Mike's Guitar Studio
Top Pro
Offers remote services
Discounts available
Offers remote services
Discounts available
contact for price
Zip code
Student age
Interested musical styles
Sorry this pro can’t do your job, but we know other pros who can.
Introduction: Location: Manassas, Virginia (40 miles west of Washington, D.C.). Because of the pandemic, for the foreseeable future I only teach online lessons.
Studio Intro. Video: Please take a look, below.
Experience:
Over 55 years playing and teaching the guitar. Member of numerous bands (blues, folk, rock, jazz). Singer/songwriter. Recording engineer.
Students: 26 and over: beginner through advanced.
Music genres: Folk, country, rock, blues, jazz.
Specialties: Various rhythm and lead guitar styles. Travis finger picking. Music theory. Songwriting.
Cost: A 30 minute lesson costs $35.00. A 45 minute lesson costs $45.00. Monthly cost is a fixed fee of $140.00 for four 30 minute lessons, and $180.00 for four 45 minute lessons. In those months in which 5 lessons are scheduled you get one lesson free.
Over the years I have developed a teaching method which cuts through all the jargon and confusion and simplifies learning. I've arranged over 100 songs to include country, blues, rock, and jazz songs into easy to understand song sheets which include chord diagrams and melody/lead guitar tablature all of which are available to my students on my website. Additionally, on the website I have 13 jam tracks (and counting) to practice rhythm and lead. To make lead guitar instruction easier I've created a series of lead guitar videos which clearly show the logical steps to go from being a beginning lead guitar student to a seasoned jazz lead guitar player. These videos combined with my instruction make learning lead guitar fun and exciting!
With all aspects of the guitar, I try to make learning fun and productive. My most enjoyable teaching moments come when a student tells me he/she wishes the lesson was longer and he/she can't wait to get home to practice.
"You’re always learning about this thing, every time you pick it up” ~ Keith Richards
Overview
Current Top Pro
Hired 26 times
Background checked
1 employee
14 years in business
Payment methods
PayPal, Stripe
Currently a top pro
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Reviews
Customers rated this pro highly for work quality, professionalism, and value.
Exceptional 5.0
32 reviews
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Read reviews that mention:
Jane L.
Guitar Lessons
I decided to give guitar lessons another try after being self taught and feeling very limited in what I’d been able to teach myself, which is, admittedly… not a whole lot. I have to say, Mike is an absolute joy to work with and a wonderful teacher. I’m only on my 3rd lesson, but I can see clear improvement with my playing and I feel like I’ve learned so much already (and its not overwhelming, its just fun). My lessons with him have quickly become the highlight of my week and I find myself truly looking forward to my next lessons. I’ve tried a few teachers in the past but they never really seemed to understand I wanted to learn my instrument- not just a few songs to have in my back pocket. Of course learning songs is the ultimate goal, but I truly appreciate that Mike takes the time to use songs in order to teach the instrument itself and goes beyond just learning how to play some chords around the campfire that sound good. He also took the time to learn what I wanted to get out of my lessons and took into account the styles of music I wanted to play. He’s unbelievably patient, kind, clear, organized and supportive (which is huge for me because building up confidence with my playing is a major goal of mine). I just can’t say enough about how awesome he is and I feel like the sky is the limit with my playing now that I have found someone who is so knowledgeable and obviously loves being a teacher. Trust me, he rocks.
Nov 28, 2021
·Verified
Sharookh D.
Guitar Lessons
Mike has been helping me get back to playing guitar since a little over a month and is been great! His lessons cater to your knowledge level while also giving the right path to improving. Would highly recommend for a player at any level looking to up their playing skills.
Jun 26, 2021
·Verified
Joel S.
Guitar Lessons
I've been taking acoustic guitar lessons with Mike for the past few months. I am self-taught and played a lot in my teens and twenties, but less so in the past decade or so. I decided to pick it up again as my kids have gotten a bit older, and I've found myself looking for something to occupy my time and mind during Covid.
Mike has been playing and teaching for a long time. He has a firm grasp of both the technique and underlying theory, and he enjoys imparting his wisdom to his pupils. Mike has a no-nonsense attitude towards guitar and believes you get out of it what you'll put into it. After the first 2-3 lessons, he provided me with a detailed lesson plan that starts with learning of some half-dozen songs, roughly one per week, each of which are great to be able to play but also teach important techniques (base runs, double-stops, finger-picking, etc.) that can be incorporated into ones repertoire over time.
He's been demystified some concepts that I thought were far more complicated then they actually are, including connecting different pentatonic patterns and transitioning from playing scales to cool-sounding licks within scale patterns. He recognizes that concepts need to build upon one another, but that you can also advance pretty quickly if you're willing to put in the effort. Things that require effort, like playing with a metronome or practicing alternate picking, ultimately become second-nature and make you a better player. As he likes to say, practice doesn't make perfect. Practice makes permanent. You decide what you want to be your playing style (sloppy or clean) based on how you build it into muscle memory. Everything builds upon itself.
Mar 11, 2021
·Verified
Chris Z.
Guitar Lessons
On week 3 of lessons with Mike and it's been invaluable. I used to hate the metronome. I mean literally hated it. But following Mike's guidance I find it valuable to use and am applying it in all my practice sessions. Mike is patient and really pays attention during our lessons. I'm keeping better time and learning how to apply his advice into my practice sessions. I don't feel like I'm in a rut anymore.
Sep 5, 2021
·Verified
Matt C.
Guitar Lessons
I'm a 40-something beginner with no musical background. I've always wanted to play guitar. After several months of messing around with youtube videos and canned online lessons, I started working with Mike about 8 weeks ago. I'm really glad I did. He is a great instructor. He is patient and takes an interest in tailoring the learning plan to my interests and goals, he is responsive and sends notes after lessons, and he is very encouraging! As other reviewers have said, he emphasizes timing and practicing with a metronome, and he provides clear direction on how to spend practice time. For me, a busy professional with a family, this has been key. I see improvement in just a short time and am looking forward to continuing to work with Mike.
Aug 25, 2020
·Verified
Credentials
Background Check
Michael Rogers
FAQs
- What should the customer know about your pricing (e.g., discounts, fees)?
A 30 minute lesson costs $35.00. A 45 minute lesson costs $45.00. A 60 minute lesson costs $55.00. Monthly cost is a fixed fee of $140.00 for four 30 minute lessons, and $180.00 for four 45 minute lessons. In those months in which 5 lessons are scheduled you get one lesson free. I teach on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 1 to 6 (last lesson starts at 6 p.m.) and Saturdays from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. I accept PayPal and Credit Cards
- What is your typical process for working with a new customer?
During our first lesson we'll discuss your goals, music interests, etc. I'll use this information to set up a plan to help you meet your goals and discuss it with you. You'll receive several drills to work on your first week.
- What education and/or training do you have that relates to your work?
I started teaching guitar when I was 16. I've been in rock, blues, jazz, folk, and church praise bands over the years. During the Christmas season I perform at various retirement centers in the Manassas area. In an effort to introduce music to the next generation, I've taught, at no charge, the guitar to students in the Manassas Boys and Girls Club as well as Youth For Tomorrow in Bristow. I've taken music courses in high school and college as well as an extensive course in music theory and jazz guitar.