Guitar Lessons in Macopin, NJ

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar Double Bass Keyboard Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I am an experienced and enthusiastic teacher who loves to share the joy of music with students of all ages. I also have an active performing career, mostly in jazz with occasional forays into the worlds of rock, folk, hip-hop, classical, and latin music. In addition to The Swingaroos, current projects include: The Milkman and Sons, Hello Bittersweet, and Fake Tapes. He began his musical journey on piano with Reese Scott, and then switched to bass. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Voice Drums Bass Guitar Synthesizer Ukulele Mallet Percussion Orchestral Percussion Conga Latin Percussion Music Keyboard Electric Guitar Djembe Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Most important to my teaching is that each student to listens to a lot of music, and learns to play the music that they love as soon as possible. I work with a variety of method books/videos depending on skill level and stylistic interest, and teach time-tested regimens for building raw ability on the instrument. I also have many exercises of my own invention that are fun to listen to and play, while still remaining challenging and building facility. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

I work with one of three methods books: Mel Bay, Hal Leonard, or the Berklee Guitar Method. I gauge this based on the age, skill level, and their time available to practice. Mel Bay is the easiest method to begin, whereas Berklee is more advanced and moves at a faster pace. Sometimes I slow Berklee down and combine it with Mel Bay as a teaching strategy (Mel Berklee, perhaps?). I also am not afraid to use alternative teaching methodologies or notational systems, such as tablature and internet resources, as I think these are vital materials that are relevant to how people interact with, consume, share, and learn music today. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Bass Guitar

My specialty is Rock music. It's my passion, my love and my lifestyle. To learn Rock really well, I also cover the basics of some different styles that I believe are important to know such as Blues, Jazz, Classical and Metal. I believe a musician needs to be versatile and open-minded in order to progress and become fluent in the instrument. These are some of the music theory and techniques I teach: Scales - Major and minor modes ( Ionian, Dorian, Phrygian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Aeolian and Locrian) Pentatonic Scales - Harmonic minor and Melodic Minor among other exotic scales Chord formation and progessions for all styles- Pull-off, Hammer on, legato, tremolo picking, finger-tapping, Arpeggios, string skipping,etc.. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Bass Guitar

1987-present: teaching guitar, bass, piano, songwriting, film score composition, arranging, production, and audio engineering. 1989-1992: Adjunct Professor of Art History, Mercy College, Dobbs Ferry, NY. 1996-present: teaching studio painting and life drawing. Read More

Instruments: Piano Guitar Violin Cello Drums Banjo Mandolin Fiddle Orchestral Percussion Music Electric Guitar Classical Guitar Acoustic Guitar

For beginner students, I start with instrumental mechanics and very approachable ear training. We will listen to various styles of music in order to see the natural inclination and joy that the student possesses. From there, we will take our time developing good habits while learning music that the student finds fun and satisfying. I seek to instill musical goals and aspirations in new students by sharing and demonstrating music that they really enjoy. Read More

Instruments: Guitar Harmonica Banjo Ukulele Mandolin Electric Guitar Acoustic Guitar

Guitar has a bit of a steep learning curve at first, so I work on the basics of forming a good sound and producing clean notes and chords. Once that's established, I try to inspire students by showing just how much music can be made with as little as three chords. I'll help students learn their favorite songs and use those as an avenue for learning more technique. The best way to learn is by doing something interesting, so I use drills to help reinforce the songs students actually want to learn how to play. Read More