San Francisco Bay Area Bass Teachers

Mirco Melone

Mirco Melone is a multi-faceted, multi-instrumental musician who loves to further his knowledge of the languages and forms of all music. He has collaborated as a musician and arranger in the studio with various Italian bands and songwriters, and divides his time between playing live and in the studio as well as teaching bass guitar and double bass and composing original music.

Mirco is a bass and double bass player and musical arranger from Bologna, Italy who currently lives in Alameda, California. Mirco began studying bass guitar at the age of fourteen in Imola, Italy with renowned teacher Pierluigi Mingotti. He initially played rock/classic rock, pop, and funk, but has since broadened his interests to include electronic and ethnic music as well as jazz and classical music. He has played in many tribute, cover, and local rock bands. He holds advanced degrees from Italy’s Classical Music Conservatory “Bruno Maderna”.

Between 2007 and 2013 he studied double bass at the Classical Music Conservatory "Bruno Maderna" in Cesena with Maestro Giovanni Valgimigli. He earned diplomas in theory and solfeggio, the double bass, and harmony. In 2012 he attended the "Marco Allegri" classical music summer courses in Castrocaro Terme (FC), where he had the opportunity to study with internationally renowned teachers and perform in chamber concerts with the well-known conductor Robin O'Neill. In 2013 he continued studies in technique and jazz with Maestro Stefano Senni and has since participated in several jazz and classical music master classes with important international artists.

Mirco taught bass guitar and double bass at Music Action in Imola from 2006 to 2017 and at the Music Academy of Faenza from 2008 to 2017. He also planned and taught music classes in elementary and middle schools as well as at summer programs.

Before moving to Alameda, CA in June 2017, he most recently performed throughout Italy in the following bands: Gli Taliani (re-arrangement of Italian singer/songwriter music), Hot Club of Bologna (repertoire including 1930s/40s music, D. Reinhardt, D. Ellington), Purple Trio (blues/jazz repertoire) and the Wedding Crashers, playing various genres of music at weddings.

Anthony Leone

Anthony began learning trumpet and music theory at age 11 in Tampa, FL. By age 12, he was learning guitar and playing trumpet in big band style jazz ensembles, marching band and concert band. By age 15, he started his own band and composing his own material. At age 18, Anthony was performing music all over Florida whether it was playing trumpet with the North End Community Jazz Band at the Orlando Jazz Fest, or playing guitar and singing in his original rock band at venues in the Tampa Bay area. 

After some extensive traveling throughout North and South America, Anthony wanted to learn more about Afro-Latin rhythms and poly-rhythms and joined an Afro-Peruvian ensemble in Santa Cruz, CA. From 2008-2014, he played trumpet, bass and cajon drum in this ensemble and sang in Spanish. The experience inspired Anthony to incorporate this new style with his existing knowledge of music theory and composition and in 2015, started working on his second original ensemble. The group formed in Santa Cruz, CA and has been playing venues and festivals around the Bay Area since 2016. Anthony composes most of the group's material and performs on vocals, trumpet, guitar, bass, percussion, synthesizer, drum pad and loop pedal.

Anthony has been teaching guitar professionally since age 24, whether privately or through agencies, in Tampa, FL and Santa Cruz, CA. He now resides in Oakland, CA where he is continuing his endeavors in performing original material and teaching individuals how to do so themselves. 

Christopher Main

Christopher Main is a guitarist/composer/educator based in the San Francisco Bay Area. Christopher earned a Bachelor of music degree in Jazz Studies from San Jose State University where he studied under some great local musicians such as Rick Vandivier, Aaron Lington, John Shifflett and Frank Sumares. 

Since receiving his degree Christopher has been teaching and playing shows in the Bay Area. Christopher currently works as a sideman and a band leader leading his own quintet of original music. A large portion of Christopher's original music can be heard off of his recent debut album entitled "Moving On". 

Andrew Kunz

Andrew Kunz began learning piano at the age of 6, quickly embracing the fundamentals of classical piano music before picking up the guitar at the age of 9. As he quickly progressed at piano and guitar at an uncanny pace thanks to his great teachers along with his good ear and enthusiasm for practicing, his musical pursuits began to diversify as he grew up. His focus expanded into learning music theory, ear-training, jazz, rock and composition alongside increasingly advanced classical repertoire on his respective instruments. In high school, his interest in new instruments grew to bass and drums and he became the drummer for his high school jazz band as a freshman. Before finishing high school he gained extensive performance experience on all four of his instruments in ensembles both in and outside of school, preparing him for a burgeoning music career in college and beyond. 

Upon starting college in 2009, Andrew began pursuing two degrees at once - environmental studies and music- at University of California, Santa Cruz where he studied piano performance and ear-training with Maria Ezerova, Ph.D., a graduate of the Moscow Conservatory. As he focused on the piano repertoire of the greats including Bach, Haydn, Beethoven, Shubert and Debussy he also explored his love of jazz and modern music to new depths as the pianist for the UCSC small jazz combos and big band for several years. While in Santa Cruz he developed his voice as an artist, bandleader, composer, arranger and producer in his own groups and continues to hone these crafts today. Along with his foundation in western classical music his interests as a listener and performer currently include jazz, funk, soul, hip hop, rock and folk music to world music traditions such as west african music, classical North Indian music, balkan, afro-latin and caribbean music. 

In addition to performing and teaching, last year his knowledge led him to a project working under the tutelage of a master of classical Hindustani music where he helped edit, format and publish an instructional text book for beginners on the fundamentals of classical North Indian vocal music tradition. Now 27 and based in Oakland, CA, Andrew is an active performing and recording artist, having toured extensively up the west coast of the U.S. and Canada and has played at some of his favorite bay area music venues including the Kuumbwa Jazz Center, Yoshi's, Great American Music Hall and the Independent. 

While piano remains his primary instrument of focus, he maintains a high degree of proficiency playing and teaching guitar, bass and drums as well. His teaching style emphasizes cultivating and expanding upon each student's interests, strengths and learning patterns. Andrew focuses on making sure the student is engaged, challenged, having fun and always improving by providing a non-dogmatic, well-rounded approach to studying music. He looks forward to sharing his knowledge and joy of music with new students of all ages