Institute students past and present enjoyed a few hours in the excellent company of one of the busiest bassists in Rock - Neil Murray. Neil especially took time off from performing in We Will Rock You to pass on his experience to The Institute's students.  He has played with Whitesnake, Black Sabbath, Gary Moore, Peter Green, Eric Clapton, Jeff Beck, Brian May and Sting, to name just a few. Following in the tradition of great British rock bassists Neil chose to focus on the T's of bass playing:

Tone, Time, Taste, Tradition, Technique, Toil, Talent etc. He even included Thieving on his list, carefully explaining that his intention was to encourage aspiring players to seek inspiration from all music and musicians.

It was a very relaxed, low key masterclass during which Neil demonstrated specific rhythm section skills, ably assisted by former drum student Dave Simpson, such as locking-in and reacting spontaneously. Communication, personality and creativity were keywords throughout, with Neil emphasising the importance of being a team player. It was a truly enlightening event, full of wisdom and inspiring insight into the role of a musician in the industry. We look forward to welcoming Neil back to The Institute whenever he can manage to squeeze us into his busy schedule.