Piano Lessons in Independence, MO

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar Music Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
At 17, I was 100% sure that's what I wanted for my life. Music was always a big thing for me since I started playing, it was never ups and downs. Since I made the decision to become a pro musician, I never looked back.

If you play more than one instrument, how did you decide to start playing the second? (Or 3rd, 4th, 5th, etc)!
Playing different instruments is a very good thing! It opens up your eyes to how other players think and that skill can be very helpful when you produce music or play in a band or recording - so you don't step on anybody's toes. It can be also great for songwritting. Sometimes playing an instrument that's not your main will give you music ideas you wouldn't have by writing on your main instruments. However, always keep your focus on your main!

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
I enjoy playing many different music genres. Not just because I had to since I have always been a session musician and hired gun for tours, but because I like different things. I believe that learning different styles of music only adds to your playing and vocabulary. Obviously, you shouldn't have to learn things you hate. But when you learn something from a certain genre and understand the "behind the scenes" of what you learned, then you are able to apply that knowledge on anything you play - that is a great way to sound "fresh" and not have ideas that sound like everyone else's.

Do you use specific teaching methods or books? (Ex: Alfred, Bastion, Suzuki, Hal Leonard) Why did you choose them if you did?
I have my own method of teaching, but I do have an extensive music library and use material from various books depending on what I'm teaching in addition to my own material.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
Going through each item on your list of things you need to work on. Not skipping any item there. Using a metronome, slowing songs down to play them correctly until you are able to play them at original tempo, working on songwritting assignments, etc

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
Discipline and patience to overcome certain steps that take a long time to master, such as: barre chords, improvising, learning a lot of different scales and knowing how to use them properly, techniques (like arpeggios, tapping, slide, etc), learning music theory and knowing how to use it, etc

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
Yes. I've had students that became major artists, music producers and hired gun musicians. The way people succeed is different for everybody. You need to know what you want from music and follow that path. Make sure your teacher is giving you things you are interested in.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
My main inspiration to start playing guitar was Eric Clapton. I've had teachers that inspired me to play and other that didn't. It's very important to find a teacher who inspired you and gives you things you want to learn, instead of teaching on auto pilot. A teacher that inspired me a lot during college was guitarist Joe Stump.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
Many musical awards and nominations for albums I recorded over the years, being a member of the Recording Academy (Grammys), having recorded/mixed and released my own albums as an artist, playing shows all over the world, having some of my students become major artists/music producers/ hired gun musicians.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practicing effectively is not really about how many hours you put into your practice, but mostly about focused practice. What that means is going through the list of things you need to work on and tackling every item there. Somedays you'll feel like working on something more than other days, and that's ok. As long as you go through your list ideally daily, you will make progress quickly. It doesn't have to be daily, but obviously the more you practice, the better. 30 min a day, maybe less or more if you can do that, but the idea of hours and hours is not correct. It all depends also on what you are learning and what level of playing you desire.

When will I start to see results?
Everyone is different, meaning we all learn at different paces. But usually doesn't take long for you to start playing chord progressions (and songs that have basic chord progressions), single note riffs, basic strums and/or fingerstyle, etc

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