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...
lessons
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...
Learning how to sing properly takes work. For those of us, who sing in bands, churches, choirs, and teach, we can forget how important proper breathing exercises matter. Singing and voice lessons can help you reach your musical goals. Some topics I cover in my private voice lessons are: 1. Singing the vowels. A E I O U. Singing them in a major or minor scale, will help you understand how words sound and feel when we sing them. 2. Learning how to breathe properly when singing a song....
I was asked this question from the mom of a possible student. She was wondering if her 6 year old son was too young to start guitar lessons. In my opinion, children can start learning and understanding music as early as 5 months old. One of my friends is the director of Music Together / Colombia Ridge here in the Camas/ Washougal WA area. We've had quite a few conversations about early musical development in pre schoolers. She and Music Together believe that there is music inside all of us,...
I am asked by a lot of beginning banjo students which book to purchase. I recommend Alred's Teach Yourself to play Banjo.. But choose me as your banjo teacher. It's very easy to comprehend and I like the way the book is laid out. It talks about bluegrass, claw hammer, and frailing in a way that is easy for the beginning student to understand Taking banjo lessons is fun. and for some people, it's actually easier than starting guitar lessons. The chords are often one or two finger,...
trim.DnHcJs This is a quick and short demo of me playing my 5 string dojo from Goldtone. It has the neck and tuning of a 5 string banjo. The body style is like a dobro, with two stereo pickups. It's a very unique sound for a banjo / dobro hybrid. It stays in tune and plays easy. Hope you like it! I have opening for 5 string banjo lessons here in Vancouver,...
Taking guitar lessons can be fun and challenging. It helps to have a good guitar to learn with. Above is a picture of my Tayor T5 electric / acoustic guitar. It's known as a hybrid guitar. It has the ability to sound like an acoustic guitar. With a switch of a knob, you have four different pick up selections to choose from. Neck, bridge, Gretsch and Fender Strat tone. Teaching guitar, I have discovered that it is important to find a guitar that is easy to play and stays in tune. When...
Here in Vancouver Wa, we have a lot of good teachers who teach electric guitar, with private lessons. Playing electric guitar, is way different than playing acoustic guitar, for more than the oblivious reasons. Playing an electric guitar has the same similar characteristics like acoustic guitar: you have to be able to play chords, know music theory, be able to finger pick, and know your scales. Playing an electric guitar involves using a amplifier, pedals for effects, and...
The summer is a great time to learn a new instrument...5 string banjo has become my favorite. It's very easy to learn, and there are a few good instruction books I use when I teach. My lessons cover: bluegrass or Earl Scruggs, frailing or claw hammer style, and the Woody Guthrie folk style. I teach music theory with my banjo lessons, so you will know why the chords are, they way they were written. Understanding the Circle of 5ths will open your improvisational skills. I use some IPad...
Mandolin has become popular again with all ages. Here in Vancouver, WA, we have a strong bluegrass music scene, along with roots/ Americana music. Mandolin fits right in, tone wise and has a rich musical tradition. Learning to play a mandolin can seem hard. But if you have a patient teacher ( like myself ) use a good music instruction book, and take time to practice, you will learn quickly. Open position mandolin chords ( also known as two finger chords) are easy to learn. I encourage my...