David Whitaker Guitar and Saxophone Teacher

Introduction: I teach both beginning and advanced guitar and Saxophone, and I have been teaching privately and in groups for the past five years. As a teacher, I specialize in helping my students develop confidence and a strong sense of themselves as a musician. I love working with students at all levels, from beginning to advanced, and I teach all styles, including rock, pop, blues, funk/soul, jazz, folk and country. I customize my lessons to meet my student’s needs. Whether they are advanced or just learning to play, I make sure all my students have a strong foundation in music fundamentals. For example, if you are just beginning along with the learning of simple songs, chord progressions and melodies, I focus on posture, tuning and understanding the parts of the guitar and Saxophone. With my more advanced students, I work more on soloing technique, advanced chord forms and progressions, songwriting, arranging and performance skills. My passion is using music as a transformational tool to bridge people and cultures together through the poetry of shared experience. I'm a strong believer in working on discovering what works best for you to nurture your musical vision. I'm patient and persistent in my approach, as I help my students move to the next level with confidence and ease. I've been playing guitar since I was nine years old and Sax since Twenty, and I've been a part of the music scene of bay area for over 40 years. Along with teaching, I love performing and writing my own music, and in the past three years, I have had the opportunity to play with some amazing musicians in over 30 venues in the bay area. Here are a few testimonials: David gave me one of my first lessons on guitar when I started to take it seriously. He would breakdown the parts we would play, such as rhythm and melody, and how they work together. This would also include how to be supportive in the context of a song, keeping time, listening to the other players and using your role as a rhythm or lead player to best serve the song. He demonstrated patience, enthusiasm and passion in learning how to play. These are skills that I use today. -Walter Jebe, Menlo Park I have known David for two years, and from the start I was impressed by his great passion and feel for music. His wonderful energy and kind-hearted nature, along with his ability to communicate with clarity and sensitivity, are important gifts for a teacher. He also has great capacity for mutual learning and collaboration. I am lucky to experience his contagious enthusiasm on a regular basis and learn in his good company! -Clara Rubin-Smith McKie, San Francisco Mr. Whitaker is very knowledgeable and patient for every skill level. My son has made wonderful progress and enjoys learning and playing the guitar. -Ellen Olson (Ryan Olson), South San Francisco