One-to-one bass guitar tuition

Find a Grade 1 bass guitar tutor

Build a steady beat, cleaner notes and confidence with your first graded pieces. Choose help with Rockschool or Trinity preparation, or work on Grade 1 skills without booking an exam.

Find my Grade 1 bass tutor

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Grade 1 bass guitar lessons bring rhythm, note control and coordination into complete songs. Start with what the learner can already play, then agree a goal: a named exam, a more reliable bass line or a broader choice of music. Latimer offers one-to-one tuition online, with a free tutor-matching request to help you describe the support you need.

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Your tutoring brief

Subject: Guitar
Level: Grade 1

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How one-to-one tuition can help

Keep time through offbeat rhythms and rests
Control note endings, string changes and unwanted ringing
Prepare songs and the extra tasks required by the chosen exam

For exam preparation, include Rockschool or Trinity Rock & Pop, the Grade 1 book and the assessment format in your enquiry.

Available tutors

Compare tutors for Grade 1 lessons

3 tutor profiles selected

Look for bass guitar teaching and experience of your chosen exam route. Use the introductory conversation to discuss the learner’s playing, goals and the help they need.

Owen Evans

Music, and Musical Instrument Specialist

Lumsden, United Kingdom

£30.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries

GuitarMusicMusic PerformanceMusic Technology+1 more

Holds over 8 years' of online teaching experience.
Owen holds over 18 Years' experience teaching & in the Music industry.
Received over 1 million views & listens on Spotify, Youtube & social media.
A professional songwriter in all genres.
Over 10 years' experience using Logic Pro-x.
Owen has worked with Grammy-winning producers.

Owen Evans is a UK guitar tutor with 18+ years in teaching and the music industry, including 8+ years of online tutoring. He supports ABRSM/Rockschool, GCSE and A-Level Music, plus songwriting and Logic Pro X production with tailored lesson plans.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Owen.

View Owen’s profile

Simon OKeeffe

Music and Music Performance Specialist

london, United Kingdom

£40.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries

ABRSMGCSE (general)GuitarMusic Performance+4 more

Simon has over 12 years' of experience as a music educator across primary and secondary schools in addition to further education.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Music (Guitar Institute).
Holds a Master of Arts in Record Production and Distribution (University of West London).
Professional background as a musician, producer, arranger, and musical director.

Music educator with 12+ years’ experience offering private lessons as a guitar tutor and piano tutor, plus drums and music theory. Supports GCSE, A Level and university music performance and music technology, with lesson reports and optional homework.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Simon.

View Simon’s profile

Abigail Ajala

Music, and Musical Instrument Specialist

Rushmere St Andrew, United Kingdom

£45.00 per hourDBS checkediAccepting enquiries

GuitarMusicMusic PerformanceMusic Technology+2 more

Over 11 years' of Music teaching experience.
Holds a Bachelor of Arts in Commercial Music.
Has been the vocal coach for the Stagecoach Performing Arts School (Ipswich).
Teaches guitar, ukulele, piano (up to intermediate), vocals, and music theory.

Abigail Ajala is a guitar tutor with 11+ years’ teaching experience, BA in Commercial Music, and Stagecoach Performing Arts (Ipswich) vocal coach. She is also a piano tutor (to intermediate) teaching ukulele and music theory for ages 4+, KS1–3, GCSE and A Level; online and Suffolk-based.

Send a quick enquiry from here and the Latimer Tuition team will pass it on to Abigail.

View Abigail’s profile

View Grade 1 tutor profiles Start my tutor search

Choose the Grade 1 exam route before planning the work

Rockschool and Trinity Rock & Pop assess Grade 1 bass differently. The assessment format matters too: a recorded certificate can require different preparation from a live exam. Share the awarding body, book edition and format before choosing repertoire or planning supporting tests.

If an exam is not the goal, lessons can still use suitable songs, listening and technical work to develop the same musical foundations. There is no need to build a full exam programme simply to improve your playing.

Rockschool live Graded Exam: Prepare three pieces, technical exercises, a choice of sight-reading or improvisation/interpretation, two ear tests and five general musicianship questions. Give short unseen tasks and listening work a place in practice alongside the familiar pieces.
Rockschool recorded Graded Certificate: Prepare three pieces and the prescribed technical exercises. This route omits sight-reading/improvisation, ear tests and musicianship questions. Use the current recorded technical list: its required selection and order differ from an examiner choosing exercises in a live exam.
Rockschool Performance Certificate: Prepare five pieces, with no separate technical exercises or supporting tests. Spread practice across the whole programme, then listen for whether timing and control remain secure in each piece.
Trinity Rock & Pop face-to-face: Prepare three songs, with the Technical Focus song third, plus a choice of playback or improvising as the Session Skill. Technical Focus develops the skills identified in that song’s notes; the Session Skill also needs practice with unfamiliar musical material.
Trinity Rock & Pop digital: Prepare three songs, again with Technical Focus third. Overall performance across the songs replaces the separate Session Skill test. Practise complete performances and listen to the shape, continuity and musical character of each song.

