I have been Professor of Bass Guitar at the Royal Marines Band Service (RMBS / RMSoM) since 2013. Based within Portsmouth Naval Base. I provide training for all bass players from entry level to post-graduates as well as running weekly rhythm section workshop and improvisation seminars for all jazz instrumentalists. The RMBS are quoted as being the "world’s most versatile military music organisation" and producing some of the "world's finest military musicians." In September 2021, I additionally became Professor of Music (Bass) at the Royal Military School of Music at the recently co-located Alford School of Music.
If you would like to read more about the RMSoM, or are you looking to become a Royal Marines Musician click on the button below:
Based in the centre of the City of Southampton, Hampshire, I am a Senior Lecturer of Developing the Musician at Southampton Solent University.
In 2019 the university was awarded the maximum rating of five stars by QS World University Rankings for teaching, employability, internationalisation, learning environment and inclusiveness. In addition, the university has been ranked among the top 30 universities in the UK for academic support, learning community and student voice in the 2019 National Student Survey. In 2023, Southampton Solent University was awarded TEF Triple Gold by the Teaching Excellence and Student Outcomes Framework, in recognition of our typically outstanding student experience and student outcomes. https://students.solent.ac.uk/news/solent-has-been-awarded-tef-gold
If you are interest in studying Popular Music Performance at degree level, please click on the buttons below:
In the summer of 2023 I became the Course Leader for ESTA's Certificate for Music Educators (CME) programme of professional development for anyone teaching music.
For more information about this online course, please click on the button below.
Amy Goddard - Originals
BassoProfundo - Large Double Bass Ensemble
Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra
Big River Bandits - Country
BlueState - Blues and Rock Covers
Cornel Oprea (Duo, Trio & Quartet) - Jazz / Covers
Dielle - Originals
Do It! - Function Trio
Dudi Ross - Original music
Eddy White - Jazz Quartet
Ed Hopkins - Jazz Duo
Emmy-Lee - Origianls and Covers
Empty Cage / True Belief - Originals
Finger of Funk - Funk Originals
Five Star Swing
Francis Graves - Originals
Greg & Co. Function Band - Covers
Hazel Iris - Original
Icarus - Covers
Igloo Music Showband - Covers
Jazz Funk Coalition - Covers
Larkhill Choral Society - Jazz and Easy Listening
Laura Bataceli Band - Jazz
Licence to Ceilidh - Ceilidh and Covers
Lunar Haze Trio UK - Covers
Mambossa - Latin and Jazz
Mark Upton 'All Stars' - Jazz Quartet & Quintet
Matt Morgan Jazz Bag - Swing
Matt Taylor - Original
Mind Switch - Rock and Metal Covers
M'Jazz - Jazz Trio
Naim Audio
Nicola Knight AKA 'Sertari' - Covers
Olu Rowe
Pink Champagne - Jazz Quartet
Rhythm & Fuse - Function Band
Richard Abrahams - Jazz Duo / Trio / Quartet
Richard Stickler - Original
Ruth Theodore Band - Original (Folk)
Samantha Laurilla - Covers
Saxocracy - 9 piece sax-fronted jazz band
Snake Oil Band - Country
Southampton New Music Ensemble
Tamrah Aeryn
The DLB Band - Covers
The Jags - Covers
The Jazz Triangle - Original Jazz
The Latin Flavour - Pop covers in Latin style
The Why Notes - Jazz and Lounge Funk
Winchester Piano Studios House Band
Session Bassist for Embley School
- Grease
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
- Bugsy Malone
- Aladdin
- Spring and Summer Concerts (various)
Session Bassist for Twyford School
- Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat
Staff Bassist for Peter Symonds School
- Guys & Dolls
- 42nd Street
- Anything Goes
Session Bassist for Sherfield School
- Our House
- Avenue Q
Student Bassist at Corfe Hills School
- Kiss Me Kate
- Godspell
- Calamity Jane
... and lots more!!!
