David H
Instruments: Bass Guitar
Styles: Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Salsa, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Avant-garde
David H
Instruments: Bass Guitar
Styles:
Jazz, Pop, Rock, Blues, Folk, Country, R&B, Latin, Funk, Hip Hop, Salsa, Reggae, Latin Jazz, Swing, Samba, Bossa Nova, Soul, Avant-garde
Where I Teach:
Ages Taught: 5-80
Hello! I’m David Hilton and I am a professional bass teacher in Los Angeles, California. I started Bass Lessons Los Angeles in order to share the knowledge I’ve gained after spending nearly two decades as a professional bass player and in order to help other bassists in the Los Angeles area improve their playing
As a graduate of Berklee College of Music, I studied under legendary greats like Bruce Gertz, Eddie Tomassi, Hal Cook, Gary Willis, and Rufus Philpot. And since becoming a teacher myself, I’ve taken what I’ve learned and used it to help my own students become they players they’ve always wanted to be.
Even though I’m still a gigging and session bass player—primarily in jazz—I’ve taught and worked in nearly every genre imaginable. Through the years, played everything from jazz, funk/fusion and blues to rock and hip hop. And after some 20 years of teaching I’ve helped countless students—beginners and pros alike—improve their playing.
1991 - 1994 - Berklee College of Music Achievement Scholarship 1994 - Magna Cum Laude - Berklee College of Music 2003 - Nominated Best Jazz Album of the Year Award for San Diego Music Awards
I have had the honor of studying with many great teachers, and also I'm a graduate of Berklee College of Music. I am able to use many resources and teaching material from many of the great teachers I have studied with. Being a Berklee graduate I use a lot of their teaching materials, from the Harmony 1- 4 books plus the arranging books, and many exercises to build up your technique and harmony knowledge so you can compose your own bass lines to any style. The goal i suppose is to be able to play what you hear, and I start teaching all the scales, modes, chords, pentatonic, hexatonics, and how you can use these devises in all musical situations.
For the beginning students we start learning all the fundamentals and details of the bass ie; string names, notes on the fingerboard, right and left hand technique, and how to get the sounds you are striving for on the bass. For more intermediate to advanced students, we learn to apply all modes, scales, chords etc... in creating walking bass lines, funk and groove lines, and how to solo over chord changes. I find the best way is to learn the keys inside and out, then take tunes in those keys and make them your own. I also teach a lot of the Jerry Bergonzi methods for advanced improvisers.
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