Next step

Place the note between beats, then stop it cleanly

Trinity’s Grade 1 bass requirements include offbeat quavers and staccato, or short, detached notes. An offbeat falls between the main beats. In the original practice exercise below, each beat divides into two equal parts: the number and the word “and”. This isolates timing and note endings before you return to a song.

Use a standard four-string bass and a slow, comfortable metronome pulse. “Open” means playing a string without pressing a fret. The E string is the lowest-pitched string; A is the next string. Each numbered beat should line up with a click.

Count through the silence
Say “1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and” evenly. Play open E only on each “and”. At the next numbered beat, gently touch the vibrating string with a spare finger to stop it, then lift clear before the next “and”. Keep the numbers silent. After the final “and”, stop the sound on beat 1 of the next bar.
Fix a misplaced or rushed note
If the notes land on the numbers, or the “ands” get quicker, put the bass aside briefly and speak the count while tapping the numbered beats. Add the plucking again while keeping the same count. The empty space is part of the pattern.
Keep the pattern through a string change
Play the next bar on open A with the same rhythm, using the same touch-and-release action to stop A on each numbered beat. Keep the E string quiet: gently resting the plucking-hand thumb on E is one way to mute it. A tutor can help choose a comfortable muting approach using both hands.
Listen for the improvement
The notes should sit evenly between clicks, the numbered beats should stay silent, and moving to A should not speed up the pulse. Record a short repeat to hear the difference. Then find an offbeat passage in the learner’s Grade 1 music and follow its written note lengths.

Trinity Bass syllabus and Grade 1 repertoire skills StudyBass explanation of open-string muting

Hear how a scale differs from an arpeggio

Rockschool Grade 1 technical work includes scales, major and minor arpeggios, and a riff. A scale moves through its sequence of notes; an arpeggio plays the notes of a chord separately. Confusing the two can leave a learner playing fluently but answering the wrong request.

Try this G major illustration, using a starting note included in the Grade 1 technical work. The ascending scale is G–A–B–C–D–E–F♯–G; F♯ means F sharp. The ascending arpeggio is G–B–D–G. If asked for the arpeggio, playing all eight scale notes is the mistake. Pick out G, B and D, then finish on the higher G.

First say the requested pattern and its notes, then play it slowly using the fingering in the learner’s grade book. Improvement means selecting the right pattern, keeping each note clear and maintaining the pulse through a string change. This is a practice illustration; use the chosen exam’s full technical list and tempo for final preparation.

For Trinity, technical preparation is built into the selected Technical Focus song. Its Grade 1 list includes Billie Jean as one choice. Use the Trinity arrangement and its performance notes to choose a short phrase to work on, then hear how that correction holds up in a complete play-through.

Next step

Rockschool Grade 1 Bass technical content

Turn a lesson correction into independent practice

A useful lesson leaves the learner knowing what to play, what to listen for and what to change. Here is a practice cycle to agree with a tutor. Set the amount of work and lesson frequency around the learner’s starting point, concentration and opportunities to practise.

After Grade 1 work feels secure, discuss whether to explore more songs or prepare the next grade. Trinity Grade 2, for example, adds semiquaver syncopation: rhythms using quarter-beat notes placed across the pulse. The next step should follow the learner’s playing and goals.

Choose one audible target
Start with one issue, such as an E string ringing underneath an A note or an offbeat landing too early. Repeat a small task until the learner can describe the difference between the first attempt and the corrected version.
Put it back into the piece
Work on the short passage where the issue occurs, then begin a little earlier and continue beyond it. This checks whether the correction survives the approach to the passage, rather than only working when played in isolation.
Include the work for the chosen route
For a Rockschool live exam, rotate the selected unseen task, ear work and musicianship questions alongside pieces and technique. For Trinity face-to-face, include playback or improvising. Recorded routes need the components in the comparison above, with time to review complete performances.
Review before adding more
Bring a short recording or play-through to the next lesson. Look for steadier pulse, clear note endings and the ability to finish a phrase without a prompt. Use that evidence to choose the next task and judge whether the present lesson pattern gives enough time to practise.

Set up an online lesson so the tutor can see and hear the bass

Latimer tuition is one-to-one and online first. Microsoft Teams is the default platform; you and the tutor can agree another suitable method. Before the first lesson, check that spoken feedback and bass playing are both audible. The tutor needs to see how the hands produce the sound, as well as hear the notes.

