Ben Hearn
About
Ben has been playing the electric bass since age 11 and has had an exciting and varied musical career to date. He has played with many respected bands and musicians including Jessie J, The Real Thing, Jason Rebello (Sting), John Etheridge (Soft Machine, Stephane Grappelli), Reg Webb (Lenny Kravitz, Suzi Quatro) and Mark Nightingale (Cleo Laine) to name a few. Ben has played to thousands of people at open-air concerts and festivals, played many intimate jazz gigs and performed at countless functions and corporate events up and down the country and abroad.
Teaching Style
My teaching style is friendly, warm, and patient, and I aim to create a comfortable environment where my students can get the most out of their lesson time. I take the time to understand each student's individual goals and tailor my lessons to help them reach their full potential. Whether you're a beginner or an experienced player, I focus on building confidence and providing clear, step-by-step guidance to ensure steady progress. Music should be enjoyable, and I strive to make every lesson an engaging, rewarding experience.
Whatever your ability or age, I can and would love to help! :)
Curriculum
My lessons focus on you! What would you like to get out of the instrument/music in general? - if you want to learn a particular song - that's totally fine (within reason!).
We will both work our way through songs, listening by ear and working things out. I am a big believer in students figuring out songs by ear - this is at the core of my teaching.
I take time with students to analyse their goals, strengths and weaknesses and we figure out a plan of action.
I recommend the Hal Leonard Bass Method by Ed Friedland book to begin with. It's perfect for starting out reading! Then students can progress onto Bass Builders: Simplified Sight-Reading For Bass by Josquin Des Pres. After that, the Berklee books are brilliant for more advanced study.
Credentials & Affiliations
I have played/recorded with Jessie J, The Real Thing, Jason Rebello (Sting), John Etheridge (Soft Machine, Stephane Grappelli), Reg Webb (Lenny Kravitz, Suzi Quatro) and Mark Nightingale (Cleo Laine). I have taught at Colchester Institute (UK) and many other schools.
I've put students through bass guitar grades all the way up to grade 8 Rock School (UK) with 100% pass rate. Some have gone on to study at prestigious music conservatoires.