BIMM GUESTS

Check out the latest special guest musicians and music industry professionals who have visited BIMM to talk to students and sign our Wall of Shame!
(Click on images for enlargements + icons for downloads)

	All Guests Top 10 Guest Chart Musicians + Bands Managers + Producers Other Music Industry Guests Archive

		Blues Guitarist Matt Schofield (May 10) Blues guitarist Matt Schofield gave an inspiring masterclass on his approach to the guitar. Matt is one of Britain’s leading blues guitarists and is rated next to iconic artists Eric Clapton and Peter Green in Guitar & Bass Magazine. The session included improvised blues solos and discussions on setting up a good tone, targeting specific notes while soloing, improvising while using chord tones and tips on how to stand out from the average Blues guitarist. Matt ended this enjoyable and informative session by getting some of BIMM Bristol’s musicians to jam with him on stage.

		Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews visits BIMM (June 10) Multi-award winner and Kasabian drummer Ian Matthews came into BIMM Bristol to run a masterclass and Q&A on his career. Ian talked about the pivotal moment when the band made it big - landing with the V Festival headlining slot back in 2007. Ian demonstrated various ideas to a loop as the students came into the studio, and explained how his path as a drummer from the age of 3 (first paid gig at 7!) enabled him to use various playing styles such as waltzes, strict tempo ballroom and latin in a creative manner. He then played along to a few Kasabian tracks to demonstrate his point. This featured a re-orchestrated jazz composition pattern which followed into a ’glam rock’ style groove and a samba pattern, interspersed with some funk/hip hop grooves. To wrap up the afternoon Ian presented a £1500 charity cheque from BIMM to Angela Emms at The Rainbow Charity – a charity which supports children and their families affected by illness.

		Billy Sheehan - Mr Big’s Bass Masterclass (April 10) Legendary bass player Billy Sheehan, whose use of chording, two-handed tapping, and right hand "three finger picking" technique, wowed a packed out live room. He spoke about his influences from his formative years leading up to the present day. Billy discussed working with Dave Lee Roth, Steve Vai, Greg Bisonette, Denis Chambers, life on the road and his equipment set up. Billy did not only perform phenomenally on the bass, but inspired all our musicians with his humility, humour and passion.

		Newton Faulkner - Acoustic guitar session (Feb 10) Singer songwriter Newton Faulkner came into BIMM Bristol for a masterclass. Newton gave insight into his musical upbringing and self-development. He discussed with great passion, the influences and genres that inspired him and the elements of rhythm he studied to help hone his skills. Newton talked about the percussive tones of his guitar, modifications he had made and showed the wear and tear of his instrument that came from his particular playing style. Head of Guitar, Stuart Ryan and Head of Songwriting, Kieron Pepper led the Q&A and discussed a variety of areas including guitar technique, style and his range of various tunings. These questions were interlaced with questions on his songwriting process and work ethic for live and studio. Throughout the session, Newton demonstrated his points with incredible playing and effortless singing. BIMM musicians were treated to a performance of songs which included a cover of Massive Attack’s ’Teardrop’.

		Imogen Heap - Grammy Award Winner (Feb 10) Prolific singer songwriter and Grammy award-winner Imogen Heap created an almighty buzz when she visited BIMM Bristol for a masterclass. Imogen effortlessly gave an informative and inspirational account of her songwriting process, her passion for pushing boundaries in live performance and experiences in the music business. She gave insight into her classic track ‘Hide and Seek’ giving line-for-line a complete breakdown of the original concept to the final touches. Before leaving for her soundcheck at the O2 Academy Imogen extended her hospitality by inviting some of our musicians to her gig that night. Image supplied by the Bristol Evening Post.

		Gus G - Ozzy Osbourne’s Guitarist (Feb 10) Heavy metal Firewind guitarist Gus G took to the stage at the Colston Hall for a masterclass. He blazed through a set of Firewind songs demonstrating his technique and speed metal solo’s. The flawless performance gave our musicians an up close look at what it takes to be hired by Ozzy Osbourne. Gus answered questions on technique, his signature guitars and tour experiences.

		Colin Doran from Hundred Reasons (June 10) Colin Doran, lead singer from UK rock band Hundred Reasons gave an insightful masterclass on how to get started in the music industry, getting deals, finding management, writing lyrics and melodies, tour tips for vocalists and warm up exercises. The talk was both inspiring and practical with advice on overcoming onstage nerves, the importance of creating the ’buzz’ and how to make music your career. Now working in the field of music rights clearance for Playstation on a number of their flagship games, Colin was able to show how the contacts you make whilst in a band open up avenues into the music industry way beyond simply playing or recording.

		Mikee Goodman vocalist from Sikth (May 10) Metal vocalist Mikee Goodman treated the BIMM Bristol students to an extremely informative Master Class. He covered lyric writing, vocal techniques and warm up routines, as well as reiterating the importance of a strong work ethic and common goals between band members when planning a promotional campaign. Mikee shared his views on people who have influenced him and even gave a quick preview of some forthcoming material from a collaborative project with Adrian Smith from Iron Maiden. Students stayed on afterwards to pay respects and get autographs before Mikee signed the Live Room wall.

		Sir Horace Gentleman - The Specials Bassist (Feb 10) The Special’s bassist Sir Horace Gentleman captivated our musicians with anecdotes and opinions on music and music production. He spoke about his personal development and his career, from the early Coventry years up to the recent triumphant revival shows. He stayed after the masterclass to talk to individual bass players about technique and sign CDS for fans.

		Ralph Salmins - UK’s Leading session Drummer (March 10) Ralph Salmins came into BIMM Bristol to share his knowledge and experience as one of the UKs leading session drummers. Ralph has worked alongside some of the biggest names in the music business including Van Morrison, Madonna, Elton John, George Martin, Chaka Khan, Robbie Williams and Bjork. He works extensively with the BBC and has recorded over 100 movie soundtracks such as Bridget Jones Diary, Moulin Rouge, The Last King of Scotland and Lord of the Rings: Return of the Ring. Ralph looked at the role of session playing in the current market today and the skills required to carve a successful career. He performed various tracks and demonstrated the importance of time and how to work on ‘humanising the click’. It was an enlightening and entertaining afternoon with a drum master! Ralph said "It was great to be at BIMM Bristol and very heartening to be with a room full of musicians who are all on the same wavelength... into music with a thirst for knowledge."