Guitar is, first and foremost, a PHYSICALLY DEMANDING instrument. Therefore, the first thing I focus on with students is developing the PHYSICAL skills needed to play it. I concentrate on refining the core physical movements and, in the process, teach them the essentials of music as a whole, so they are well-prepared for any music they wish to learn.

 

For example, when someone learns piano, it is incredibly easy to produce a good sound right away (literally the first time you sit at a piano and play it). All you have to do is press the keys (which requires absolutely zero strength), and you get a perfectly beautiful sound. Now, contrast this with the guitar, where there are WAY MORE ELEMENTS that need to be executed correctly to achieve a similarly perfect, beautiful sound. The amount of effort, willpower, and strength required for the guitar is exponentially greater than what the piano demands. This is why the guitar presents such a challenge for people, but it is also what makes it such a satisfying and thrilling instrument to learn..

 

Learning the guitar is like climbing a mountain—a very rough, rugged mountain. You start at the absolute bottom, and EVERYONE starts at the absolute bottom (yes, including Jimi Hendrix, Eddie Van Halen, and all the greats). Slowly, through much trial, error, and perseverance, you climb higher up the mountain, finding ways to pull yourself up to higher ground by grabbing onto rough, spiky branches, stones with little grip, and crumbling bits of earth that fall apart in your hands..

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The name of the game is repetition; reps, repeats, loops and retries, over and over and over again. And while this may not sound very enticing, consider that when people play video games, they essentially do this EXACT thing. They get you to repeat a certain action (with your hands) over and over again until you get it right. I realized this when I first started teaching and it inspired me to create a series of games and systems that turn the fundamental skill building exercises into an experience similar to a video-game. I was so happy to find that it worked so well for all my students; they built up the necessary fundamental skills and approached it with that same "I'm gonna beat this" mentality as anybody who plays videogames has experienced. I use these systems constantly with every single student; they are the essential core of my teaching strategy and create guitarist with rock solid fundamental skills.

 

But that being said, learning guitar is still a huge challenge, ESPECIALLY if you do it all by yourself. Imagine trying to climb a mountain all by yourself just using YouTube videos as a guide - it's a BAD IDEA. Having a teacher and a guide is CRITICAL, because you need someone who is at a much higher point of the mountain who can direct you where to go. That is my role. I know how I journeyed up the mountain and how students can do the same. I point out which branches to grab, which paths to walk, which actions to keep repeating. From this process, ALL of my students climb higher and higher up the mountain, building self-confidence, will-power and an increasingly better guitar-playing ability.

 

In the process of this the fundamentals of music are taught. Through the many repetitions, rhythm is taught (because that's what rhythm essentially is, a sound REPEATED at a steady interval), riffs are taught, melodies, chord progressions, solos and most importantly to me: the ability to CREATE ORIGINAL MUSIC. I am not a teacher who only teaches how to copy other peoples music. That has its place, but I get students as soon as possible to start CREATING things on guitar, making their own music and finding the joy in that. This is what keeps guitar fresh and exciting, a balanced combination of learning already written music and then taking the skills you learned to start making your own music (and trust me, sometimes it's easier and more fun to make your own music rather than copying someone else's music!).

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This is my approach to teaching and if it resonates with you, scroll down to start your journey up the guitar mountain!

 

My Credentials

·         Professional Guitar Teacher since 2015

·         RGT Certified

·         250 + Students over past 8 eight years

·         3000+ Hours of Lessons