Today we’d like to introduce you to Giovanni Serra.
Hi Giovanni, we’d love for you to start by introducing yourself.
I’m an Italian freelance bassist, electric bass teacher qualified at the Modern Music Institute, live and studio performer and digital content creator in the music sector. My musical career began in the 90’s and 2000’s, playing in some local bands with which I had the opportunity to perform live and make my first experiences in the recording studio (Silver Blade, Axioma, Isola Song).
Over the years I have taken up the study of the instrument in an increasingly serious and constant way, starting collaborations with new bands and musicians and actively participating in projects that include different styles and musical genres. This led me to play continuously and at a professional level throughout Sardinia and in some areas of Italy (Millennium, Newave).
I have also collaborated actively on a compositional level with various bands, including Terrorway and Acts of Tragedy, with whom he recorded several albums that received excellent international reviews, and participated in various tours and opening performances together with great international names of metal music (Soulfly, Jinjer, Cannibal Corpse, Marduk, Pain of Salvation, M-Pire of Evil and many more).
From 2019 I continue my studies on the electric bass (harmony and instrument), graduating from the MMI (Modern Music Institute directed by Alex Stornello) with the teacher Giorgio Terenziani and then I continue my musical studies with the masters Alex Stornello amd Emilio Capalbo (advanced harmony) and Massimo Carloni (rhythmic music theory).
I’m sure it wasn’t obstacle-free, but would you say the journey has been fairly smooth so far?
Looking back, it was not an easy road, but my passion for music and the electric bass helped me to overcome many difficulties. Also, not being a professional musician right away, I had to do other jobs during my studies, and that definitely complicated things.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
As mentioned above I am a bass player and electric bass teacher but I like to think of myself as a musician in general also because with time and experience I have developed other skills. For example:
I really enjoy playing live and touring. I work as a performer for several bands and artists (also for temporary replacements and last minute emergencies), playing and touring, opening for big international names. Another part of my job that I really like is recording studio sessions: on location or remotely from my home studio, with active participation in the creative and compositional phase of writing a song or album if needed. And finally as a composer: I listen carefully to what the client wants and always suggest the best solution if he’s not sure how a bass part should sound or what kind of arrangement the song should have. In my opinion, it is this last quality that can be the difference between me and other bass players.
What would you say have been one of the most important lessons you’ve learned?
One of the most important lessons I have learned over the years is that nothing is easy in music. We must always try to study and learn from other musicians and remain humble, knowing that there will always be someone much better than us and that our contribution to music may even be insignificant. We are fortunate to be creative people and do a beautiful job trying to communicate the “beauty” of music to our listeners.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.gioverkill.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/gioverkill/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/gioverkill
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gioverkill1
