-
July 2024 by Seckhala seckhala
I have been taking bass lessons from Russ Rodgers for over 13 years. I tried learning from videos and books but could not get the type of instruction that would help me get to the next level in my playing. Then I found Russ and taking lessons from him has been the best decision I have ever made in my musical career. His lessons are targeted to get you "gig ready" and he will definityly do that! If you are serious about learning your instrument you need to take lessons. There is no substitute for personal instruction. Be smart, take lessons and Russ is the best there is in my book. Russ will help you get where you want to go. You will wonder why you didn't do this sooner.
-
June 2024 by Osborne Diggs
The lessons I had with Russ took me from a complete beginner to an intermediate bass player in much less time than I had anticipated. Russ is a great tutor that I highly recommend.
-
June 2024 by Michael Ciarochi
If you're reading this and are thinking about taking lessons, just stop looking and take the lessons. Russ is your guy.
A little over ten years ago I bought a five-string fretless bass to use playing jazz. Shortly after that I ran into Russ at a jazz jam, and heard he gave lessons at a local store. He said he could help me out with the fifth string, lack of frets, and (oh, by the way) jazz.
It's ten years later and I'm still taking lessons. First off, Russ is a fountain of information-improvisation, walking, right hand, left hand, posture, theory, gear, tone. I have never had a lesson where I didn't learn something important. Second, he's a ridiculously excellent player; you're learning from the best.
Just a side note, the Zoom lessons are excellent. In-person is fine and all, but I've done them both and you get a lot more bang for the buck with the online lessons. An hour lesson is an hour lesson--no driving back and forth, unpacking, tuning, and packing up, etc.
-
June 2024 by Eli
Great teacher, very knowledgeable and experienced.
-
June 2024 by Brett Kisselbach
Right from the first lesson, it was clear that Russ is not only a highly skilled musician, but also a patient and dedicated teacher. He took the time to understand my goals and musical background, and tailored each lesson to suit my needs. His teaching style is very dynamic and he kept me engaged and motivated throughout the lessons.
-
June 2024 by Rebecca Smith
If you are looking for traditional lessons with a workbook and homework assignments in a certain order, then go elsewhere. But if you are have your own learning goal in mind and you want to improve your technique, theory and musicality, then Russ is the teacher you want. He helped me reach my goal in a short time: from absolute beginner to having enough skills and knowledge to play a fundamental bass line. His own playing and teaching skills are clearly well-honed, so I'm sure he would be great for more advanced musicians, too.
-
June 2024 by David Potocki
Easy to schedule with, great person to learn from. Grateful for sticking with lessons with Russ.
-
June 2024 by Grayson Reyes
Incredibly effective and helpful. Very experienced, articulate, straightforward, and understandable. I’ve made great progress, and in about one year’s time, I’ve been able to perform on my own. I could not more strongly recommend a teacher!
-
April 2024 by Juan B
Russ is a rare find, and an amazing teacher.
He's a professional bassist with decades of experience playing and teaching bass guitar, and it shows. His teaching style is very customized, and he works at my pace to design practice plans that fit my interests and schedule.
I started learning bass when I turned 40, and have been taking weekly bass lessons with him for a over a year now. I've improved by leaps and bounds, and now feel very comfortable with the instrument. I've recently started exploring jazz bass, which is great since it's a style he knows deeply.
Anyone who wants to play bass should take some classes with him -- you'll be amazed how quickly you progress!
-
July 2023 by Jeremy Hofer
This review is long overdue.I started playing bass early June 2020, teaching myself for a year as my pandemic "get away". After a year teaching myself I found Russ online. I had my first lesson with Russ on June 18th, 2021. Today, July 8th 2023, I played my first ever gig - a professional gig - at Black Cat in DC.When I started with Russ the only thing I knew was that I wanted to learn and know everything I could know about electric bass guitar. I never thought about playing professionally at all, I just wanted to learn and have fun. That all rapidly changed once I started studying under Russ.Russ is a working musician who has decades of real world experience playing and teaching bass. All the knowledge and experience he has gained he is willing to give to anyone that wishes to learn. Hearing about his experiences, and seeing what he does and can do in person and professionally via his youtube videos, my goals with bass rapidly changed. I went from just wanting to have fun in my room to dreaming and yearning to play professionally like Russ. Today that dream became a reality. I am now a professional bass player.Over the 2 years I have worked with Russ I have learned not only technical music knowledge and theory crossing a diverse range of music genres and styles - blues, country, rock, funk, jazz, beebop, afro-cuban, and more - but a functional, practical, and professional skill set. Walking out for my first gig today I felt more than prepared and was able to confidently execute to a very energetic and engaged crowd numbering in the hundreds.Regardless of your interests and goals with bass guitar Russ can and will help you learn. He can and will prepare you to achieve any goal you may have. He may even help you learn and realize goals you never dreamed.Check out his youtube channel for a taste of what lessons like him can be like, as well as examples of his professional work.I am very thankful for Russ and I look forward to many more years studying under him.
-
April 2023 by Séamus Welch
I cannot recommend Russ Rodgers enough as instructor for anyone looking to take their bass playing to the next level.His years of experience as a musician and instructor are evident from the first lesson, and he is well of knowledge for every aspect of the instrument-- no matter the genre of music, he knows how to show you what it is you feel you're missing to make things click. Whether you want to play blues and jazz, slap the bass in a funk style, or even figure out what's going in your favorite heavy metal track, there isn't a style out there the he can't handle.He incorporates the music you're interested in playing to teach you proper technique, the working musical knowledge and vocabulary behind it, and the ability to play and construct bass lines on your own as well. He creates a welcome environment for learning where despite his own skill and technique, the student does not feel intimidated, but inspired to keep playing and has numerous unique and fun methods in his toolkit to help you understand the concepts. This all serves to make the necessary time you spend to improve a fun experience to look forward to, and not just a chore to be endured to get to an end goal.My own confidence in my ability to play has increased exponentially thanks to Russ, and yours will, too.
-
February 2023 by Jeff
I've been taking weekly lessons from Russ for six months and I highly recommend him as a bass guitar instructor. He's provided me with the instruction and direction I need to achieve my goals. Some people are better teachers than others and Russ is the best I've had the pleasure of learning from. He's there to answer questions I have and explain anything I don't understand. If you're looking for a one on one bass instructor who's a professional and knows how to teach, I recommend you give him a try.
-
May 2021 by Roy Purdie
Russ is an exceptional instructor. Takes time to figure out your strengths and weaknesses and helps you figure out what you need to work on to help you get better. Would highly recommend. He is also knowledgeable about all types of music.
-
April 2021 by Roy P.
Russ is a great teacher. I took online lessons from he and he took the time to talk to me and figure out exactly the things I wanted to learn. He helped me to develop strategies to progress in playing the things that I wanted to play and is a great resource for learning any type of music. He has a great library of tools to use that help you to increase your knowledge skills and abilities on bass. Would highly recommend him as an instructor.
-
December 2020 by Daryl Davies
Russ is my teacher. His music and bass guitar knowledge and translation is immaculate (A+). I walked into my first session with him a couple of months ago with no knowledge. I did not even know how to hold the guitar. He customized my training and today I am proud to say that I can tackle some complex songs. We have navigated from Gospel to Blues to Jazz to R&B to Reggae. In as little as three weeks I was able to perfectly play the Blues.Russ is so good that he went with me to choose and purchase my first bass guitar.I will highly recommend him to anyone that has never played the bass guitar before and even for bass professionals.Russ is a professional !!!!!!
