All Hail the Thumb King!
Updated: Jul 6
Meet Henry, a bass guitar student at The Music Works. Henry has studied Bass guitar with TMW for a few years under the guidance of Vic Cox and recently took his grade 7 in our recent Rockschool exams.
The Best Teachers Supporting Their Students
What an amazing performance by Henry! It's no surprise that Henry has been nominated by his Bass guitar teacher Vic Cox for this excellent rendition of Rockschool’s Thumb King!
His teacher Vic had this to say about Henry’s achievement:
"Henry has been a student at Music Works since 2016, having bass guitar lessons and also taking an active part in band workshops. At the end of 2019 he took and passed his Grade 5 bass, and since then has jumped up to Grade 7. This video is a masterclass in Slap technique, using thumb slap, pop, left hand slap, double stops, dead notes, slides and hammer-ons. All this as well as nailing rhythmically tricky lines and playing with great tone and great groove. This demonstrates how far Henry has come since his Rockschool Grade 5, and what he has achieved through detailed, focussed practice and determination to take on a challenging piece. It is also a fantastic example of how do play something so dynamically, but also be relaxed when you do it! As well as working toward his Rockschool exams Grade 7 this year, Henry submitted this for his School House Music Competition and won Best Solo instrumentalist! Excellent work Henry.’’
We are so proud to see students excel in instruments and if Henry continues with this drive and momentum, we have no doubt he will do well if he chooses to work within the music industry.
More Than Just Lessons
Henry is a great example of what great teachers and dedication can allow students to achieve. He is also a great example of what can be achieved through our community spirit, as he has had valuable work experience with TMW by helping the admin team on Saturday’s. Henry has also frequently performed in our student bands, gaining great experience in live performance in a friendly and supportive community.
We pride ourselves in being able to help students at every step in their musical journey, and in 2019 we became a Rockschool Exam Centre. This means that our students not only can study their instruments with great music teachers at our purpose-built music centres, but they can also take their Rockschool exams in a familiar setting.