You can contact me by phone or email and depending on my availability we can schedule a time to meet at my studio. There's no charge for the initial consultation and it's usually about a half an hour. I think meeting in person is the best way for us to decide if it makes sense to work together. You can tell me about what you have in mind for yourself with guitar and music and we can decide where to go from there.
24 hours notice is required for all cancellations. If you cancel within 24 hours of your scheduled time, you are financially responsible for your time.
If 24 hours notice is given, the lesson will berescheduled to a time within 10 days of your original lesson. If your lesson cannot be rescheduled, then payment will be made for the missed lesson at your next regularly scheduled lesson.
If you notify me in advance that you are going to miss morethan a weeks worth of lessons, you are not required to pay for, or reschedule that time. However, unless it is paid for, your time will not be held for you.
You're always welcome to bring your guitar to your lesson. But many of my students find it more convenient to play one my guitars. There's also something to be said for playing a guitar that's different from your own. You might find it gives you a fresh perspective on your playing.
I tend to focus on Rock and Blues guitar, but I like to get into a wide range of music with my students. We can explore Country, Folk, Bluegrass, Reggae, Jazz, Bossa Nova, Standards, Pop, Alternative, Punk, Surf, New Wave, Disco, Funk, R&B, and Soul. It just depends on what you want to do and what fits the mood.
Absolutely. Whether you're buying your first guitar or bass, or you want to upgrade to a more high-end instrument, I'll help you make the choice that's right for you without spending more money than you need to. If you're looking to purchase equipment for live performance, or home recording on your computer, we'll explore all of your options and design the performance and/or recording set up that will give you the best results. It's usually a lot simpler than you'd think.
Whether you want to play simple bass lines or explore more advanced techniques like slapping and popping, we can get into it all. I really encourage my students who want to play bass to learn some basics on guitar while you're getting started. It might seem like an unnecessary detour, but it will actually make everything easier. You'll develop a better understanding of how songs work as well as the ability to give and take with other musicians, especially guitarists.
Writing songs has always been a big part of my teaching. If you've never written a song before, I can help you get started. If you've written songs in the past and maybe you feel a little stuck, I can help you tune into a new level of creativity. There is no one "right way" to write a song, but whatever stage you're at I can help you bring out the music that's already inside you.
Developing your performance skills and overall stage presence has always been a focus of my teaching. There are thousands of nuances that make up a performance, but here are a few examples of different aspects of performing that I can help you develop: We'll explore physicality, how to feel more relaxed on stage, your relationship to the audience, how to work with a microphone, song choice (one of the most under appreciated aspects of developing a live performance), equipment choices, not mention your singing and playing.
I've guided many students over the years through various aspects of home recording. I recommend GarageBand to anyone getting started. It's a very accessible program that comes with every Apple computer. While it's very simple, it's also very powerful and will allow you to go very far as a recording artist.
Many students want to explore more professional applications like Logic and ProTools. I can help you get to know and use these programs as well. Whatever you learn in GarageBand can be applied in many ways to Logic and Pro Tools. Since Logic is also an Apple product it will actually accept GarageBand files directly. The technology available today is amazing, but it's important to remember that it will never replace the human experience of actually creating the music.
