Mick Cervino, a pro since the age of 16, dropped by The Institute to give a bass masterclass during which he shared some of his techniques and experiences.

Mick, who studied acoustic guitar as well as bass guitar, came in fresh off of the American leg of his international tour with Yngwie Malmsteen entitled "Unleash the Fury".  He entertained the audience with stories about this tour in addition to stories about his time working with Deep Purple's founding member Ritchie Blackmore.  The students were also lucky to have Mick give exclusive performances of material he worked on with Ritchie and Yngwie as well as further original songs from his first solo CD, Ostinato, which fused musical influences such as classical and neo-classical rock music.

If that wasn't enough, Mick also shared many of his techniques by using a plectrum and fingers, performed a duet with himself (Mick against Mick!) and demonstrated the right hand picking techniques gathered through his acoustic classical guitar studies.  He also relayed some very important information for students - the need to be adaptable in their playing to suit the job they are doing.

The students were inspired by his love of music as well as his musicality.  He stayed long after the masterclass was over and took time out to sign student's guitars, posters and cds.  An excellent evening for bassists and guitarists!