FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
1 Hour $45, 45 Minutes $35, 30 Minutes $20
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
It all starts with a message in your initial contact to me. Ideas for your message: What got you into guitar? Your favorite players and bands. Its recommend that beginners take 1 hour lessons.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
My journey in music began as a passionate fan, which quickly evolved into a commitment to learn and perform in bands. I started playing guitar in the mid-1980s and took my first lessons in the early 1990s with a music college graduate. Our sessions focused on scales, scale progressions, key signatures, early rock patterns, bends, licks, and advanced techniques. I later worked with another instructor who emphasized staff reading and chromatic exercises while we bonded over discussions about bands like The Misfits. As I progressed, I had a teacher who encouraged me to write songs as part of my weekly practice, exploring various genres such as funk, blues, rock, jazz, and flamingo music, along with advanced theory like chord construction. Simultaneously, I was actively playing in bands, writing songs, performing live, and recording music. Currently, I play with Do Not Push, a straight-edge hardcore band from Orlando. My experience in bands has provided invaluable hands-on learning opportunities, where I’ve taught my parts to others and engaged in a collaborative exchange of musical ideas. This environment has greatly influenced my approach to teaching, with my first student being a friend of the band. As I delved deeper into teaching, I reviewed numerous method books focused on heavy music, as well as materials from major music colleges. This research has equipped me to draw lessons from a wide range of hardcore songs, from their inception to the present, including classic thrash. I utilize specific songs to teach techniques such as sweep picking, scale sequences, fast picking, and down picking—there's a song for nearly every concept! Being a music enthusiast, I have honed my ear training skills by learning riffs and entire songs, including Life of Agony’s *River Runs Red* album. I continue to learn covers and songs from my favorite albums, such as Mindwar’s *Still At War*, as well as tracks from Sick Of It All, Terror, and Crown Of Thronz. This practice has significantly enhanced my understanding of ear training, rhythmic patterns, and their application in songwriting. I also employ various software tools to transcribe music and facilitate my ear training. My studies encompass a wide range of topics, including time signatures, rhythm, scales, modes, and various picking techniques, all of which contribute to my teaching methodology. I have participated in numerous music courses offered by Chernobyl Studios, CreativeLive, Pro Mix Academy, and Spectra Academy, covering subjects from songwriting to digital guitar tones, recording, mixing, and mastering.