I've been playing bass guitar for 14 years and have learned a lot of valuable things in that time. I took private lessons for the first few years and have been continuing the education process on my own since then.

The first teacher I had was a fine bass player but a less than stellar instructor. However, I didn't realize this until my second teacher took over his position and I started to actually learn about my instrument. If my first teacher had kept his job, I would have probably spent another two or three years studying under him, never realizing that his lack of teaching skill was holding me back. This is a big reason why I decided to start teaching bass. I've seen far too many "teachers" who do their students a disservice by being lazy, unprepared, poor communicators or just plain incompetent.

So why should you choose me as your instructor? To help you decide whether my lessons would be a good fit for you, here is a list of what I offer:

• One free half-hour lesson - This basically means that trying out my services is a risk-free venture. I know how it feels to show up for a first lesson only to realize five minutes into it that the teacher doesn't know what he's doing, and although I'm confident that won't be your experience with me, I believe it's only fair to give you a trial run.
• Focus on building clean technique - I think the most important aspect of learning an instrument is learning the easiest and safest way to play that instrument. There's no right and wrong, but bad technique can hold you back musically and/or result in serious injury.
• Practical theory - "Theory" is defined as the study of music. More specifically, theory is about scales and time signatures and all that "educated musician" stuff. In my view, although not totally essential to being a good musician (I've known brilliant musicians who couldn't tell you what key they were playing in if you put a gun to their head), a working knowledge of basic theory can help you in exploring the more subtle aspects of music and can make things a whole lot easier when playing with new people.
• Help finding your own voice - While widely considered an essential element of becoming a mature musician, many music teachers neglect to encourage, or worse, actively discourage students from finding their own playing style by teaching from a strict set of rules or only teaching other artists' songs. I'll be pushing you every step of the way to develop your own voice on the instrument and will do all that I can to help bring that voice out in your playing.
• Comfortable environment - Whether you choose to come to my lesson studio on SE Main & 8th (two blocks north of Hawthorne) or have me come to your home, you're assured to have a comfortable space to learn.
• Competitive rates - After the initial free lesson, my rates for studio lessons are $20/half hour or $30/hour. In-home lesson rates within Portland are $28/half hour or $38/hour.

"Hey Cameron. I wanted to thank you for the lesson yesterday. I actually learned a ton in just that one half hour...I've had many teachers over the years in both music and other arts and you seem to be one of the best." -Student

"You definitely have a gift for teaching!" -Parent of student

"I hope to be back working with you soon... You are an excellent teacher." -Student

"You're a good teacher, I only wish we'd found you sooner". -Parent of student

For more information or to set up a free lesson, email me at me@cameronjonesmusic.com