I offer private guitar lessons for all ages and levels of ability. Yes, there is a difference between playing acoustic guitar and electric guitar. Which is easier to learn on? In my private one on one lessons, we focus in on a few things: Music theory: why chords and melody work together. You will learn how to recognize the chord patterns that are in your favorite songs. Technique: it requires certain left hand posture to accomplish playing certain chords. Playing on your finger tips,...

I like to use new technology and gear in my guitar lessons. Usually I will default to a new effects pedal, or an app that I have found. I just want to give a shout out / recommendation for  the ILoud Bluetooth speaker system. 40 watts, with a lot of low end, and the size is like those leather bonus bibles your parents have. It works well with running a mini 8 plug cable from your Ipad/ cell phone / laptop straight into the ILoud. Some are using this with their virtual guitar rigs. Or in...

You You are never too young or old to begin private guitar lessons. Couple of teacher tips: Learn on a guitar that stays in tune, and is easy to play. Yes, your finger tips will develop calluses in the beginning. But this takes time. Decide what you want to learn: playing acoustic or electric guitar. What kind of music? Blues, rock, country, Christian gospel. Make some measurable musical goals that you can measure/ define. Example: I want to be playing in a band in six months. Or I...

Here is a picture of the four electric guitars that I teach with. I use a Gretsch Black falcon, a Taylor T5 custom koa, a  Gibson 335 dot and a Fender telecaster with a B bender. Each guitar has a unique tone and personality of its own. in my guitar lessons, we talk about how to get great tones from your guitar. It starts with the volume and tone knobs. Often we just start of with a clean guitar sound. This helps you hear and understand what the guitar can do. Later in our guitar...

http://www.amazon.com/Wampler-Pedals-Paisley-Drive-Overdrive/dp/B00GJ0AIB6/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1386988329&sr=8-2&keywords=wampler+paisley+drive I teach guitar lessons here in Vancouver, WA. Part of my lesson plan is to teach my students how to use their gear ( effects, amps, etc) A lot of folks ask me what kind of overdrive pedals do I like to use? I am a big fan of Wampler pedals, especially his Paisley overdrive. Created in conjunction with Brad Paisley, this pedal offers an over...

Thanks for taking time to read my blog here. I've have a few new students who want to learn how to sing and play guitar at the same time. Or 5 string banjo, mandolin, lap steel or piano. It's possible, but one needs to focus on a few things. Voice lessons: one has to start with the basics: proper breathe control, support, technique and understanding music theory. It's one thing to stand and just sing. Quite another when you are playing an instrument. Vocally one must find the right key...

I am asked the following question: should I start beginning guitar lessons on an acoustic or an electric guitar? My recommendation is based on the following: 1. What kind of music do you want to play? Blues, country, jazz, folk, rock, gospel, bluegrass ? Are you a singer? Do you want to play lead guitar ( speed metal, blues fusion ) or do you like to strum and keep the music going with a strong backbeat? Who are your favorite artists. What's on your iPod / smart phone that you keep...

School is back in session. Now that our schedules are getting back to " normal" now is a great time to begin music lessons. I offer private music lessons for the following: guitar, voice, piano and keyboards, 5 string banjo, mandolin and lap steel guitars. Also, I teach music theory in a way that helps you understand the whys and how's of music. My students range from as young as 5 year old (guitar) to 57 and older ( I won't say who is the oldest) All of my students have this in...

Thinking about private guitar lessons? What kind of guitar should I purchase? How much should I spend on my first guitar? These are questions that come from all of my beginning students. The photograph attached to this blog is my 1973 Gibson J 45 deluxe. It was a pawn shop rescue: it needed some major repair. But one of my friends purchased it from a pawnshop in Nashville, Tenn. Got the J45 into a shop, repaired it and sold it to me. It still has some cracks and scratches, but has...

Lately I have been adding a lot of new students to my music lesson schedule. Starting with 5 string banjo, guitar, voice, keyboards and mandolin, it seems like everyone is ready to get back into private music lessons. One of the most asked questions I get is: " how much time should I spend practicing each day?" That's a good question and I will answer with the following: With a student roster of 25 students with ages ranging from 6 to 57 and above, all of our schedules are...