons for years with a pretty well known, and well respected teacher and while I don't think it's appropriate to say what he charged at that time, I feel it was very reasonable, considering the level of instruction I was getting.

I was only taking 30 minute lessons, but the thing is that if you are getting good instruction, you don't need an hours worth. I could spend months working on material that he took maybe 15 minutes to explain.

 

I'm in Central Florida and mostly chain store price of about $25 per half hour. The problem is nobody has an actual "bass" teacher. They have guitar teachers that teach bass and this is what they say to me once I tell them I already know how to play. One store had an actual bass teacher. 45 minutes from my home and only there when I am at work.

Dave LaRue is just over an hour away and once again, only on Saturdays when I have to work. Not sure what he charges.

 

$50 to $60 per hour is about right here.