Upon encountering a Double Bass for the first time while attending primary school in Poole (Dorset, UK), Greg was presented with the opportunity to pursue his musical education through peripatetic lessons. At the age of nine, he commenced his classical training on the Double Bass, initially playing a 1/4 size instrument before progressing to a 3/4 standard size concert bass as he matured. Under the guidance of esteemed Double Bassist Barry Glynn, Greg undertook examinations through The Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music, and performed with various classical groups including the Dorset and Wessex Youth Orchestras. Participating in these youth orchestras provided Greg with invaluable experience in ensemble playing, and the opportunity to collaborate with other young musicians. As a result of these formative experiences, Greg was able to perform the Double Bass in a range of productions, such as The “Buddy Holly” Musical (Tivoli Theatre), “Basso Profundo” at the Royal Festival Hall (London), and with the Big Little Theatre Company’s performance of “The Classics” at the Bournemouth Winter Gardens - all before his eighteenth birthday.
At the age of 13, Greg received his first electric bass guitar, which he now credits as being an indispensable gift that was critical to his continued musical development. Among his earliest electric bass gigs was a jazz-fusion band he played with while still in school. After completing his GCSEs, Greg attended Bournemouth College, earning a City and Guilds in Communication and Entertainment. During this period, he began playing with several amateur bands, developing a strong affinity for the “low end” of music. Following college, Greg’s musical interests shifted, leading him to play in several progressive rock bands, including Mind Switch - a rock covers band where he learned to play the bass parts for a range of songs from artists such as Iron Maiden and White Zombie.
A temporary relocation to Manchester proved to be a major turning point in his life, almost leading him to abandon music altogether. However, a serendipitous phone call from back home in Poole, led to Greg joining a relatively new original progressive metal band, True Belief, which later changed its name to Empty Cage. After years of songwriting, numerous free promotion gigs, and recording demos, Lee Stoten of Dead Head Records and Lionel Hicks, a film and record producer, heard one of the band's demos (which had appeared on a CD on PowerPlay magazine) and signed them to a one-album recording and licensing deal. This led to Greg travelling to WinterLand studios in Minneapolis, USA, to record with Todd Fitzgerald - a highly respected engineer for artists such as Sting and Sheryl Crow. It was during his time in the USA that Greg first met American singer-songwriter Tamrah Aeryn, for whom he now occasionally performs during her visits to the UK.
Upon returning from the USA, Greg continued to pursue his musical education, completing a Masters in Music (MMus), a dual honours Bachelor of Arts degree (BA Hons), two teaching qualifications (PgCLTHE and PTLLS), a Higher Diploma in Popular Music Performance (HDip), a Diploma in Music (Dip.Mus), and earning the status of Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy / Advance HE (SFHEA). In addition to his formal qualifications, Greg has attended numerous masterclasses with esteemed bass guitarists, such as Todd Johnson, Reggie Hamilton, Steve Lawson, Stu Hamm, Paul Turner, Julian Crampton, and Lorenzo Feliciati.
Presently, Greg showcases his musical talents in various ensembles, ranging from small Jazz groups to larger function bands. In addition, he regularly takes on a variety of dep, recording and session work, collaborating with a diverse group of multimedia composers and agencies. Notably, Greg is a passionate music lecturer who takes pleasure in imparting knowledge to aspiring professional musicians. Greg's teaching posts include: Professor of Bass Guitar and Jazz for the Royal Marines Band Service (since 2013): Professor of Bass Guitar at the Royal Military School of Music (since 2021) - both of which are now co-located at the Alford School of Music, Portsmouth. Furthermore, he has held the position of tenured Senior Lecturer of Developing the Musician at Solent University, Southampton (since 2016). In 2023, Greg also became the Course Leader for ESTA's Certificate for Music Educators (CME) programme of professional development for anyone teaching music.
A concise version of this is published within JESTA magazine - view it via this link https://www.flipsnack.com/estamagazine/jesta-winter-23.html