Have the bass, tuner and your usual way of hearing the instrument ready. Discuss the sound setup with the tutor before buying extra equipment.
Place the camera where both fretting and plucking hands are visible, with enough light to see the strings.
Keep the correct grade book, notation or tab and matching backing tracks ready. Play a short passage to check that the backing does not cover the bass.
For a child or a learner needing help with the equipment, agree who will assist with setup. Tell the tutor about any reading, concentration or physical-access needs that affect the lesson.

Choose a tutor who can make beginner bass playing clearer

Look for bass guitar teaching experience and familiarity with the learner’s chosen board and format. In the free introductory meeting, discuss one real difficulty: for example, keeping the beat while changing strings. Ask how the tutor would break it down and what the learner would practise afterwards. That gives you something concrete to compare alongside qualifications and the profile description.

Each tutor sets their hourly rate, shown on their profile. Standard lessons are invoiced after they take place on a pay-as-you-go basis. Compare the rate with the proposed lesson length, preparation work and feedback, and agree a pattern you can sustain.

Describe the starting point
Include “bass guitar”, Grade 1, the learner’s current songs and whether an exam is planned. Add the board, book and assessment format if known, along with preferred times and your budget. A short playing sample can help the first lesson focus on the right problem.
Discuss teaching and communication
Ask how instructions and practice tasks can be adapted. A learner who loses a long spoken explanation may benefit from one demonstrated bar followed by a short written task. Agree how a parent, where involved, will understand the practice target.
Agree the first review
Choose the passage or skill to revisit after the first lessons. Check whether the learner can repeat the correction independently and explain the next task. Discuss the lesson schedule, materials and any exam-entry arrangements directly with the tutor.

How Latimer lessons and introductions work

Tell us what you want to play more confidently

Requesting a tutor match is free. Tell us that the instrument is bass guitar, describe what the learner can play now, and add the exam route or musical goal. Include preferred lesson times and anything that would help the learner use the lessons well.

Find my Grade 1 bass tutor

Support and clarity

Frequently asked questions

Straight answers to the questions people ask most often.

Can I start Grade 1 without passing Debut or Initial?

Yes. Rockschool allows entry without passing the previous grade. Trinity Rock & Pop also has no requirement to pass a lower grade or a theory qualification first. A tutor can listen to the learner’s playing and identify any foundations to build before preparing the complete Grade 1 programme.

Is Grade 1 bass guitar suitable for an adult beginner?

Adults can work towards Grade 1; Trinity Rock & Pop has no age limit. Begin with the learner’s current playing and musical interests. If holding the bass, finding notes or keeping a steady beat is still new, make those the first lesson goals before expecting complete graded performances.

Can I rely on tab, or will I need music reading too?

The chosen route matters. For Rockschool’s Grade 1 live Graded Exam, musicianship questions include recognising bass clef, metre and note values. Choosing the sight-reading option also means preparing an unfamiliar notated bass line. Connect reading to playing in lessons: in 4/4, a minim lasts two beats and a crotchet lasts one, so two minims fill a four-beat bar.

How long will it take to be ready for Grade 1?

Set a timescale after the tutor has heard the learner. Trinity describes its qualification-time figures as guidance, with learning time affected by previous experience. RSL advises discussing readiness with a teacher. Review complete pieces and every other required component, as well as what the learner can practise independently, before choosing an exam date.

Can I use an older Rockschool Bass book?

RSL currently permits its 2018 Bass books alongside the 2024 books. Confirm the exact edition and use its matching backing tracks. For a recorded Graded Certificate, also check the current technical-submission download: the book’s general exercise coverage is not the same as the required recorded selection.

Who books the exam, and what should I take?

Agree who will make the entry and handle the board’s booking instructions before paying for an exam. For a Rockschool centre exam, bass candidates bring their instrument and leads, while the centre supplies amplification. A home lesson or recorded submission needs its own sound setup. Check the equipment and material instructions for the actual booking.

Can lessons and exams be adapted for additional needs?

Discuss practical needs with the tutor, such as clearer notation, one instruction at a time or help positioning the instrument and camera. Formal exam adjustments follow the awarding body’s process. Trinity accepts pre-assessment adjustment applications for both face-to-face and digital exams; discuss the application with the person arranging the entry early.

Can I arrange in-person Grade 1 bass lessons?

Latimer is online first. In-person lessons require an individual arrangement, so include your location and preferred format in the enquiry and discuss them with the tutor.

Further information

Useful links and resources

Questions about tuition and billing

Find a Grade 1 bass guitar tutor