Many times I've been asked general questions on setting up a lesson with me via Skype regardless of where you live. Online learning is convenient and no commuting ( even if you live in the Nashville area. ( I do schedule at limited times in person if you are within driving distance to Nashville. ) Contact me thru the contact form here on my website. I can also be reached by email: stevebryant71bass@gmail.com. I accept payment via PayPal. use my email address to make your deposit: stevebryant71bass@gmail.com My fee is $ 83.00 for a 70 min lesson. Payment must be made prior to our scheduled less ..read more

Greetings from Nashville! Electric Bass guitar continues to evolve despite being a relatively new instrument. One of the early pioneers, Monk Montgomery, played electric bass on a 1953 Art Farmer session. By the '60's, bass guitar was an undeniable force in in all genres of music and a major contributor to the development of countless recordings in Pop, Rock, R&B, and Country. The bass guitar enjoys a prominence in music that remains to this day and in the foreseeable future. Today's bassist encounters challenges that brings fresh opportunities as well in improving as our bass playing and ..read more

There's nothing like personalized instruction regardless of where you live. I've taught hundreds of students over the decades looking for better work by upgrading their skills. So much has changed in our world over the last few months, with more people working at home and possibly making a permanent change in their work environment and eschewing the commute to the office and new ways of communicating remotely. I've taught students via Skype and Facetime for over 15 years on all continents and they learned well to get better gigs, recording jobs and expanded playing opportunities. A focused 20 ..read more

Imagine a world where you are making more money than you have spent on gear, various and sundry music related expenses etc. in a calendar year! That year when you show a profit on schedule C of your income tax return. There are various interpretations of the word ''professional'' depending on who you are talking to and their point of view. For the purpose of of this discussion, I am defining a pro bassist as one who makes a living primarily as a musician. One can play on a pro level, have a pro work ethic and business sense, pro level gear, pro level attitude and still not make (or choose) a f ..read more

As I was asked to recall from sessions past details from by my cadre of bass students, other musicians, or fans of the artist I am tracking with.. I decided to blog about the craft of bass playing in the Studio. I've done this generically at times, and on my facebook page as well ( https://www.facebook.com/Stevebryantbassguitar/) Here, I'm diving into specifics and discussing technical, musical, and social aspect of bass playing in the studio... Artist: Gretchen Wilson Song tracked: '' All Jacked Up' Studio Location: The Rukkus Room in the Berry Hill area of Nashville... '' All Jacked Up'' was ..read more

Living the Dream! Well, That's what I told myself as a young bassist making my first foray into getting paid for playing bass on a recording that would be released commercially and available to the public, heard on radio, t.v. etc.. However, there was much I did not know, and much I learned on the job.... sometimes in very hectic circumstances that pointed out to me very rapidly what I was doing wrong. In my private teaching, I mention to my students who wish to become session musicians that great maxim of business philosophy.. '' If you can't demonstrate either with ability or reputation, you ..read more

The subject of what to practice on bass is overwhelming in the number of posts and videos available on the internet. At times the content offers so little! On occasion I have ” deprogrammed” new students who had accepted ( because they didn’t know better) unworkable methods that were not grounded in music content. The electric bass enjoys a unique position as it determines the '' shape'' of the song harmonically as well as directing the energy of the music. Learning music informs your art of playing at minimum and enables you to be competitive to ” earn in the real world”. Why do we accept tha ..read more

One of the greatest rewards for me as a serious music content ONLY educator is the wonderful messages I receive from current and former students of how they are doing in the REAL WORLD of gigging, recording work, live shows, etc.. This simply stands as to the truth of better musicianship through the work of the student as well as the proof of the progress they have made in lessons with me. In my years ( since 1979) teaching many hundreds of bass students all over the country and worldwide, a great truth emerged.. ALL improved by studying music facts and the principals of solid musicianship.. T ..read more

As a bass teacher in Nashville, I've observed that bass playing is a ''Contact Sport'' when it comes to learning well. I'm not a very knowledgeable guy regarding sports. My friends will testify to that, as they have to remind me who the football, basketball , Hockey teams are, as well as their star players and coaches:-) With that limitation firmly in hand, (along with a bit of tongue in cheek-) I want to lay out what bass playing and sports have in common: A consistent reviewing of the facts and fundamentals. I seriously love the stories behind major sports figures. and that includes what the ..read more

It is no secret that many of us become frustrated with our practice time and the lack of results in our goal to be better players.  Boredom sets in and we soon find ourselves aimlessly noodling, wondering how do we improve as a bass musician. In my years of private instruction in my home studio and worldwide online, i’ve identified the stumbling blocks that have encumbered many to the point of distraction and disappointment. Believe me that a great majority of bassists that I’ve taught have in common that most deadly of maladies…not practicing musical facts! Practicing music content provi ..read more