Largely self-taught, was able to join a couple of bands. But I really wanted to up my game, to see if I could get more involved in playing jazz, as opposed to rock. And Next Level was a part of that journey. 

I was fortunate that I was able to play in a couple of bands with some delightful players. Just great guys. But I was a little bored honestly. I felt as though doing covers was a little bit repetitive and monotonous. Even though the gigs were great, even though the music was great. I was getting bored because I wasn't expanding. 

Not that jazz is better than rock or anything of that nature. But I do think it is more demanding from a musical perspective. And I really wanted to be a part of that, and engage with that. 

There's so much material from Musical U to draw from. And then couple that with the coach who's able to select, and help you select the right things to be studying and focusing on. 

I think the individualized focus is what makes it so good. So while Musical U is tremendous, it's fantastic, I think having the Next Level coach enables you to be more efficient in terms of your practice. Identifying what's important to be studying, and what to study later. That's what makes it so personalized and so effective. 

Meeting on a weekly basis with your coach, having that as sort of a constant was a good thing. Because that discipline goes a long way toward keeping you in line. To make sure that those objectives are being met. And you know that meeting is coming up. And I think that that goes a long way to helping you stay on track. 

The guest coaching was fantastic. I didn't really realize before I started Next Level that that was a major factor. And just being exposed to these tremendously talented individuals who bring to the table a particular focus, and just seeing them in action. I just didn't realize how the guest coaching would be so impactful. 

For me, the “aha” was identifying the correct way to approach practice. Laying out what the objectives were. Doing it, recording it, being able to review what you've done, write down what you've done. I think that that contributed largely to my progress. 

The other part is having more fun. It's enjoying the process with a childlike perspective. The journey is the goal. And understanding that is an “aha” moment. 

I don't have a necessarily academic understanding of music theory in a classic sense. But I have a pretty good working understanding of it. But getting out of my head, I think was really facilitated by my coach. 

We have a responsibility as bass players to keep the key center generally, and define the chord changes and define, in the case of jazz, the rhythm. But nonetheless, just being able to be a little freer and having the confidence to go out and be more creative in creating basslines. I think that was a major contributing factor to my success with Next Level. 

One of my biggest breakthroughs was having a much better ear. I think that that was an area that I was lacking in. It's certainly better and it's improved thanks to my coaches. 

Ear training for me was a big source of, let's say anxiety. I've tried a number of other apps. And I felt as though I wasn't getting it. 

The solfege approach and really understanding the tonal centers. To me that was a big thing for my jazz playing, because I wanted to be able to go to a jam to sort of pick up on the music and where those tonal centers are and be able to kind of do that more easily. 

Being able to improvise over a set of changes, that was a major accomplishment for me because when I started, I understood the concept of walking bass in the jazz context, but not necessarily being able to really walk over a standard with any ease. And so working through that was major accomplishment for me. 

And something that I can build on and have built on. Just being able to work my way around the fingerboard and feeling like I could carry my own. 

I think a person that's ideally suited for Next Level is somebody who's curious about music. Not necessarily curious only about their instrument. The joy of music, it's one of the best things in life. And somebody who wants to explore that in greater depth is somebody who would be very successful with Next Level. 

You do have to dedicate time to it. And you do have to want to do it. So it's somebody who wants to spend the time, is interested and eager to take advantage of the broader musical offerings that Musical U and Next Level bring. Also somebody who would benefit from that one on one coaching.