Guitar Lessons in Huntington Beach, CA

Luis J

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Why did you choose your primary instrument?
Electric Guitar is a versatile instrument that stands out just like a high note in the trumpet cuts through a 150+ string players in an Orchestra. I love the fact that a guitar has so many ways to be played, tapping, thumping, slap, legato style, alternative picking, jazz approach, etc. But I chose the guitar because of another artist who inspired me to pick up the guitar, his name is Marty Friedman.

What is your dream piece to perform and why?
In Guitar, I always dreamed to play The Dance of Eternity by Dream Theater. Of course I can, but that was a huge milestone. In Piano, im looking forward to at least be able to play the Minor tritonal changes of Maurice Ravel’s Ondine.

Did you have a teacher that inspired you to go into music? How did they inspire you?
Andres Prado is a jazz monster that taught me most of what I know in improvisation and Nylon Guitar. He was a little bit harsh since he was a Jazz Guy and I was a rock oriented player. However, he never gave up on me and we both connected through his music. He is truly and inspiration.

When did you decide to become a professional musician? Was it a gradual decision or was there a defining moment for you?
I always knew that I was going to be a musician. However, as I was becoming more skillful at the guitar, I started considering expanding my musical horizons and that’s why I also studied Orchestration and Film Scoring.

Does music run in your family? Tell us a little about your musical family members.
Unfortunately, none of my family were musicians. I’m the only one pursuing this career and cannot be more grateful for my parents support in this journey so far.

What is your favorite style/genre of music to play and why?
Fusion. In fusion you can mix different techniques and elements from so many different genres and guitar techniques. There is no right or wrong, there is no parallel fifths, low intervals, wrong comping. There is endless exploring of flavors.

If you weren't a musician what do you think you'd be doing instead?
I would be probably a software engineer, since that was one of the professions my dad told me to go for after finishing High School. I’m grateful for being able to follow my passion in Music.

If you have a Music Degree, what is it in (Performance, Education, Musicology, Theory, Composition, etc) and why did you choose that degree?
Professional Music (Performance, Jazz Composition, Composition) and Film Scoring. I chose them because I love playing guitar in many different styles; that also applies to my passion for composing and orchestrating for visual and interactive media.

What does a normal practice session look like for you?
An hour divided in: Warmup Reading Recapping previous class material Practicing chords Melodies Repertoire Improvisation/Technique And towards the end we do some more warm up exercises and stretching before finishing the lesson.

What do you think is the hardest thing to master on your instrument?
I would say it’s tone and improvisation vocabulary. True Legato technique is probably the hardest to achieve since it requires tons of self awareness in muscle, hand positioning, delicacy and strength. In Improvisation, it’s composition so it takes a while to learn a language.

What musical accomplishments are you most proud of?
I have toured with the band Ankh in Peru in 2014. I have played with talented musicians at Berklee. I have orchestrated and composed music for a feature film and 4 small videogames I can’t wait what the future brings!

Have any of your students won awards or been selected for special honors? How have they succeeded?
Most of them do pick up the guitar to have fun. I see them playing with bands from now and then. Music full fills their life for sure.

When will I start to see results?
For beginners, about 2 - 3 months. But the student will be able to play repertoire from the first class, as simple as it may be. I will help the student build a consistent plan of practice. Keeping track and scheduling practice hours by topics is a good way to maximize the musical gains. Practicing smarter, not longer.

What advice do you have about practicing effectively?
Practicing perfect makes perfect. But sacrificing the passion and fun for perfection must not be the way. Never to sacrifice the soul, always to remember that we are not machines but humans.

How do I know if my child is ready to start lessons?
Music calls everybody at their own time. The best way is to expose to children to as much music as possible. I believe they eventually show interest towards their instrument and genre of preference and that’s when they are ready.

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