ICMP was delighted to recently welcome bass player and rock and roll expert Ben Ellis for an exclusive masterclass.
Ben has enjoyed a great music industry career, playing with some of the best in the business including current gigs with Iggy Pop and the huge stage show Gütterdammerung.
During the class he gave his insight into how he started out as well as giving advice on how to land those high profile jobs.
Commenting on his route into the industry, Ben said:
Playing in bands was something I wanted to do more than anything else. A lot of people are talented at different things and have to work out what it is they have to focus on. But for me, the bass was the one thing I was good at so it was obvious road to go down."
On how he got started playing with Iggy Pop, Ben said:
I was on tour with a blues guy and got a call about a gig with an art rock band. I was sent 15 songs to learn while on this other tour, learned them and went for an audition. It turned out that two of Iggy's band members including Iggy's guitarist Kevin Armstrong played in this group. It went from there."
Are you looking to study bass in London?
If you're interested in taking a bass degree course at ICMP London music school, then please get in touch with our Admissions Team. Contact them by calling 020 7328 0222 or emailing enquiries@icmp.ac.uk.