I am a professional bass player with over 20 years of playing experience and close to 15 years of teaching experience. Along the way I've helped numerous bass players on PEI develop from a person with a bass to a functioning musician. I love guiding students through thoughts of studying bass after high school, to months of audition preparation, through university acceptance bliss, through hearing stories of success from around the globe from former students - working, gigging, and now teaching bassists.

I work full time in IT, teach the classical bass program at UPEI and am a busy father of five, but I love to make the most of the limited free time I have to give lessons in Jazz, Classical, Funk, Rock, etc. on upright, fretted, or fretless bass. I am also very happy to help with university audition prep, theory exam prep, and more.

Whether rock, funk, classical, or jazz...above all...you shall groove.

Bass instruction (Upright and Electric) focused on:

• Proper technique application and development
• Ear training and transcription creation
• Various styles of chart reading (notes, fake book, chord analysis, and more ) 
• Practical application of theory concepts
• Groove
  

Music theory instruction focused on:

• An easy common sense approach that relatively easy to understand
• Usability in everyday musical life in practice and in performance
• Simplified charts to organize important concepts

Contact info@dbass.ca

Devin Hornby - Professional Bassist, Bass Instructor at Holland College School of Performing Arts

"Deryl is a well-rounded and knowledgeable bass player who is also a great teacher. He was a bass teacher of mine before I went on to study music at the post-secondary level and I count him as one of the important musical mentors in my life."

Patrick Reid (bassist/composer - Fieldtrip, Christine/Ingrid Jensen, Joel Miller)

"Aside from his many accomplishments as a double and electric bassist, Deryl is also a very gifted communicator. He was my first instructor on both of these instruments and was instrumental in my early development as a reliable bassist."

Rheo Rochon, award-winning bassist, composer and producer based in Halifax. (Keith Hallett, Cyndi Cain, The Chronos Band)

"Deryl's friendly, relaxed, and fun approach to teaching was a perfect fit for me, and I always looked forward to our weekly lessons. His students greatly benefit from his deep knowledge and understanding of music. In the space of just a year he brought me from a non-reader who knew no theory to passing the entrance audition to Humber College's music program."

James Wright - bass student at Holland College School of Performing Arts, bassist for several local bands

"My high school music appreciation teacher recommended Deryl Gallant as a private bass instructor. I knew right away that taking lessons from him would be the best move for me to make as a Bass Player. Those next couple of years I really learned the true roles of a bass player, how to take care of business and also how to be more creative on my instrument. Deryl taught me how to be my own musician, not just a band member in a group. It really helped set me up with the later decisions I made to apply and study at Holland College’s Music Performance Program. He has guided me through every question I had about not only becoming a bass player, but becoming a professional musician. "