For beginners one half-hour lesson weekly is recommended although more advanced players may benefit by longer.
Students can choose the style of music that they would prefer to concentrate on, whether it be a jazz, swing, popular or classical - all of these genres of music are equally and enthusiastically catered for.
After acquiring a basic technique, students can learn to play in ‘real’ time with the use of a unique and extensive library of play-along music. These original recordings are unavailable anywhere else and their value in assisting with rapid progress in all aspects of playing cannot be over emphasised. The system allows tempos to be slowed down and parts to be simplified in order to to make things easier for beginners and improving players' to build up skill and technique at their own pace.
For swing and jazz there is a large section of quality play-along arrangements of standards by Cole Porter, George Gershwin, Harold Arlen, Jerome Kern etc, all written especially for this teaching practice, with the student in mind. Plus specially adapted arrangements of big-band swing numbers by Count Basie, Woody Herman and others.
Other tracks include a wide variety of music from well known and easy to play pop tunes by The Beatles, Carpenters, Abba and some more recent groups. Also jazz-rock tracks of numbers by many 60’s, 70’s and 80’s groups such as Weather Report, Spyro Gyra etc.
All of these backing tracks are available on CD if required.
Jazz improvisation is a speciality and interested students are encouraged to develop this area of their playing from the outset, whether they be complete novices or more advanced.
Lessons are designed to suit your individual skill level and ability, with advice on practise routines, how to analyse chord progressions, using technique etc.
On the classical side there are play-along accompaniment tracks of pieces on the various Associated Board lists up to Grade 8.
For the more advanced student there are recorded accompaniments for works such as Mozart’s Clarinet Concerto, Sonatas by Saint-Saens, Poulenc, Brahms, compositions by Bach, Handel, Finzi and many others.
Email or phone Geoff Bowles 01242 236482 for further information.
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