Bass Lessons

A collection of videos, links, transcriptions, and audio clips focused on the art of bass playing. This blog is intended to be a place where my students can always come for inspiration and new ideas. Contact me if you are interested in private lessons in the Bay Area or via Skype. Also, stay tuned for my own bass lesson video series coming soon! Bio:Matthew Davis grew up in San Jose, California and began his musical journey with the piano at age 5. He added the trumpet in elementary school and switched to the electric bass in junior high school. Matthew became very involved with music through the San Jose Jazz Society, the Community School of Music and Arts (CSMA), and Valley Christian Schools. Playing in gospel groups, rock bands, jazz bands, chamber ensembles, and orchestras, Matthew honed his skills in high school and chose to continue his musical studies at California Institute of the Arts in Valencia, CA. In 2004, he was awarded the John Coltrane scholarship for composition and performance and left for southern California. At CalArts, he acceled in many different types of music including straight-ahead jazz, contemporary jazz and fusions, blues, salsa, Macedonian folk songs, funk, and improvisational rock to name a few. His main bass teachers included Alphonso Johnson, Darek Oles, and Charlie Haden, but he also worked closely with and performed the music of Larry Koonse, David Roitstein, Vinny Golia, and Wadada Leo Smith. The incredible diverse student body provided him many opportunities to perform in unique ensembles and experiment with his own compositions. After his graduation in 2008, Matthew lived in the Central Coast city of San Luis Obispo and San Jose performing with Audiomedic, The San Jose Rockers, the Cuesta Jazz Big Band, the Nudes, the Modesto Briseno Septet, NTAC, MakeMake, Project 41 and many other projects. He also worked as the house bass player for the weekly jazz jam at Linnaea’s café. In addition to performing he was a substitute teacher for the Conservatory of the Arts of Valley Christian Schools. In the summers, he taught classes at the San Jose Jazz Camp and while immersing himself in the Bay Area Music scene. In the Fall of 2010 Matthew moved to Asheville, North Carolina to join the formerly Brooklyn-based soul-rock band The Broadcast (www.thebroadcastmusic.com). He is now living in his hometown of San Jose, CA. Check out my other blogs: mdcollageideas.tumblr.com musicofmattdavis.tumblr.com