FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
50% off first lesson!
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
I'll begin a first lesson with the following items and questions: - What struck your interest in guitar? - Are you brand new to the instrument or have some experience? Have you taken lessons before? - Who are some of your influences in guitar or music in general? - What do you know about the guitar and/or can you play some music for me to show where you are at? - Let's learn a song you want and find some introductory items to learn associated with that song! Regardless of level of player, there are going to be several pieces that are essential to becoming a solid player. That includes but is not limited to: - basic open chords, riffs, tuning, and knowledge of the physical instrument - Music theory vocabulary: What is a major, minor, a 'bend', 'pull-off', scale, chord, arpeggio, etc. - Use of the metronome during daily practice - Pentatonic Scale - CAGED system Country and Blues styled playing includes all of the items above but is more specialized to certain scales and techniques: - Technique related exercises, strumming patterns and synchronization of the strumming hand. - Active listening: learning songs by ear - Understanding the Major scale and associated variations of that scale (Minor, Minor 7th, Dominant 7th, Minor 7th b5) - Soloing over Chord tones - Introductory common Country and Blues riffs - Sliding Pentatonic Scale - Pedal-Steel Guitar Licks - 6th and 3rd related guitar licks - Hybrid Picking, Chicken Picking, Alternate Picking, Sweep Picking - "Jimi Hendrix" riffs
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I started playing guitar at 8 years old under and was initially taught by Steve Borst in Upstate New York. I joined the jazz band in high school and was a part of that for three years. I took a multitude of different music courses at the University of Colorado Boulder, where I majored in Economics. I later started taking more lessons under well acclaimed guitar teacher Travis Raab in Los Angeles for a couple years, learning various Country, Blues and Jazz vocabulary. During that time, I was a guitar, bass, vocal and show instructor at the School of Rock franchise (West LA, Venice, Pasadena) for a year and a half. From then I have been in my own metal band "Felon 13" and have been performing with different country/blues musicians in Los Angeles at Desert 5 Spot, The Brig (Venice), Club Tee Gee, Viper Room, etc.