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!
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		Imogen Heap - Grammy Award Winner (Feb 10) 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.

		Ghost of a Thousand (Feb 10) Brighton’s finest heavy punk rock band, Ghost of a Thousand, filled the BIMM Bristol live room with down-to-earth tales of their experiences in the music industry. Drummer Memby Jago and guitarist Andy Blyth are both BIMM graduates which gave our Bristol musicians an exciting and tangible account of the transition from student to professional musician. The band passionately advocated the importance of commitment, a strong work ethic and the necessity of communication and fellowship. They played out 4 songs before closing the masterclass to chat to our musicians and sign the wall.

		Guthrie Govan Masterclass (Feb 10) Fresh from playing a faultless set at the BIMM Bristol Night of Guitars, Guthrie set up an open forum for our musicians to explain how he achieves the impossible. Various aspects Guthrie looked at included how to use non diatonic notes, improvisation and how to achieve a huge sonic variety from a guitar and one amp setting.

		The Specials Bassist Sir Horace Gentleman (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.

		Amy Winehouse’s backing singer Zalon Thompson (Jan 09) Amy Winehouse’s backing singer Zalon Thompson visited BIMM Bristol for an inspiring masterclass. Zalon contributed to the phenomenal 50x platinum success and historical 5 Grammy win. He has worked alongside some of the world’s biggest artists such as Mariah Carey and Black Eyed Peas. Zalon’s debut album is co-produced with Grammy award winner Mark Ronson and will be released later this year. His masterclass covered a variety of areas including songwriting and performance technique.

		Ozzy Osbourne’s Guitarist - Gus G (Feb 10) Heavy metal guitarist Gus G took to the stage at the Colsten 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.

		Acoustic Guitarist, Clive Carroll (Feb 10) Acoustic Guitarist Clive Carroll gave an inspirational masterclass on composition & arrangement techniques for guitar. Clive is one of the UK’s leading acoustic guitarists and has worked extensively with Tommy Emmanuel and John Renbourn and released 3 studio albums to date. Clive demonstrated how to create your own solo guitar composition through the analysis of various works. Topics of discussion included fundamental structure, contrasting sections, rates of harmonic & rhythmic change and melodic contour.

		Guthrie Govan Guitar Masterclass (Nov 09) Guthrie Govan recently took a break from his hectic performance schedule with Dizzee Rascal to pay a visit to BIMM Bristol for a masterclass. In front of a live room crammed to the rafters with the entire guitar department Guthrie answered an array of questions and showcased his jaw-dropping technique. With the floor open to questions throughout, students were able to direct the session themselves and questions ranged from soloing over Giant Steps to hybrid picking and tips on improvisation. Ever the gentleman Guthrie was on hand afterwards to answer even more questions and sign copies of his ’Erotic Cakes’ CD. Another masterful performance and we look forward to the next one!

		Head of A&R Felix Howard - EMI Music Publishing (Nov 09) Felix Howard, Head of A&R at EMI Music Publishing, charmed our musicians with his stories of working with Amy Winehouse and Sugababes, writing top-lines and producing fresh talent. He made no secrets about the industry, the current state of deals and expectations of up and coming artists. His masterclass was an honest and realistic look at opportunities for new songwriters and performers. EMI Music Publishing UK is home to songwriters such as Mark Ronson, Kasabian, The White Stripes, Amy Winehouse and Guy Chambers. They are committed to sponsor BIMM songwriters of the future. They are the sponsors of our degree-level songwriting course at the college, and will also give two individual students funding support. For more information contact our recruitment department now on 0844 2 646 666.

		Grammy Award Winning Film Composer - David Arnold (Nov 09) David Arnold made a special visit to BIMM Bristol to hold a masterclass. He discussed his journey from warehouse worker to Britain’s most talented and respected composers, best know for scoring five James Bond films, Independence Day and Little Britain. David’s message was simple, ’stick to what you believe in, create your own network and remain loyal to it’. He told our musicians some great anecdotes about working with Isaac Hayes and Ben Stiller. He gave insight into how beneath the glamorous facade of Hollywood, there is a great ethic of hard work, tight deadlines and working in some bizarre conditions.