Questions before you start

What happens after I get in touch?

I’ll reply within a couple of days to arrange your introductory session. It’s thirty minutes and costs £20, which you can pay when we book it, or afterwards by invoice and bank transfer.

If we’re getting on well, the half hour often runs on to a full hour and becomes your first proper session, and plenty of people book a block of ten from there. After your first session you’ll get an invitation to the Portal.

I’ve never played anything. Is that all right?

Yes. Plenty of people I work with started from their first note. We’ll set a clear plan together in the first session, and I’ll lead the way through it: what to practise, in what order, and why.

I’ve been playing for years. Is this for me?

Very much so. I really enjoy working with experienced bassists, whether you’re gigging, recording, coming back after time away, or simply after a coach’s ear. We’ll start from where your playing is now and work on whatever will move it forward.

Do I need to read music?

No. We’ll use whatever gets you playing, whether that’s TAB, notation, chord charts or your ears. Reading comes in when it’s useful to you, and plenty of people find they enjoy it.

Do I need my own bass?

Not to start. The studio has house basses you can play in your sessions, so you can find out what suits you before buying one. They stay at the studio, so they aren’t available to take home. If you’re thinking of buying, bring it up in your first session and we’ll talk it through.

What should I bring?

Your bass if you have one, and any music you’d like to learn. Leads, amps, headphones, stands and a metronome are all here. A notebook is optional, since your notes arrive in the Portal after each session.

What is the Portal?

Your own private space on this site. After each session I write up what we covered and This week’s objectives, and attach any worksheets or backing tracks. Your bookings are there too, along with the Shed: practice tools from a diary and tempo tracker to a drone, and a shelf of backing tracks. It’s included with your sessions. See how the Portal works.

How do the blocks of ten hours work?

Ten hours for £360 (a £40 saving), diarised up front and valid for four months. The Portal shows how much time you have left, what’s booked, and when the block ends.

What if I need to cancel or move a session?

Confirmed sessions can move by mutual agreement at any time. With 48 hours’ notice there’s no charge; with less notice the fee is usually forfeited, though I use discretion when life happens. You can ask to move a session straight from the Portal.

Do you teach young people?

Yes, of all ages. With younger bassists, listening to and enjoying music can matter as much as understanding it or playing it, especially to begin with.

Learning to appreciate music, learning how to learn a skill, and getting into the cycle of input, discipline, output and fun can be more important at first than the bass itself.

Will I hear how sessions are going?

For anyone under 16, a parent or guardian can get a copy of every email the Portal sends: notes, reminders and booking changes. It’s up to you whether you’d like them.

Can parents stay during sessions?

You’re very welcome to. The studio is comfortable, and there’s a café upstairs if you’d rather catch up on some work. Or you can simply listen in.

Where is the studio, and how do I get in?

Sessions are at Lost Oscillation, 125 Great Junction Street, Leith, Edinburgh EH6 5JB. There’s always someone working in the café or the rehearsal rooms to let you into the building, and I’ll meet you inside.

Is the building accessible?

Yes. Lost Oscillation is part of Music Base, a community of music businesses in a converted bonded warehouse, and the building is accessible. If you have any access needs, mention them when you get in touch and we’ll make sure the session suits you.