How I teach bass in Leith, Edinburgh

I’ve played bass for over twenty years, on stages and on records in the UK, Europe and North America. I’ve toured internationally with Sithu Aye, done years of session work across genres, and I play with Edinburgh’s Slow Karma. I read notation and charts, and I still take session and live work.

Which mostly matters for one reason: a lot of what we work on is something I did last week, rather than something I learned once and now repeat. If you want to hear the other half of the job, the recording and production work is at jackaud.io.

I think of our time together as sessions rather than lessons: time spent on your goals, your playing and your musicianship. I bring the experience, the plan and the feedback, and I’ll always be clear about what you’re working on and why. But it’s a conversation, not a lecture. You’ll have a say in where we go, and I may well learn as much from you as you do from me.

Every plan is bespoke, shaped by your goals, your learning style and your circumstances. Whether it’s jamming along to a favourite song or untangling a theory concept, my aim is for sessions to be a highlight of your week.

Technique matters, and we’ll look after the fundamentals: mechanical efficiency, posture and comfort, a realistic practice schedule, and active listening.

But the work reaches further, into performance psychology, self-expression, collaboration and composition. After all, great bass playing is great musicianship.

• Individual approach: every player is unique, and their learning should be too.
• Creative expression: a safe, encouraging space to experiment and find your voice.
• Understanding music: the aim is to learn music, not just the bass. Reading, harmony and theory arrive at the right time, so investing in the fundamentals now saves time later and opens up greater musicianship, expression and enjoyment. As a teacher of mine put it: “the only shortcut is the long way.”
• Enjoyment of music: progress should feel rewarding, and learning should be fun.

Most of your progress happens between sessions, so I make sure you’re never guessing what to work on. After each session I write up what we covered, This week’s objectives, and any worksheets or backing tracks that go with them. It all lands in your own member portal, alongside your bookings and the Shed, where your practice tools live, at no extra cost. Where we both feel it would help, we can record sessions too.

See how the Portal works, or try the Shed tools.